The Sounds of Salzburg
Updated: Aug 21
March 16, 2026
Vienna, Austria
Today we are taking a side trip to Salzburg, Austria with Tom and Katie. The sounds of Salzburg include the music of Mozart, and the movie "The Sound of Music", so it will be worth waking up early, and taking a 2 1/2 hour train ride each way, in order to learn more about that iconic music.
Snow-capped hills and mountains outside of Salzburg.
Quick note regarding yesterday's blog:
We really enjoy interacting with those of you who respond to the blog. Suggestions and comments from our readers have driven some of the changes to how we organize both the style and content of the blog. Yesterday we received some additional information from a relative in Berlin related to our comments about Vienna graffiti in the blog. We are sharing that with you here.
"In Vienna, graffiti is only permitted on designated "Vienna Walls." These are marked on-site by a guidance system and thus recognizable as such (relief plaque with the "Viennese Dove"). Artistic activity is only allowed within the area marked by the guidance system; outside of these areas, the usual legal regulations apply (https://www.wienxtra.at). A comparable artistic opportunity is offered by the "Hall of Fame" walls in Berlin, which are also open to graffiti (https://www.legal-walls.net/city/berlin)".
Fun Facts about Salzburg
Dietrich Mateschitz created the world-famous energy drink Red Bull in 1987 in Salzburg, inspired by a Thai energy drink.
The name Salzburg literally means "Salt Castle" in German, originating from the barges carrying salt on the River Salzach in the 8th century.
While beloved by tourists, the film "The Sound of Music" was originally a commercial failure in Austria and received poor reviews.
After a rockfall in 1669 killed 230 people, a unique team of 12 mountain cleaners now monitors 300,000 of rock faces on the city hills (see picture below).
Salzburg Informaton
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and displayed his musical genius by the age of four. His father was also a musician and devoted his time to training his prodigal son. By the age of five he could play the piano and violin and had begun to compose music. In his life he composed over 800 pieces of music, including symphonies, operas, concertos, and more. Unfortunately, he passed away from an illness at the age of 35.
In the pictures below, the House where Mozart was born is the yellow house, and his family lived on the third floor. The other building is one of many Mozart museums in Strasburg.
Sound of Music
One of the most interesting things we learned about the filming of "The Sound of Music" is that so many of the locations, that look like a single place, were actually amalgamations of scenes filmed in several different places, including scenes done on movie sets. Additionally, while some of the story is based on fact, many parts were inaccurate. Those inaccuracies may be what contributed to the Austrian people not particularly liking the film.
The three pictures below are from locations used for the "Do, Re, Me" song, and for parts of the Von Trapp backyard.
Fountain the children danced around while singing
The steps the children danced and sang on.
Picture these arches covered with green leaves, and with the children dancing and singing with Maria.
Evidently this area with fountains and four statues (earth, air, water, and fire) was in the movie, although we don't actually remember them!
There is a Puppet Theater in Salzburg which presents regular puppet performances, and of course, includes the puppet show from Sound of Music on a regular basis.
And these are the catacombs that were the model for the ones used in the movie. The cemetery scene in the movie was actually built and filmed in a separate location There was also a cemetery next to the catacombs that provided some models for the cemetery in the movie.
And finally, below is the famous Bristol Hotel where Christopher Plummer stayed/partied during the making of "The Sound of Music".
Other Interesting things in Salzburg
The Mirabell Palace - this was the Palace the Prince-Arch Bishop had built for his mistress (yes, you read that right), and where she gave birth to 15 of his children and later raised the 10 that survived.
Below is the home of Christian Doppler, (1803 -1853) a scientiist best known for his discovery of the Doppler Effect. This is basically the reason the pitch of a wave changes when the distance between the source and the observer changes.
Remeber the fun fact about the Mountain Cleaners? Well, here is the cliff that they are cleaning. After a huge rock slide many years ago the city hired young men to remove plants and loose rocks from the cliffs manually and annually. One reason this is so important is because many buildings in the area are actually built into the cliff and in extreme danger if portions of the cliff break off.
Dogs of Salzburg:
Late tonight (Tuesday), we leave for Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, home to street art, a picturesque setting, and a city surrounded by vineyards. We will share that and more tomorrow!
For now, so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night...to you, and you, and you and you and you!
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