The White Hall

The elaborate stucco-work is an excellent example of the sophisticated decorative art of the late 18th century, making the Weisser Saal one of the most consistent rooms in the Residenz, classicist throughout.

Like the décor in the Rittersaal, the work was commissioned by Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo in 1781. Colloredo returned to the subject of Alexander the Great, scenes from whose life are continued in the wall reliefs, which represent his chivalric virtues and his wise and clement rule. This is a further attempt by the Prince-Archbishop to emphasise the authority and legitimacy of his regency by means of the interior design.

Hieronymus Colloredo was Salzburg's last prince-archbishop. He was deposed as a secular prince in 1803, in the course of secularisation and the new order in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars. Thus ended some 450 years of archiepiscopal power and splendour in Salzburg.

The Habsburg Ferdinand III of Tuscany assumed secular power as Grand Duke in Salzburg for two years (1803-1805). His portrait hangs prominently in this room, to the left of the door.
The ensuing years were extremely turbulent for the Town and the Province of Salzburg, political affiliation frequently changing. Finally in 1816, most of the former territory of the  prince-archbishop was affiliated to the Habsburg Empire und from then on administered from Linz in Upper Austria. All this was signed and sealed here, in the Weisser Saal.

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