Locations of The Sound of Music

Without a doubt the city of Salzburg is just as famous as the filming location of the Academy Award-winning movie The Sound of Music as it is as the birthplace of W.A. Mozart. The thorough location scouting for the iconic movie had already begun in 1963, searching through the city in order to find the best among its many beautiful spots and gorgeous palaces. After the careful scouting, director Robert Wise and his team started shooting in 1964 and spent eleven weeks at the most impressive locations of Salzburg. For the exterior scenes at the Von Trapp mansion, two of the most charming palaces of the city were used. Schloss Frohnburg, a 17th-century palace, which is now home to the Mozarteum Music Academy, served as the main entrance of the villa, while the beautiful lakeside terrace of the mansion was actually shot at Schloss Leopoldskron. Interestingly, the Leopoldskron also houses a marvellous, so-called Venetian room, on which the ballroom of the Trapp mansion was based in the 20th Century Fox studios. The gazebo in which the famous song Sixteen Going on Seventeen was filmed, also stood on the grounds of Leopoldskron and today can be found in the garden of another Salzburg palace, Schloss Hellbrunn.

The baroque old town of Salzburg also plays an important role in the movie. For instance, the scene in which Maria splashes the water of the fountain while singing I Have Confidence in Me, was filmed at Residenzplatz, while part of the famous song, Do-Re-Mi was shot on Winkler Terrace that offers a stunning view of the city. However, the most memorable spots of the Do-Re-Mi song, such as the steps on which the children hop are located in the charming garden of the Mirabell Palace. The release of the famously successful movie in 1965 brought international recognition for the undeniable beauty of Salzburg and helped to establish the city as a top filming destination for filmmakers.