The Von Trapps' Escape: Austria To Freedom

The Von Trapp family's escape from Austria was less dramatic than the one depicted in *The Sound of Music*, but no less timely. The family travelled by train to Italy, where they had citizenship, and from there they travelled to London and then sailed to the United States.

The von Trapp family travelled to Italy by train

The von Trapps' escape was less dramatic than the one depicted in *The Sound of Music*, in which the family are shown hiking across the mountains to Switzerland. In reality, had they scaled the Alps, they would have crossed into Nazi Germany, not neutral Switzerland, which was approximately 200 miles away.

They had Italian citizenship

The Von Trapp family's escape from Austria was not as dramatic as it was depicted in *The Sound of Music*. Instead of hiking over the mountains to Switzerland, they took a train to Italy, where they had citizenship. Captain Georg von Trapp was born in Zadar, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time but became part of Italy in 1920, making him an Italian citizen. His wife and children also had Italian citizenship. The family stayed in Italy for a while before travelling through Switzerland, France and London, and then sailing to America on the SS American Farmer on 7 October 1938.

They had a contract with an American booking agent

The von Trapp family's departure from Austria was not as dramatic as the one depicted in *The Sound of Music*. They simply exited the gate at the rear of their villa and crossed the railroad tracks to board a train to Italy, where they had citizenship due to Captain Georg von Trapp's birthplace.

The family had a contract with an American booking agent when they left Austria. They contacted the agent from Italy and requested fare to America. They travelled to London, before sailing to the United States for their first concert tour.

In 1939, the family returned to Europe to tour Scandinavia, hoping to continue their concerts in cities beyond the reach of the Third Reich. During this time, they went back to Salzburg for a few months before returning to Sweden to finish the tour.

They travelled to London and then sailed to the United States

The Von Trapp family's departure from Austria was less dramatic than the one depicted in *The Sound of Music*. In reality, they exited the gate at the rear of their villa and crossed the railroad tracks to board a train to Italy, where they had citizenship due to Captain Georg von Trapp's birthplace. They then travelled to London and sailed to the United States for their first concert tour.

The family had a contract with an American booking agent when they left Austria. Once in Italy, they contacted the agent and requested fare to America. They travelled through Switzerland, then France, to London, and finally took the S.S. American Farmer to America on Friday 7 October 1938.

In 1939, the family returned to Europe to tour Scandinavia, hoping to continue their concerts in cities beyond the reach of the Third Reich. During this time, they went back to Salzburg for a few months before returning to Sweden to finish the tour.

They returned to Europe in 1939

The von Trapp family left Austria by train to Italy, where they had citizenship. From there, they travelled through Switzerland, France and London, before sailing to the United States. In 1939, the family returned to Europe to tour Scandinavia, hoping to continue their concerts in cities beyond the reach of the Third Reich. During this time, they went back to Salzburg for a few months before returning to Sweden to finish the tour.

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