What Happened to the Real Von Trapp Family from The Sound of Music? Here’s Where They Ended Up After Fleeing Austria (No, They Didn’t Climb Over the Hills!)

When The sound of music premiered in 1965, fans around the world were captivated by the catchy tunes and impeccably coordinated outfits of the von Trapp family.

The film — available to watch on Disney+ — starred Julia 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 family flees Austria together to escape the Nazi regime and seeks refuge in Switzerland.

Nealy 60 years later, the Oscar-winning film remains a beloved classic – and it all started with the 1949 memoir by Maria von Trapp, the real-life matriarch of the von Trapp family. Long before they were portrayed on screen as a charming, musical household, the von Trapps were a real family singing group that won the hearts of audiences across Europe and North America for decades. But how accurate is it The sound of music and what happened to the singing von Trapps after they left Austria?

Here’s everything there is to know about the real von Trapp family and their lives afterward The sound of music.

Is The sound of music based on a true story?

Charmian Carr, Kym Karath, Nicolas Hammond, Julie Andrews, Debbie Turner, Angela Cartwright and Duane Chase in ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965).

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That, The sound of music was inspired by the lives of the real von Trapp family, which included patriarch Georg von Trapp, matriarch Maria von Trapp and their 10 children (seven of whom were from Georg’s first marriage).

However, the film took many liberties with its story, including changing the timeline (the film is set in the late 1930s even though the real Georg and Maria had married a decade earlier) and how the family fled Austria (they did not, in fact, climb over the hill). The names and genders of the seven eldest von Trapp children were also changed for the film.

When asked how close the film is to his family’s history, Johannes, the youngest von Trapp brother, compared the similarities to playing telephone.

“The Hollywood movie is based on a Broadway play, which is based on a German movie, which is based on a book my mother wrote,” he told Insightful Vacations 2023. “So every time things change a little bit, and each version is maybe intended for a slightly different audience. But the latest Hollywood film about my family’s life is not a landscape.”

Who was Maria von Trapp?

Baroness Maria Von Trapp poses for a portrait on April 15, 1964; Julie Andrews as Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965).

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Andrews’ character Maria in The sound of music was inspired by Mario August Kutscher. According to her biography on the Trapp Family Lodge website, she was born on January 26, 1905, while on a train to Vienna. When Maria was 2 years old, her mother died, and her father left her in the care of a strict older relative. Although she grew up an atheist, a chance encounter with a priest in college inspired her to become a nun.

As in The sound of musicsaid Marija The Washington Post in 1980 that she too lacked discipline while in the convent — only that she rebelled a lot more than Andrews’ character portrayed on screen. She spoke in periods of silence, climbed down fences, climbed onto the roof, and ran through the yard. Maria said: “I was horrible, the worst you can imagine.”

Maria was eventually sent to Baron Georg von Trapp’s house to tutor his sick daughter (rather than act as governess to all the children as The sound of music shows). The baroness-to-be claimed it was love at first sight for the former navy captain and that she “loved” her husband after they married in 1927.

Who was Georg von Trapp?

Georg Ritter von Trapp, commander of the Austrian submarine U5 poses for a portrait; Christopher Plummer as Baron von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965).

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Baron Captain Georg von Trapp was the patriarch of the von Trapp family. He was born in 1880 and served 24 years in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, where he received the country’s highest decoration for his service during World War I, according to his biography on the website of the Georg & Agatha Foundation.

He married Agathe Gobertina Whitehead in 1911 and together they had seven children: Rupert von Trapp, Agathe von Trapp, Maria Franziska von Trapp, Werner von Trapp, Hedwig von Trapp, Johanna von Trapp and Martina von Trapp.

Georg and Agathe were musically inclined and nurtured their children’s talents from an early age. The patriarch played several instruments and even founded a small family quartet with his wife and two of their children.

Agathe died of scarlet fever in 1922.

Who were the von Trapp children?

Georg Von Trapp’s five daughters Maria, Martina, Hedwig, Agatha and Johanna rehearse for their upcoming concert; The Von Trapp children in ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965).

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With his first wife, Georg welcomed sons Rupert, Werner and Hedwiga and daughters Agatha, Maria, Johanna and Martina. Although he later had three more children – Rosmarie, Eleonore “Lorli” and Johannes – with his second wife Maria, the seven eldest von Trapp children were the inspiration for the family in The sound of music. However, in the film their names were changed to Leisl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl.

