I had such a wonderful time in Italy. Now it was time to explore a new country. I took the train from Verona, Italy to Salzburg, Austria. From the Salzburg train station, I took a taxi to my hotel. The taxi driver was young and spoke perfect English. He asked if I would be doing a Sound of Music tour. I told him that I would be exploring the city on my own but was interested in seeing some of the places where the movie was filmed. Little did I know – one of those places was the hotel I chose!

As we pulled up to the gate of the hotel, I could see this was a special place.

The ***Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron*** in Salzburg was in a beautiful location overlooking a lake and beautiful snow-capped mountains.

After checking in, I took a tour of the grounds. There was a walking path around the lake. From across the lake, you could see the main part of the hotel and the ***Festung Hohensalzburg (Fortress)*** in the distance.

Here are some more beautiful pictures of the hotel grounds!

On the wall in the lobby of the hotel was an autographed photo of Julie Andrews in one or the scenes from the ***Sound of Music***.

Do you remember this scene in the movie???

The next morning, I found the exact location where the scene was filmed on the hotel grounds.

Breakfast at the hotel was served on the first floor of the palace. The art and gold work were stunning AND the food was good too!

After breakfast, I found the library which was set up for a wedding to be held on the grounds.

I knew this place had a story to tell, so I did some research, and this is what I learned…

The Schloss Leopoldskron is a historical monument and a hotel business owned by a non-profit organization known as the Salzburg Global Seminar. The building was commissioned in 1736 by the Archbishop of Salzburg. However, a Scottish Benedictine monk is regarded as its master builder. Of course, this estate, like so many others, had its period of decline and disrepair. In 1918, the palace was sold to Max Reinhardt, one of Europe’s famous theatre directors. He renovated the palace and established the Salzburg Festival on the premises in 1920.

In 1938, the palace was seized by the Germans and returned to Reinhardt’s widow after World War II in 1945. Mrs. Reinhardt loaned the palace to the founders of the Salzburg Global Seminar in 1947 and shortly after, one of the scenes from the Sound of Music was filmed at this location. It was exciting to learn the history of this beautiful place.

Normally, when I visit new places, I like to stay within the downtown historical area. This hotel was approximately a 25-minute walk to the historic district of Salzburg. I didn’t mind the walk, even in the rain. It was beautiful and peaceful.

One of my travel books on Salzburg came with a walking map of all the sites I wanted to see. My first stop was ***Festung Hohensalzburg.***

I know my husband would have enjoyed this place because of all the military features.

I was interested because visiting the fortress began with a ride on a funicular.

Funiculars are the best way to get to the top of a hill or mountain without breaking a sweat. The views are always worth it too!

As I roamed through the many parts of the fortress, I found ***Saint George’s Church.***

As I entered the church, there was a small vestibule and then gates that prevented you from going into the church. It was the first time I saw something like this. However, when I thought back on the movie, the ***Sound of Music,*** in the wedding scene when Maria is getting ready to walk down the aisle, the nuns stand behind the gate as they watch Maria process toward the altar. As it turned out, these gates were in almost all the churches I visited in Salzburg.

Despite the gates, I was able to get good pictures of the altar and the woodwork on either side of the church.

Another interesting find at the fortress was the remains of the Romanesque Fortress Chapel discovered by archeologists in 1994.

Here are more beautiful views from the top of the fortress!

As I traveled back down on the funicular, I noticed an old church cemetery. The path toward the cemetery led to Saint Peter’s Abbey – another site on my list!

This beautiful old church did not have gates on the inside but had them on the outside.

Another interesting find in many of the churches I visited was the chalk markings either above the door or on the door as they are in this picture. If you’ve read my book – ***Mary’s Life Journey & Her Amazing Yes!*** – then you read about these markings in Chapter Nine. Let me know in the comments below if you know what these markings mean.

Outside this church, I also noticed rooms built into the rock. Saint Peter’s Abbey is the oldest monastery in Austria founded in 696 by Saint Rupert.

While descending on the funicular, I also noticed a large gold ball and a massive chessboard. After leaving Saint Peter’s Abbey, I walked toward the large gold ball structure. This area is known as Kapitelplatz and the sculpture is the Sphaera created by a German sculptor in 2007.

As I walked away from this area, I came upon the ***Salzburg Cathedral***. The outside did not look like a cathedral; however, I recognized the name on the sign.

After paying the entrance fee, I walked inside this beautiful cathedral.

***WOW!***

***The center aisle of this church was massive not only in length, but in width as well.***

The first altar to the right of the entrance depicted a beautiful painting of ***Saint Sebastian.*** Below the painting was a beautiful art piece of the ***Madonna and Child.***

The artwork on the ceilings was stunning and very clear as if they were just painted. Each painting told a story of the lives of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.

I noticed also that the beautiful Stations of the Cross were located above the archways as you traveled down the side aisles toward the front of the cathedral.

There were so many places to see the beauty and talent dedicated to God.

This cathedral also had a crypt with a small chapel.

