‘A joyful place’: a new museum coaxes Austrians to embrace The Sound of Music
Sixty years after the film’s release, Salzburg is embracing a Hollywood classic it once kept at arm’s length
TL;DR
- A new museum in Salzburg celebrates "The Sound of Music" and the real von Trapp family, 60 years after the film's release.
- Salzburg initially had an ambivalent reception to the film, finding its depiction of the Nazi era and historical inaccuracies unsettling.
- The museum aims to bridge the gap between the global popularity of the film and its complex relationship with its Austrian setting.
- It features original costumes, film memorabilia, and details about the von Trapp family's true story of resistance and emigration.
- The film, based on Maria von Trapp's memoir, depicted her relationship with Captain Georg von Trapp and their family's escape from Nazi Austria.
- Public funds contributed significantly to the museum's establishment, which anticipates attracting many of the 300,000 annual film-related tourists.
- Recent interest, particularly from younger audiences and via social media, highlights the film's enduring appeal and its use as a symbol against far-right movements.