SALZBURG, Austria — A new museum dedicated to “The Sound of Music” opened Sunday in Salzburg, aiming to bridge the divide between the city’s famed musical film and the true story of the von Trapp family on whom it was based. The museum, founded by the city government, seeks to attract both local residents and the millions of tourists who visit Salzburg annually because of the film.

For years, many Salzburg residents either overlooked or dismissed “The Sound of Music,” viewing it as kitsch rather than an important part of their cultural heritage. Matthias Bergsmann, curator of the Sound of Music Museum, said the institution hopes to engage both local audiences, who may be more interested in the historical narrative, and international visitors, many of whom are unaware that the musical is based on real people.

The museum is housed in the former coach-house and hunters’ lodge of a Baroque palace on Salzburg’s outskirts. The ground floor chronicles the development and impact of “The Sound of Music,” beginning with Maria von Trapp’s 1949 autobiography, which inspired an earlier German-language film and eventually the 1959 Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The musical’s 1965 film adaptation, directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews, remains a global phenomenon. Andrews sent a greeting to the museum’s opening ceremony, though she was unable to attend in person.

The lower level also features memorabilia and a recreation of notable scenes from the film, including the iconic gazebo where the character Liesl sings “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” A collection of posters, records, and souvenirs, contributed by a passionate Dutch collector, highlights the enduring pop culture appeal of the production.

Upstairs, the museum shifts focus to the historical von Trapp family. Georg von Trapp was a submarine commander in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who, after losing his first wife, married the family’s governess, Maria Kutschera. Together, they formed a singing group with the help of their chaplain. Georg von Trapp rejected Nazism, refused to display the swastika flag following Austria’s 1938 annexation, and emigrated with his family. Contrary to the film’s portrayal of a dramatic mountain escape, the family took a train to Italy and eventually settled in the United States, where they performed until 1957. Today, the von Trapp family operates a resort in Vermont, and one of Georg’s granddaughters, Elisabeth von Trapp, leads walking tours in Salzburg during the summer.

Salzburg draws an estimated 300,000 to 350,000 visitors each year primarily because of “The Sound of Music,” with tourists arriving from the Americas, Europe, Australia, and increasingly from Asia. Bus tours regularly visit film locations, including the nearby church in Mondsee where the wedding scenes were shot, as well as Salzburg’s Mirabell Gardens, featured in the “Do-Re-Mi” sequence.

Despite the musical’s popularity abroad, it initially had a lukewarm reception in German-speaking countries. Bergsmann noted that when the film premiered, it was just two decades after World War II, with many Austrians still grappling with the recent past. Resistance from local authorities during filming had also limited the inclusion of historically accurate Nazi imagery.

Recent years have seen growing acceptance of “The Sound of Music” within Salzburg itself. The puppet theater began staging an adaptation in 2008, followed by the Salzburg State Theater’s production from 2011 onward. Carl Philip von Maldeghem, director of the state theater, said initial skepticism faded when hundreds of children auditioned for the show, many already familiar with the songs. Over 120,000 people have attended the production in the last 15 years, signaling a shift in local attitudes toward the musical’s cultural significance.

The museum hopes to integrate with existing tours of film locations, seeking to make the story—and its Salzburg setting—accessible to broader audiences. Whether viewed as historical fact or beloved entertainment, “The Sound of Music” remains a defining element of Salzburg’s identity on the world stage.