I was also impressed with the woodwork on each of the pews – although, there were no cushions on the kneelers! ***By now, you know how much I love those cushions!***

The history of this cathedral is very interesting. The Salzburg Cathedral was dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Virgil. The original cathedral on this site was consecrated in 774. After being destroyed by fire, the cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated in 1628. In 1944, an aerial bomb destroyed the cathedral dome which was rebuilt after World War II and reopened to the public in 1959.

As I looked at the pictures displayed in the cathedral of the destruction from World War II, I thought of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. I was devastated when the news broadcasted footage of the fires that destroyed several sections of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in 2019. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is on my bucket list. I have postponed my trip to Paris until this cathedral is open to the public.

Looking down at the display of photos showcased in the Salzburg Cathedral that showed the destruction from World War II and then raising my eyes to the present beauty of the cathedral gave me hope that the Cathedral of Notre Dame will be restored to its original beauty. My only hope is that it will be complete within the next few years! Stay tuned!

My next stop was the Nonnberg Benedictine Convent which is the oldest convent in the German speaking world.

The convent was founded in 712 by ***Saint Rupert.*** Despite fires, wars, and several renovations, the convent has sustained its beauty.

One of the interesting features of the church that caught my eye was the carving of the dove in the center of the arched ceiling.

The dove is one of the many symbols of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Seeing the dove in the center of the domed ceiling reminded me of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Church.

Near the convent, I found the church dedicated to Saint Maximilan. This church was consecrated in 1700. Once again, there were gates preventing me from walking to the altar. However, I was still able to snap some great photos.

Of course, Mozart is one of the reasons many people come to Salzburg. Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756. Although I did not go to the museum highlighting his life, I did enjoy the chocolates named in his honor.

The weather was on and off rain for the first three days I spent in Salzburg. On one of these on and off rainy days, I saw a sign for Saint Michael’s Church. I entered just in time to avoid the rain and attended the noon Mass. It was my first Mass in German!

The most unusual church I found in Salzburg was the Kollegienkirche (Collegiate Church). This church had very tall ceilings with very white interior! Above the main altar was a display of angels on stucco clouds surrounding the Blessed Mother. The side altars and organs were simply stunning.

The next day, before the rain started, I decided to go to another Sound of Music filming site – the Mirabell Palace and Gardens. On my way, I found Holy Trinity Church built in the late 1600s.

The rain held out as I made my way to Mirabell Gardens. As I walked through the archway leading to the garden, I immediately saw a familiar site from the Sound of Music movie.

Let me know in the comments below if you know the song Julie Andrews and the children sang around this fountain in this garden!!! If you have not seen the ***Sound of Music***, I highly recommend it. ***It is a classic!***

I also learned something new about these gardens. The Mirabell Palace was built in 1606 by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich who wanted a residence outside the city walls for his mistress and their ten children. The original name of the palace and gardens was Altenau named after the mistress. However, when the archbishop’s nephew inherited the estate, he changed the name to Mirabell to conceal the palace’s original purpose.

As I continued my walk around the beautiful city of Salzburg, I found another gold plaque on the sidewalk in memory of those who were taken and murdered.

***May we never forget and may we continue to always pray for each of them.***

The next church on my list was Saint Sebastian Catholic Church.

This church was built between 1505 and 1512 and was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the early 19th century. As I entered the beautiful church, I noticed that the gates were open. There were several people in the church when I noticed that the Blessed Sacrament was on the altar. This was a time for Adoration and I was happy to spend time with Our Lord in this beautiful place.

My last stop in Salzburg was a visit to the Capuchin Monastery known as Kapuzinerkirche.

My GPS led me to a domed alley with a steep incline with too many steps to count. As I climbed the steps, I wondered why they didn’t build a funicular on this spot!

Climbing the countless number of steps was exhausting, but well worth the view.

The church was another beautiful, gated structure.

On my way back down from the ***Capuchin Monastery,*** atop a hill, I noticed a beautiful crucifix. A set of steep stairs descended from the crucifix leading to four more gold plaques. These plaques caught my attention because they had on them the initials ***USA***.

I did some research and found that these plaques are called Stolpersteine in German. The English translation is Stumbling Stones. These stones were planted throughout Europe on city streets and sidewalks to eternalize the lives lost in the Holocaust.

The translation for the plaque in the upper left corner is as follows:

Heir Wohnte – **Lived Here**
Stefan Zweig – **NAME**
JG 1881 – **Date of birth**
Flucht 1934 – **Escaped 1934**
England, USA, Brasilien (Brazil)
Fluct in den tod – **Humiliated. Deprived of his rights. Flight into his own death.**
23.2.1942 – **Date** – February 23, 1942
Petropolis – **Place in Brazil**

The other three stones seem to indicate that the individuals escaped in 1938 to Frankreich (France) and then on to the USA.

So much history, so much grief, so much pain – I pray that we never forget.

I truly enjoyed my two and a half days in Salzburg. I saw so many beautiful things. Everyone was so kind. Even in the rain, Salzburg did not disappoint. This was my first time in Austria.

Next stop – VIENNA!