The von Trapp family was a real-life family, and their story is told in the classic movie The Sound of Music. The beloved film, which takes place before World War II, centers on Maria, a woman who accepts the challenging job of serving as the governess for Baron Georg von Trapp’s seven children. Through Maria’s instruction, the widowed father and his children eventually discover happiness and music. Georg and Maria also marry after falling in love. Their narrative demonstrates the value of Family and how to overcome adversity.
The timeless classic also depicts the von Trapp family fleeing Austria in 1938, just before Nazi Germany took power. The story of the real Family did, however, benefit from some Hollywood flair thanks to The Sound of Music. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, written by the real-life Maria in 1949, served as the basis for Julie Andrews’s big-screen adaptation of The Sound of Music, with a few additions and deletions.
The True Family’s Shocking Facts
In 1926, Maria joined the von Trapp family, not as governess to every child, but as a tutor for one of the youngsters who was recovering from scarlet fever. Not immediately before the Nazi takeover of Austria, Maria and Georg wed in 1927, 11 years before the Family emigrated from the country.
The love tale of Maria and Georg von Trapp wasn’t quite as sentimental as it was on the big screen. She acknowledged in her autobiography that she fell in love with the kids right away. “I wasn’t in love, for genuine this time. I didn’t adore him, but I did like him. I did, however, love the kids, so in a way, I married them. Over time, I came to love him more than I ever had before or since.”
Not seven, but ten von Trapp kids existed. The kids’ ages, genders, and names were altered. Before Maria arrived, the Family was musically inclined, but she did teach them to sing madrigals. Georg wasn’t as brutal and heartless as the movie makes him out to be. He was regarded as a kind, warm-hearted father who loved playing music with his Family. The Family did not sneak away with their baggage and musical equipment over the Swiss Alps. “We did inform folks that we were to America to perform.” And we didn’t carry our bulky instruments and luggage up mountains. We went by train while maintaining silence, “Maria stated in an interview with Opera News in 2003.
The Family left Austria in June 1938, choosing to travel to Italy rather than Switzerland. They began a concert tour in Pennsylvania in the fall of that year after arriving in New York on guest visas valid for six months. Several von Trapp family members submitted citizenship applications to the U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont, in 1944. Maria passed away in 1987 and is interred at the Trapp Family Lodge’s family cemetery. Georg, her husband, is also interred at the cemetery with her. Georg passed away from lung cancer in 1947.
What Happened to the Von Trapp Family?
According to the movie, Georg and Maria were startled by the news that Georg had been drafted into the German army when they returned from their honeymoon. The von Trapp family decides to leave Austria and head towards the border in an effort to get away from Nazi control.
The Family persuades the soldier that they are just going to sing at a festival when they are stopped by a Nazi official. After their performance, the von Trapp family ultimately makes their way on foot to the Alps.
Did Von Trapp Make the Same Break for it?
There are various stories regarding what exactly happened to the von Trapp family and how they escaped Austria. The singing Family had Italian passports because their former home was in modern-day Italy, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The clan was able to leave Austria as a result without providing a cause.
What Happened to the Austrian Residence of the Von Trapp Family?
To visit the actual von Trapp mansion where the Family lived, travel to Salzburg, Austria. In 1938, the von Trapp family vacated the house. The Family purchased a farm in Stowe, Vermont, in 1942 after leaving Austria in 1938. They inaugurated the 27-room Trapp Family Lodge in 1950. It was destroyed by fire in 1980, but a 96-room resort was built in its place.
The villa underwent renovation in 1992, and in 2008 it was converted into a hotel. You can now stroll around the rooms, sing along, and rest where the von Trapp family actually lived. The hotel’s website states that each room is “carefully furnished to maintain the essence of the past while feeling today’s comfort of respectable living with every detail. The rooms honor either the family member who formerly resided there or their previous use. The tenth and youngest child of Maria and Georg, Johannes, who is currently 74, and his son Sam, 41, are in charge of it today.
