Destination Salzburg: The Home of The Sound of Music
The memorable locations from the classic musical film, The Sound of Music.
Who would have thought that the very first musical film I’ve seen would end up being my favorite movie of all time? I saw The Sound of Music for the first time when I was seven years old, and I have my parents to thank for that. And I’ve seen it hundreds of times more since. It is such a very delightful, infectious and heartwarming movie.
While the movie is historically incorrect, that didn’t stop it from being exceptionally successful and reigning as the highest grossing in history. It is a true and perfect classic movie. From the characters, music, scenery, to different aspects of life – faith, love, and love of country… you see, it’s quite hard to capture everything beautiful about this movie in words, or in a blog! One will have to see and hear it, and be enamored by it. It consumes you in a very special way like no other film ever could, especially with the lovely compositions by Oscar Hammerstein II, Irwin Kostal, and Richard Rodgers.
Julie Andrews’ character, Maria, is a dazzling, free-spirited, warm and determined woman, while Christopher Plummer’s character, Captain von Trapp, is quite a bit uptight, yet charming. And of course, the movie wouldn’t be complete without the von Trapp children, who brought life to the music, along with Maria.
Not only was I enamored by the music, story and the characters, but I have dreamed of seeing the different places from this timeless film. They are simply stunning! And so, what does a stubborn jet-setter do? Off I went to Salzburg, Austria and took a lot of photos of the home of The Sound of Music.
Here are the memorable locations from The Sound of Music:
Saint Gilgen Town + Other Countryside Views
These mountain views are shown in the introductory shots of the movie. These countryside towns are about half an hour from Salzburg.
“The hills are alive with the sound of music.
With songs they have sung for a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music,
My heart wants to sing every song it hears…”
Fortress Hohensalzburg, Residenzplatz Square & Residence Fountain
Fortress Hohensalzburg was the backdrop, along with Residenzplatz Square as the location where Maria started to sing “I Have Confidence,” splashing her hand in the richly decorated baroque Residence Fountain.
“I've always longed for adventure
To do the things I've never dared
Now here I'm facing adventure
Then why am I so scared?”
Mirabell Gardens
Another of the most familiar locations in the movie where the von Trapp children sang and danced Do-Re-Mi around the fountain and ended up hopping on the steps.
“Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do (oh-oh-oh)”
Schloss Frohnburg and Schloss Leopoldskron
The most familiar and recognized location of the movie is the mansion of the von Trapp family. However, did you know that the front and back are two separate locations? The front is Schloss Frohnburg.
While the back of the villa shows Schloss Leopoldskron – remember that boat scene where Maria and the children fell onto the water?
The Gazebo in Schloss Hellbrunn
This famous gazebo, which today can be found in the gardens of Hellbrunn Castle, was used for both Maria and Georg’s romantic love scene, with “Something Good,” and “I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen”. It was originally located in Schloss Leopoldskron then later on relocated to Schloss Hellbrunn because of trespassers trying to get to it.
“For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good”
St. Michael’s Cathedral in Mondsee
About 15-mile from Salzburg is the town of Mondsee, where St. Michael’s Cathedral is located. This is where Maria and Captain von Trapp got married. This cathedral is not as big as it looked in the film, but because of some aerial shots and effects, they made it look like it’s a big cathedral. It is beautiful inside.
Maria’s wedding March is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Having watched it an early aged, I was admiring the dress as an eight year-old girl.
“How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!”
And there you have it, a sneak peek of Salzburg Austria – where they filmed the classic musical film, The Sound of Music. If you ever get the itch to visit a country in Europe, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting Austria – both Vienna and Salzburg are beautiful and so rich of culture.
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Hi, I'm Shar! I started the outbounder as a place to share my adventures as I explore different places around the world, my love for different kinds of food, and a passion to capture a moment in time through photography.
Vienna, the capital city of Austria, is a beautiful masterpiece. I couldn’t help but be amazed by the baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces and soul-stirring orchestral music.