Six decades ago, Julie Andrews burst into song atop Salzburg, Austria’s rolling hills, and the world fell in love with The Sound of Music. The 1965 film, adapted from the 1959 Broadway musical and based on the von Trapp family’s escape from the Nazis, has proven itself an enduring international success. Now, a year after its 60th anniversary, it’s getting the museum treatment.
Sound of Music Salzburg, devoted entirely to the pop culture phenomenon and the true story that inspired it, opened Sept 20 in the city where it all began. Located on the grounds of the 17th-century Hellbrunn Palace, the museum features over 450 items, including props, costumes, and sound recordings from the movie, as well as exhibits related to the real von Trapps.
“No film has shaped the international perception of our province as profoundly and enduringly as The Sound of Music,” Stefan Schnöll, Deputy Governor of the Province of Salzburg, said in a news release. He added that at the museum, “the story of the von Trapp family is brought together with the musical and the film, making it accessible to visitors from around the world as well as to the people of Salzburg.”
Visitors start their tour at the glass gazebo where the “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Something Good” scenes were filmed. The gazebo was originally located at the nearby Leopoldskron Pond but was moved to Hellbrunn in 1991 to provide easier access for the hordes of fans who wanted to see it.
Inside the museum, there’s also a replica of the gazebo that houses a 360-degree cinematic projection room offering an immersive re-creation of two iconic songs: the aforementioned teenage serenade between Liesl and Rolfe, her telegram delivery boy-turned-Nazi beau, and “Do-Re-Mi,” the joyous tune Maria uses to teach her new charges how to sing.
A pink-themed gallery on the ground floor dubbed “My Favorite Things” showcases memorabilia from the extensive collection of Dutch Sound of Music fan Roger Pluijm, from whom the museum acquired more than 2,500 objects.
The upper floor is dedicated to the von Trapp family’s true history, exploring who they were, the music they created as the Trapp Family Singers, their immigration to the United States, and the legacy they left behind.
Elisabeth von Trapp, whose father, Werner, was one of the original members of the musical group (depicted in the film as Kurt), attended the opening and voiced her approval.
“It is intimate enough so you really have a beautiful sense of the storyline of both The Sound of Music and the Trapp family singers — my relatives,” she told the Associated Press. “I’m very proud of that.”
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