There were fortifications on the Mönchsberg as early as the 13th century. At the narrowest point of the mountain there was a defensive wall with a crenellated crown, which was reinforced and raised in 1487 by the townspeople. This is how they came up with the name "vigilante". It is located above the Gstättentor/Schleiferbogen, the former city boundary. The kennel with a steep gateway that is located there was built in 1630/40.
Under Paris Lodron, the Mönchsberg was extensively provided with fortifications, such as the Müllner Schanze. Hiking from the Festungsberg to the Mönchsberg, you pass the Schartentor with the Vorwerk, the so-called "Katze".
The weir system made of conglomerate blocks was built in 1635 to close the previous access to the city.
In 1863 the path was reopened by a gate breakthrough. Past the mayor's hole, which was only broken out of the wall in 1870, you reach the Richterhöhe. This protruding hilltop does not bear this name - as is often said - because it is said to have served as a former place of execution, but after the alpinist and geographer Prof. Eduard Richter (1847 - 1905), for whom a monument was to be erected here.
The two powder towers at Mönchsberg date from the second half of the 14th century. Today they are used as clubhouses. The Richterhöhe offers a wonderful view of the Salzburg Basin and the surrounding high mountains.
The north side of the mountain also received massive fortifications. The Monika gate above the Müllner parish church, with drawbridge and kennel, and the Augustinian gate formed the main part.