We are in Salzburg. Our Travel from Vienna to Salzburg, Austria today morning was breathtaking to say the least and now the feel of this lovely city with the blue sky peeping out of the clouds is straight out of our dreams.

With the sound of music from the Mozart & Strauss Concert, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna last night still ringing fresh in our ears, it’s the perfect time for us to get nostalgic in some melody of music. With a visit to few of the locations where the famous Hollywood musical and ever hit movie ‘The Sound of Music’ was shot here in Salzburg.

The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, with Richard Haydn and Eleanor Parker. Based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is about a young Austrian nun in Salzburg who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower, to be governess to his seven children. After bringing love and music into the lives of the family, she marries the officer and together with the children find a way to survive the loss of their homeland to the Nazis.

We are now at Mirabell Palace & Gardens. Mirabell Palace was built in 1606 by prince-archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his beloved Salome Alt. Mirabell is a woman’s name from Italy, a compilation of two words: mirabile “admirable” and bella “beautiful”.

The Marble Hall in the palace was the former banquet hall of the prince-archbishops, and is regarded as one of the “most beautiful wedding halls in the world”. In former times, the likes of Leopold Mozart and his children, Wolfgang and Nannerl, made music here. The Pegasus Fountain in Mirabell Gardens, a Baroque pleasure garden, featuring a sculpture of the horse Pegasus is a work by Kaspar Gras from Innsbruck and was installed in 1913.

In the film, Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus Fountain in front of the palace, singing the song “Do Re Mi”. At the end of the scene, the Trapp family stand on the steps in front of the Rose Hill and sing the song’s final bars. We now move to another historical landmark which features prominently in the movie.

We are about to enter St. Peter’s Monastery & Cemetery & Catacombs. With its unique setting, the cemetery of St. Peter’s is one of the world’s most beautiful and oldest cemeteries. Surrounding the Late Gothic St. Mary’s Chapel in the center of the cemetery, numerous gravestones and burial vaults contribute to the captivating atmosphere. Famous personalities, artists and scholars found their final resting place here, including Nannerl, Mozart’s sister.

St. Peter’s Cemetery was a good inspiration for the movie makers. To maintain the sanctity of the place, no scenes were actually shot here. It was rebuilt in the Hollywood studios for the scene when the Nazis were searching for the von Trapps. In the movie, pursued by the National Socialists, the Trapp family fled through St. Peter’s Cemetery, finding a secure hiding place in the dark rocky recesses behind the tombstones, before ultimately escaping safely to Switzerland. St. Peter’s Church can also be seen in the opening scene. It’s time to leave from here and move towards Old City.

Salzburg is renowned for its Baroque architecture and has one of the best preserved city centers north of the Alps, with 27 churches. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The city has three universities and a large population of students. The city is divided by the Salzach River, with medieval and baroque buildings of the pedestrian Altstadt (Old City) on its left bank, facing the 19th-century Neustadt (New City) on its right. Let’s explore.

We are now at The Residence Square which is the heart of the old city center. Residence Square is a magnificent forecourt between the archiepiscopal residences in the heart of Salzburg’s Old City. It is bordered by the New Residence with its carillon, the Cathedral, the Old Residence and a continuous row of townhouses.

The Residence Fountain in the square is considered to be the most beautiful fountain in the city of Salzburg. It is 15 meters high and the largest baroque fountain outside Italy. It was built by Italian artist Tommaso di Garona and is made of marble from the Untersberg, a mountain near Salzburg. In it, four snorting horses spring forth from the spouting rock. Giants rooted in the rock carry the lower basin, in which three dolphins balance the scalloped upper basin. The upper basin holds a Triton, a jet of water shooting into the air from his conch-shell trumpet. In the movie, ‘The Sound of Music’ Maria and the children during their carriage ride through the city crossed the square and stopped at the fountain to splash water at the horses while singing “I have confidence”.

Residence Square is a popular venue for big sports or music events, including public airings of football games, live concerts and New Year’s Eve parties. Residence Square also serves as the setting for St. Rupert’s Fair in September and a Christmas market during the Advent season. Today though there was action of a different kind. A Vintage Car Show & fun activities for children.

This architectural complex known as the DomQuartier comprises the Cathedral and the Residenz – once the center of the prince-archbishops’ power – along with Benedictine St. Peter’s Abbey. With a single entrance ticket, you have the opportunity to marvel at five different Salzburg museums. The historical rooms of the DomQuartier also house various collections focused especially on the Baroque history of the city.

Our long walk since morning had helped us build a good appetite and so it was time now for our lunch. With all the western delicacies that we had opted for in the last few days, we wished to have some Indian food today. Salzburg has many Indian restaurants and we chose this one right in the heart of Old City. Hana’s Rasoi.

The food was awesome and the hospitality great. And now we are in “Hagenauer House”. This is the house in which Salzburg’s most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on 27 January 1756. His family actually lived here for 26 years from 1747 onward, occupying an apartment on the third floor. With parents Leopold and Anna Maria as well as sister Nannerl, Mozart spend his childhood and much of his youth here. It was actually the International Mozarteum Foundation which first opened a museum in the house way back in 1880. Constantly developed and expanded, this year-round museum is an absolute must for every Salzburg visitor.Let’s check it out.

We are now at Makartplatz Square in New City. In 1773, the Mozart family moved to this house we know today as the “Mozart Residence”.

Austria. The home of music and Mozart.

And Salzburg. The beauty of this city will take your breath away.

You’ll love Salzburg, in case you haven’t visited as yet. PIN it for later