I'm here walking with Sammy me exploring the original bond craft family home here
in Salzburg
quite different from the one in the movie
we all went in and look around the mansion grounds the 1965 movie The
Sound of Music is based on the Von Trapp family of
Salzburg as we walk here is the history of the Von Trapp Family Singers let's
begin with the patriarch Georg von Trapp was born in 1880 became a national hero
as a captain in the Austrian Navy during World War one he commanded submarines
with valor and received the title of return night and later Baron for his
accomplishment in 1912 Georg married Agatha Whitehead the
granddaughter of Robert Whitehead the inventor of torpedo we had seven
children together Rupert Agatha Maria Werner Hedwig
Johanna and Martina after the war Austria lost all of its
seaports and Georg retired from the Navy his wife died in 1922 due to scarlet
fever the family was devastated and unable to bear living in a place where
they had been so happy Georg sold his property in Pola and
bought an estate in Salzburg
Maria Costa Kucera was born in Vienna in 1905 she was orphaned as a young child
and had a miserable childhood while attending a school in Vienna she
accidentally attended the Palm Sunday service believing it to be a concert of
back music where a priest was indeed soon after Maria graduated and because
of her religious awakening she entered a Benedictine abbey of Thornburg in
Salzburg as a novice with Georg approached the Reverend Mother seeking a
teacher for his sick daughter Maria was chosen
she was supposed to stay for 10 months in the end she will formally enter the
convent maria tutored young Maria and develop a caring and loving relationship
with all the children she enjoyed singing with them and getting them
involved in outdoor activities during this time
Georg fell in love with Maria and asked her to stay with him and become a second
mother to his children Maria and Georg were married in 1927
they had three children together Rosemarie Eleanor and Johannes the
family lost most of its wealth through the worldwide depression when their bank
failed in the early 1930s maria dismissed most of the servants and
taking in boarders it was around this time that they began considering making
a family hobby of singing into a profession but Georg was reluctant for
the family to perform in public they made the acquaintance of a young priests
dr. Franz wasner who encouraged their musical progress and bought them sacred
music to add to the folk songs madrigals and ballads they were already singing as
depicted in the movie Sound of Music the family won first prize in the Salzburg
Music Festival in 1936 and became successful a love with dr. wasner they
do across Europe when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938 the Von Trapps realized
they were in trouble Georg not only refused to fly the Nazi
flag on their house he also declined a naval command and a request to sing at
Taylor's birthday party they were also becoming aware of Nazis anti-religious
propaganda and policies and the brainwashing of children against their
parents they thought of staying in Austria and taking advantage of the
enticements the Nazis were offering greater Fame as a singing group
a medical doctors position for Rupert in a renewal naval career for georg against
leaving behind everything they knew their friends family has stayed in all
their possessions they decided they could not compromise their principles
and left for the United States so that ends the Von Trapp family saga in
Austria as for the house it is very different from the one in the movie it's
a 22 row historic house built in 1863 during the annexation of Austria
Heinrich Himmler used the home as his summer residence converting one of the
children's room to his office and installing a barracks for SS officers in
the grounds after the war a religious group the Catholic missionaries of the
precious blood bought the property from the Von Trapps who had their ownership
restored after the Nazis were defeated the priest rented out the property in
the 1990s and it became a hotel in 2008 now guests can stay in rooms that belong
to the various members of the Von Trapp family so that's it for the history of
the Von Trapp family in Austria and the villa Trapp stay tuned in in
case I end up visiting the von trapp lodge in Vermont
till next time don't forget to give like share and subscribe bye