Final Salzburg day

A quarry turned theatre and arm-twisting of the Austrian government were two stories we learned to day as we looked for, and found, more Sound of Music locations. When we arrived in town this morning from our hotel, Phillip wanted to find the stage used to film the Sound of Music scene where the Von Trapp family makes their final singing performance and then slips away from the Nazis. A Google search told me that we were looking for Felsenreitschule. I was a bit confused because "felsenreitschule" translates to "rock riding school," and I thought we'd be looking for an old theatre location. I used Google maps, which took us to the side of the mountain, at the back of a building that was a mix of really old and new architecture.

Phillip looking for Felsenreitshule, but a locked gate was ahead

We went down a few dead end hallways and up this dead end stairwell until we came across a lady who said tickets for a tour of the Felsenreitscule were available around the corner.  Still not knowing anything about it, we found that the next Felsenreitschule tour was at 2 pm, so we proceeded on to our next stop, the Sound of Music Museum. 

I'm glad this museum was free with our Salzburg card, because it was only four rooms, mostly with movie stills and historical pictures of the real Von Trapp family. Several videos played of Maria Von Trapp (one of the daughters, not the Julie Andrews character) comparing the movie to her real life. One of the movie pictures, of the Nazis in Salzburg, had an interesting story.

Sound of Music picture

Apparently, the Austrian government did not want a Nazi flag placed on the Residenzplatz (a major building in a nearby square) for the movie filming in 1964. The movie people said they'd use archived news footage if they couldn't film the scene they wanted. Since the news footage showed the Austrians cheering the entry of the Nazis, the Austrian government decided to allow the flag. (In the 1930s, Austria, where German is the official language, just rolled over with a sizable number of Austrians welcoming Hitler.)

same building, today

After the museum, we noticed on our Salzburg map that the St. Peter's cemetary was near the catacombs that I wanted to visit. So, we walked to the catacombs and toured them. These catacombs date back to 1178, burial sites carved out of the side of the hill, accessible up cave-like stairs. From a window of the catacombs, we could see the cemetary. 

We walked thru the cemetary and, although we did not identify the exact "cage" that the movie characters hid in, we saw the burial vaults that lined the edge of the traditional in-ground graves.

Burial vaults, which look like cages, line the edges of the cemetary

Next, we went to Mozart's birthplace. This was pretty boring for Phillip, but interesting for me as Mozart is my favorite classic composer. It was a hot, crowded museum. Then lunch, (Cafe Mozart: mushroom rissoto and a salad for me, french fries for Phillip - he wasn't hungry) and on to our 2 pm Felsenreitschule tour. 

In 1693, the Salzburg rulers turned a rock quarry into a performance venue by hewing 96 spots into the wall where people could sit and watch equestrian events. It was not covered and they trained for the events there also, hence the name "Rock Riding School." Over the years, the seating was moved out of the wall and placed so the audience looked toward the wall. In 1926, the real Max Reinhardt (not just a character in the movie) did use this venue as a performance hall. 

Low on the back left is the stage exit. Also, three of the ancient seating alcoves can be seen on the left.

The 96 alcoves in the wall are still there, covered up unless needed for a performance. And of course, it has a roof and modern seating. Two other performance halls have been built to create a major location that hosts Mozart concerts and other musical and theatre performances. The tour guide showed us all three halls.

When we left the Felsenreitschule tour, it was raining, so we went to the Museum of Nature and Science. It had interactive exhibits in one area for kids of all ages. We stayed there till it closed.

Phillip using an air current to keep the ball suspended

Before heading for the hotel, we each bought a sausage with mustard in a roll (my favorite quick meal in Europe). And then Phillip had to stop for a chocolate pretzel!

Savory and sweet, pretzels of all kinds, 3.50 euros each

We've enjoyed Salzburg and saw just about everything on my list. We leave for Vienna with its palaces and a garden maze. On to our next adventure!