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Last spring in Salzburg, Austria, I jumped around the fountain outside Mirabell Palace.
Others do too.
Some 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 It tells the story of the von Trapp family and the novice nun Maria, who serves as governess to their seven children, and later (spoiler alert) marries their father, who are forced 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 celebrate the film’s 60th anniversary, the city is celebrating with themed tours and events throughout the year.
The Pegasus Fountain, outside the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg.
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From February 6, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron (Leopoldskron Palace) will hold an exhibition. the real von Trapp family, as well as movie memorabilia and photos.
A news audio guide appNicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in the film, will guide visitors along a path around the village of Werfen, where the picnic scene was filmed, with stories from the shoot.
During the year, the Salzburg Marionette Theater will focus on “The Lonely Goatherd.”“ as the children in the film act, putting special shows.
The UNESCO-recognized Salzburg Puppet Theater opened in 1913.
Joe Klamar | Afp | Getty Images
If you love the dirndl dresses the women wore in the movie, Salzburger Heimatwerk, The traditional shop at Residenzplatz 9 is designing a special anniversary outfit to celebrate the film and will host a temporary exhibition.
On October 23, an English-speaking conference is planned today to discuss the significance and importance of “The Sound of Music” for Salzburg, according to the city’s tourism marketing organization SalzburgerLand. At the Felsenreitschule theater, the jury will include the original cast members. The night will feature a themed gala featuring original music and performances, again featuring cast members.
Later in the year, the Salzburg Theater will present the musical “The Sound of Music” in German with English subtitles. They are performances scheduled on selected dates in November and December.
Restaurants, for example Stift Culinarium St. Peter – which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Europe – will offer special cinema themed menus, with regional specialties.
A little late to the party, “The Sound of Music Museum” will open in Salzburg in 2026.
Film locations in Salzburg
The Mirabell Gardens are one of the many filming locations that tourists can see in Salzburg. Next to the Pegasus Fountain is the curious Dwarf Garden, with its 320-year-old sculptures of mischievous dwarfs, who had a cameo in the film.
To follow the film from the beginning, go to the old Benedictine abbey of Nonnberg in 714, where Maria fought to become a nun. The cloister is located under the Hohensalzburg Palace above Salzburg. The views are amazing.
A woman sits in the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg.
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Follow Mary’s path from the abbey and enter the Old Town through the arches next to Salzburg Cathedral to Residenzplatz, where she splashed in the fountain before boarding a bus to the von Trapp home outside of Salzburg.
Other parts of Salzburg include the Mozartsteg, the Little Maria Passage, and crossing paths as the children sing “My Favorite Things”. The market they visit is Kajetanerplatz, which still hosts a weekly Farmers’ Market every Friday.
One of the locations later in the film is truly amazing Rock stableThe theater where the von Trapps sing at the Salzburg Music Festival, and which is still home to the annual festival.
The San Pedro cemetery, founded in the 7th century, remains a popular tourist attraction.
Photoholic Press | Rocket | Getty Images
After the performance, the family flees to a cemetery. St. Peter’s Abbey is listed as a location for the film, but scenes depicting the picturesque locale San Pedro Cemetery they were mostly shot on a recreated Hollywood set.
Stay for a special treat Hotel Sacher Salzburg, Julie Andrews was there when the film was being shot.
Seeing ‘the hill’
The hill alive with music – and which appears in the opening scenes of the film – is in Germany, across the border from Austria. The actual place is on private land, and the owner doesn’t seem to like tourists. That said, there are public paths that lead through the meadow, and if you’re in the mood to see them, it’s worth it following the mountain path to catch a glimpse.
Easier to reach is the Untersberg, where Maria and the children used to picnic, and which offers stunning views of the mountains and Salzburg. It comes in often “The Sound of Music” tours, but if you want to go alone, it’s a short 20 minute taxi ride.
And what about the von Trapp house? The original family villa is located in a secluded park at Traunstrasse 34. Once the real home of the von Trapp’s, it was later turned into a hotel which unfortunately closed down, with the gardens also closed to the public. But you can walk outside the grounds and see the real Villa Trapp.
Other places near Salzburg
In the film, the house was much bigger, the palace in fact: the Leopoldskron palace on the shore of the lake of the same name. The house is shown in the opening credits and throughout the film.
Leopoldskron Palace was used as the residence of the von Trapp family in “The Sound of Music”.
Dea / W. Buss | De Agostini | Getty Images
Remember when Mary and all the children capsized the boat? It was the big palace of 1736 Frohnburg Palace (today the Mozarteum is part of the University of Salzburg), for exterior and interior shots. And, as an added bonus, Leopoldskron Palace has been converted into a luxury hotel, so guests can explore some of the film’s inner corners.
By the way, the original music that is often featured in the film was moved to the white gazebo Hellbrunn Palace.
The relocated von Trapp observatory is closed to the public.
Source: Prudence Andreia Goh
And finally, the wedding venue. Maria and Captain von Trapp tied the knot at the magnificent Basilica of St. Michael on Mondsee, which backs onto Moon Lake. Mondsee is 18 kilometers from Salzburg, and can be reached in 40 minutes by bus line 140.
The charming little town is a great location to end your trip and stay for a day or two. The mountain surroundings of the lake are perfect for relaxation “The story of the Trapp family singers“, written by Maria von Trapp.
Can’t make it to Salzburg?
When the Von Trapp family fled war-torn Europe, they settled in Vermont. Today, the farm has been enlarged and you can stay in the original von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The setting and decor, which is the next best thing to visiting Austria, is also steeped in real family history.
The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC is just one of the theaters in the US where “The Sound of Music” will be performed in 2025. the music will start in Septemberand tours in December.
