In Salzburg, Austria last spring, I jumped around the fountain outside the Mirabell Palace.
Others did too.
About 60 years earlier, Maria and the von Trapp children danced around the palace’s Pegasus Fountain, singing “Do-Re-Mi,” one of the most famous songs from “The Sound of Music.”
The movie tells the story of the von Trapp family, and the novice nun Maria who serves as governess to the seven children, and later (spoiler alert) marries her father only to have to flee the Nazi regime after the annexation of Austria.
Salzburg plans to celebrate the beloved musical
The film, starring Julie Andrews, was released in March 1965. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the film, the city is celebrating with tours and themed events throughout the year.
The Pegasus Fountain, outside the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg.
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Starting on February 6, the Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron (Leopoldskron Palace) will host an exhibition of articles relating to real von Trapp family, such as memorabilia and photos from the film.
A new one audio guide appwith stories from the filming told by Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in the film, leading visitors on a route around the town of Werfen, where the picnic scene was filmed.
Throughout the year, the Salzburg Puppet Theater will channel “The Lonely Goat,“ as performed by the children in the film, putting special shows.
The UNESCO-recognized Salzburg Puppet Theater opened in 1913.
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If you love the dirndl dresses the women wore in the movie, the Salzburger Heimatwerk, a traditional store at Residenzplatz 9, will design a special anniversary dress celebrating the film and host a one-time exhibition.
On October 23, an English-language symposium is scheduled to discuss the relevance and importance of “The Sound of Music” in Salzburg today, according to SalzburgerLand, the city’s tourism marketing organization. At the Felsenreitschule theater, the panel will include members of the original cast. In the evening, there will be a themed gala with original music and performances, and again, cast members in attendance.
Later in the year, the Salzburg Theater will release the musical “The Sound of Music” in German with English subtitles. Performances are scheduled on selected dates in November and December.
Restaurants, like the Stift Culinarium St. Peter – which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Europe – offers special cinema-themed menus, with regional specialities.
A little late to the party, “The Sound of Music Museum” was opened in Salzburg in 2026.
Film locations in Salzburg
The Mirabell Gardens are one of the many filming locations that tourists can see in Salzburg. Just past the Pegasus Fountain is the rather strange Dwarf Garden, with sculptures of 320-year-old dwarfs, who had a cameo in the film.
To follow the film from the beginning, go to the old Benedictine Abbey of Nonnberg that dates back to 714, where Mary struggled to become a nun. The cloister is located just below the Hohensalzburg Palace which towers over Salzburg. The views are stunning.
A woman sits in the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg.
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Follow Maria’s path from the abbey and enter the Old Town through the arches past the Salzburg Cathedral to Residenzplatz, where you’ll splash around in the fountain before boarding a bus to the von Trapp House outside of Salzburg.
Other places in Salzburg include the Mozartsteg, the small Maria footbridge and children crossing while singing “My Favorite Things”. the market they visit at Kajetanerplatz, which also hosts a weekly Farmer’s Market every Friday.
One of the locations featured later in the movie is really amazing Rock riding schoolthe theater where the von Trapps sing during the Salzburg Music Festival, and which is a venue for the annual festival to this day.
The Cemetery of Saint Peter, founded in the 7th century, remains a popular tourist attraction.
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After his performance, the family flees to a cemetery. St. Peter’s Abbey is listed as a filming location in the movie, but scenes that represent its picturesque. St. Peter’s Cemetery they were mostly filmed on a recreated Hollywood set.
For a special treat, stay at the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, where Julie Andrews stayed while filming the movie.
Seeing “the hill”
The hill that is alive with music – and that appears in the opening scenes of the film – is in Germany, just across the border from Austria. The actual location is on private land, and the owner is not interested in tourists. That said, there are public paths that lead along the meadow, and if you’re determined to see it, it’s worth it. following the mountain trail to take a look.
The easiest to reach is the Untersberg, where Maria and the children picnicked, and which offers a wonderful view of the mountains and all of Salzburg. It is often included on “The Sound of Music” tours, but if you want to go alone, it’s a 20 minute taxi ride.
Is it the von Trapp house? The original family villa is located in a secluded park on Traunstrasse 34. Once the real home of the von Trapp family, it was later turned into a hotel which unfortunately closed, with the gardens also closed to the public. But you can walk around the outside of the grounds and catch a glimpse of the real Villa Trapp.
Other places near Salzburg
In the movie, the house was much bigger, really a palace: the Leopoldskron Palace on the shore of the lake that passed by the same name. The house is shown in the opening credits and extensively throughout the film.
Leopoldskron Palace was used as the home of the von Trapp family in “The Sound of Music”.
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Remember when Mary and all the children capsized their boat? The grand palace, which dates from 1736, was together with the Frohnburg Palace (now part of the Salzburg Mozarteum University), for exterior and interior shots. And, as an added bonus, Leopoldskron Palace has been transformed into a luxury hotel, so guests will be able to recognize some of the interiors from the film.
Incidentally, the original white music gazebo that stars frequent in the film has been moved Hellbrunn Palace.
The relocated von Trapp gazebo is closed to the public.
Source: Prudence Andreia Goh
And finally, the wedding venue. Maria and Captain von Trapp were married at the beautiful Basilica San Michele in Mondsee, which translates to Moon Lake. Mondsee is 18 kilometers from Salzburg, and can be reached with bus line 140 in 40 minutes.
The charming little town is a great place to wrap up your trip and stay a day or two. The mountain setting of the lake is perfect for settling down “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers“, written by Maria von Trapp.
Can’t go to Salzburg?
When the von Trapp family fled war-torn Europe, they settled in Vermont. Today, the farm has been expanded and you can stay in the original von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The hotel whose ambiance and decor is the next best thing to visiting Austria is also full of royal family history.
The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, is just one of many theaters in the United States that will perform “The Sound of Music” in 2025. music starts in Septemberand goes on tour in December.
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2025-01-20 03:06:00
