The Von Trapp Family's Escape From Austria

The von Trapp family, who inspired the 1965 film *The Sound of Music*, fled Austria to escape the Nazi regime. The film's depiction of the family's escape is not entirely accurate, however. In the film, the family escape by climbing over the mountains, but in reality, they left by train.

The von Trapp family left Austria by train

The von Trapp family was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp and their 10 children (seven of whom were from Georg's first marriage). They achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II.

The von Trapps left Austria for Italy, as Georg was an Italian citizen by birth. By then, they had already visited and performed in America and had a contract with a booking agent there who paid for their boat tickets to New York. After the Immigration and Naturalization Service denied their visa extension, the von Trapps briefly returned to Europe before they eventually settled in Vermont.

The von Trapp family's story later served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical *The Sound of Music*.

They travelled to Italy, not Switzerland

The real von Trapp family did not climb over the mountains to escape Austria, as depicted in *The Sound of Music*. Instead, they left by train, pretending nothing was wrong. They travelled to Italy, not Switzerland, as patriarch Georg von Trapp was an Italian citizen by birth. They had already visited and performed in America and had a contract with a booking agent there who paid for their boat tickets to New York. After the Immigration and Naturalization Service denied their visa extension, the von Trapps briefly returned to Europe before they eventually settled in Vermont.

They were a singing group

The von Trapp family were a singing group, known as the Trapp Family Singers, who achieved fame in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape the Nazi regime in Austria. In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers" until they ceased to perform as a unit in 1957.

The von Trapp family's story served as the basis for the 1965 film The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews as Maria, a free-spirited nun who falls in love with a widowed naval officer, played by the late Christopher Plummer, and his seven children whom she teaches to sing. The film also features the family fleeing Austria to escape the Nazi regime and seeking refuge in Switzerland. However, the film took many liberties with the true story, including altering the timeline of events and how the family fled Austria. In reality, the von Trapps left Austria for Italy, as Georg was an Italian citizen by birth. They travelled by train, pretending nothing was wrong, and eventually settled in Vermont.

They were escaping the Nazi regime

The von Trapp family, made up of patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp and their 10 children, fled Austria to escape the Nazi regime. They were a singing group, known as the "Trapp Family Singers", who had achieved fame in their native Austria during the interwar period. They also performed in the United States before immigrating there permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II.

The von Trapps left Austria for Italy, as Georg was an Italian citizen by birth. They travelled by train, and by boat to New York, where they eventually settled in Vermont. They did not, as depicted in the film *The Sound of Music*, climb over the mountains with heavy suitcases and instruments. Instead, they left by train, pretending nothing was amiss.

The von Trapp family's story served as the basis for Maria von Trapp's 1949 memoir, *The Story of the Trapp Family Singers*, as well as two German films and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical *The Sound of Music*.

They settled in Vermont, USA

The real-life von Trapp family, which included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp and their 10 children, did not escape Austria by climbing over the mountains, as depicted in the film *The Sound of Music*. Instead, they left by train for Italy, as Georg was an Italian citizen by birth. They had already visited and performed in America and had a contract with a booking agent there who paid for their boat tickets to New York. After the Immigration and Naturalization Service denied their visa extension, the von Trapps briefly returned to Europe before they eventually settled in Vermont, USA.

In the United States, they became well known as the "Trapp Family Singers". The family's story later served as the basis for a memoir, two German films, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical *The Sound of Music*. The von Trapps' entry into the United States and their subsequent applications for citizenship are documented in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration.

The von Trapps' escape from Austria was motivated by their desire to flee the Nazi regime and seek refuge in another country. They achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the interwar period before immigrating to the United States permanently to escape the deteriorating situation in Austria leading up to World War II.

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