March walk from Helbrunn Palace to the center of Salzburg
March in Salzburg is such a wonderful month. While the ski season is still in full swing in the Alps, the sun is warming in the city and the first flowers are blooming. For those of us who work in the tourism industry, it is high time to tune in to the working mood. I've just given my minibus for the technical check so that, hopefully, all my tours during the upcoming season will go smoothly, without breakdowns.
Since I am a pedestrian today, I decided to take a walk in the nearby Hellbrunn Park.
The palace and the adjacent park were built in the early 17th century for the ruler of the Principality of Salzburg, Archbishop Markus Sitticus, as a country villa with hunting grounds. The most notable here are the trick fountains, with the help of which the archbishop amused and sobered his numerous guests after drinking parties. The fountains and the palace´s museum are open from April to the end of October. The garden is open all year round. It´s also worth seeing the stone theater and the zoo. If it´s warm and sunny I recommend hiking to Hellbrunn Hill to see a lovely view of the garden, Salzburg and the Alps.
As a professional tour guide, there are a few tours that I especially love to give. Among them is the tour through the filming locations of the Trapp family movie. Filming of The Sound of Music in Salzburg lasted 11 weeks in 1964.
Do you remember the romantic scene at the gazebo where Rolf and Liesl sang the "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" song on their date? It is here, in Hellbrunn Park. Shortly after the film's release in 1965, the gazebo was moved from the Leopoldskronn garden where the actual shooting took place to Hellbrunn Park to make it accessible to fans. Nowadays thousands of tourists from all over the world come to see this seemingly unpretentious pavilion every year. After all, the very fact is to touch the original attribute of the legendary film.
I am looking forward to welcoming you to Salzburg and offering my entertaining and informative tours.
