Stift Nonnberg: Salzburg's Ancient Abbey with a 'Sound of Music' Legacy

Stift Nonnberg, or Nonnberg Abbey, stands as a testament to centuries of faith and history in Salzburg. Founded circa 712/715 by Saint Rupert, it's the oldest continuously existing nunnery in the German-speaking world. The abbey is located beneath the Festungsberg hill. Emperor Henry II built a Romanesque basilica around the turn of the millennium, which was consecrated to the Holy Mother of God in 1009 and has since then been the second oldest Marian church in Salzburg.Visitors can explore the abbey church, Maria Himmelfahrt, a late-Gothic structure rebuilt between 1464 and 1506 after a fire. The church features a Romanesque crypt with the tomb of St. Erentrudis, the abbey's first abbess. The abbey gained international fame through the story of Maria Kutschera, a novice who later married Baron Georg Ritter von Trapp; her life inspired 'The Sound of Music'. While the movie wasn't filmed here, Nonnberg remains a pilgrimage site for fans.The abbey's architecture showcases Gothic elements, including a late Gothic winged altar. The nuns of Nonnberg Abbey sing Gregorian chants every morning. Visitors can access the monastery from Kaigasse via the Nonnbergstiege staircase and from Nonntal via a narrow lane.