The Sound of Music tour in Austria - a trip down memory lane

One is assaulted by certain aspects of Austrian history whilst you are in Austria. You cant get away from the fact that Mozart was born there and there are any number of concert halls, gardens and even chocolates celebrating his name ! Similarly, one can never forget the famous movie Sound of Music, produced in 1965, featuring Julie Andrews and Christoppher Plummer. There are tours visiting all the places where the film was shot…. even though the film did not stay true to the real life story.

So, whilst in Vienna, its obligatory to go on such a tour – more to see some beautiful Austrian countryside as well as see the locations! We were very fortunate in getting a guide who, dressed in her drindl, was charming, spoke excellent English and lived the whole story. She had tapes and puppets and broke into song each time we came to the particular relevant spot. What was also awesome was that most of the full bus group joined in full heartedly in the singing.                                          This is the itinerary given to us. 

Whilst the itinerary states we begin with Mirabelle Gardens, we actually end the tour there - as the coach starting / ending is at the Gardens. So, it made sense to start off with the next stop first.Schloss Leopoldskron is now an 18th Century Palace for our 21st Century World. Across its three centuries, Schloss Leopoldskron has been many things.

• ·         A summer palace for an autocratic prince-archbishop.
• ·         A failed shooting lodge and spa.
• ·         The centre of the creative arts and theatre scene of Europe.
• ·         A stage to represent a fascist regime.
• ·         A bombed-out dilapidated shadow of its former glory.

·         Now, its owned and operated by the international non-profit organization, Salzburg Global Seminar. It is an award-winning hotel and social enterprise. It is not a museum. It is a living, breathing, working space. It is open to all who share in the Salzburg Global values.

Schloss Leopoldskron was built in 1736 by Prince-Archbishop Leopold Anton Eleutherius Reichsfreiherr von Firmian of Salzburg. The construction was funded by his expulsion of more than 20,000 Protestants from Salzburg. He bequeathed the Schloss to his nephew Laktanz who installed a portrait gallery on the top floor to house his large art collection. For over 90 years, the Schloss remained in the Firmian family before being sold in the 19th C. Since then, it had a series of private owners.

In the 1830s it was acquired by a local gun range owner who plundered the art collection and squandered the majority of the remaining valuable artworks at an auction. In 1851, King Ludwig I of Bavaria acquired the Schloss and lived there on and off until 1869. Later owners included Austrian politician and poet Alexander Julius Schindler, a.k.a. alias Julius von der Traun, and local banker Carl Spängler.

The famous Max Reinhardt bought Schloss Leopoldskron in 1918 when it had fallen into a state of disrepair. The theatre impresario and founder of the Salzburg Festival reimagined the building’s interiors as a place to celebrate cultural innovation and a place of seamless connection between historic preservation and artistic creativity. He committed his considerable creative talents to the restoration of the Schloss, and with the assistance of Salzburg artisans, he renovated the staircase, the Great Hall, and the Marble Hall.

During the Reinhardt years, Schloss Leopoldskron was an important gathering place for theatrical producers, writers, composers, actors, and designers from both Europe and abroad. Together with Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss, Max Reinhardt founded the Salzburg Festival at Schloss Leopoldskron in 1920.

World War II brought an end to the Reinhardt era: Schloss Leopoldskron was confiscated by the Nazis as “Jewish property” following the Anschluss in 1938. Max Reinhardt fled Austria for the US, where he died in 1943. The Nazis used the Schloss as a guest house for leading artists and cultural figures in the Nazi party as well as local party administrators. Plans were drawn up to transform the grounds in the fascist style of Albert Speer.

Throughout its history, Schloss Leopoldskron has been inextricably linked to cycles of power, persecution, and renewal. Despite dark periods in the history of Schloss Leopoldskron, the cycles of renewal – through vision, enterprise, and cultural and social leadership, and the founding of Salzburg Global Seminar – have ensured that Schloss Leopoldskron has remained a space of creativity, inclusion, and inspiration for people from all over the world.

The Salzburg Seminar in American Studies first rented Schloss Leopoldskron from Max Reinhardt’s widow in 1947 before buying the palace outright in 1959. Today, Schloss Leopoldskron is both home to Salzburg Global Seminar and a hotel, the revenue of which directly supports our mission: “to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world.”

We ofcourse saw the Schloss from a far distance as can be seen from the photos!! 

Next stop was Hellbrun Castle where the famous Sixteen going on Seventeen was films.  The castle entry is at some distance from the gazebo – so for us, we went straight to the gazebo to see it. 

Enroute, we suddenly saw this amazing building with a sloping multi layer roof, in the middle of a body of water, with nine bulls made from steel. Very strange. Turned out to be the headquarters of Red Bull, the energy drink.

We passed by the Nonnberg Abbey, a nunnery of the cloistered nuns where Maria was a novice nun, enroute to Gilgen, a very pretty town. 

We zoom by Lake Fuschl and Lake Wolfgang. The route is very pretty and we stop to see the lake and rooftops of Gilgen. Because we covered such a long distance during the full day tour, we had to pass by some interesting places, like Gilgen. 

Our final halt was at Mondsee Cathedral where the Trapps were married. We parked way out of the village on a large expanse of green. Then we walked about half a km. The Church was in the town square, surrounded by cafes and shops. 

Nothing unique about the church’s architecture except for its history. As we had an hour to spend here, as the driver needed his rest break, we sat in a cafe and enjoyed a hot chocolate drink. 

This final shot is of our excellent guide who must be credited for her enthusiasm. Imagine doing this daily for a bunch of foreigners who may or may not tip her well. It’s a labour of necessity and I wish her well for the future.   

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