While Georg, Maria and the von Trapp children were engaged in music all their lives, they officially started performing only in 1934, when they entertained the opera singer Lotte Lehmann with their songs. She told the family they had “gold in their throats” and encouraged them to enter a local folk singing competition, according to vonTrapp.org.

The victory at that competition started the decades-long career of the family singing group, which has performed over 2,000 performances in 30 countries. Two years after Georg died in 1947, Maria wrote her memoirs, The story of the singers of the Trapp familywho inspired The sound of music.

How did the von Trapps really escape from Austria?

Singers of the Trapp family, led by dr. Franz Wasner, rehearsing for an Easter service in Merion, PA.

Bettmann Archive/Getty

The 1965 film depicts the von Trapps fleeing the Nazi regime in Austria by fleeing across the Swiss Alps. But in reality, their exit was far less dramatic.

Georg’s daughter, Maria, reportedly said Opera news In 2003, that even though her family told people they were going to America to sing, they weren’t climbing over mountains with “heavy suitcases and instruments”. Instead, she said they “left on the train, not pretending to be.”

The Von Trapps left Austria for Italy, not Switzerland, because Georg was an Italian citizen by birth, Forbes. By that time, they had already toured and performed in America and had a contract with a booking agent there who paid for their ship tickets to New York. After being denied a visa extension by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the von Trapps briefly returned to Europe before finally settling in Vermont.

Why did the von Trapps settle in Vermont?

The Von Trapp Family Cabin in Stowe, Vermont.

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In 1942, the family bought a farm in Stowe, Vt., and named it Cor Unum, a Latin term that translates to “one heart.” It later became known as the Trapp Family Lodge where they held music camps.

Maria lived at the Trapp Family Lodge and ran the gift shop until her death in 1987. She is buried in the family cemetery on the property. Fans can still visit — and stay — at the cabin, which has a brewery, apple orchards, a working farm and other amenities, according to the cabin’s website.

During an interview with Insightful Vacations, the youngest von Trapp child, Johannes, said the family held daily rehearsals at home and that everyone in the family “was on board” because of his mother’s strong leadership.

“My mother was a very strong leader,” he said. “Yes, they were all with the program. They all had to be. That’s right. And it was a matter of survival for us. You know, as one of my sisters once said, ‘If it hadn’t been for my mother’s guidance, we would have ended up like cooks and maids.’ ”

What happened to the von Trapp children and are any of them alive today?

Baroness Maria Von Trapp singing with her children Johannes, Eleonora, Hedwig, Martin, Maria, Rosemarie and Werner, circa 1950 in London.

George Konig/Keystone Features/Getty

According to the Music Museum of New England, the von Trapp Family Singers stopped touring in 1955 because the band consisted mostly of outsiders as the children grew up and moved on to other careers.

While some of the 10 von Trapp children chose creative careers, many opted for other professions. Rupert was a doctor who served in the army, Maria and Rosmarie were missionaries, and Werner started a farm that still produces von Trapp Farmstead Cheese. Agathe, a music teacher, wrote a book Memories: before and after the sound of musicwhich was later adapted into a German film.

Georg and Maria’s youngest son, Johannes, is the last living member of the singing von Trapp family. Most recently, his older sister Rosmarie died in May 2022 at the age of 93.

Who is the next generation of von Trapps?

Great-grandchildren Georg Von Trapp and Maria Von Trapp, siblings Sofi, Amanda, Melanie and August outside the Lincoln Theater on September 27, 2015 in Washington, DC.

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Many descendants of Georg and Maria continued the family legacy. Johannes’ two children, Sam and Kristina, serve as directors and executive vice presidents of Trapp Family Lodges.

In 2001, Werner’s granddaughters – Sofia, Melani, Amanda and August – formed a band called The von Trapps. The musical group released five studio albums, some of which included songs from The sound of musicaccording to Entertainment Weekly.

“Our family story is shared in almost every corner of the world,” the band said in a 2016 statement announcing their latest show. “It has been an incredible honor to carry on this musical tradition and be a part of such a hopeful message to the world for the past 15 years.”

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Source: HIS Education