Visited August 2016

Location	Salzburg, Austria
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	Salzburg Central
Parking	No
Facilities	None
Map

The abbey of Nonnberg is slightly different to the other abbeys on this website in that it is still in use as a Benedictine convent. As Austria did not have a 'Dissolution of the Monasteries' as we did in the UK it is more unusual to find abbey ruins as the buildings tend to have remained in continuous use. 

Review

The main reason it is included on this website, and also the main reason that it receives so many tourists each year is because of its association with the film 'The Sound of Music'. This is the convent that the then Maria Kutschera was sent from to become a governess in the home of the widowed Georg Von Trapp. The rest, as they say, is history. Or fiction, if you go along with the film's version of events. 

The convent was used in the film, there were several scenes shot there and it is easy to recognise the parts of the building that were filmed. As Salzburg is still popular with fans of the film you really cannot avoid its presence in the city, so you may as well embrace it if you do visit . There are many tours which will take you to the other locations used in the film.

The oldest recorded building on this site dates from 1009 and was consecrated to the Holy Virgin. In 1423 the building burned down and was rebuilt. There followed constant re-modelling of the abbey throughout the centuries, the last major work being carried out in 1951. The original church had been built in the Romanesque style, it was then rebuilt in Baroque but the abbey  today is Gothic in style.

The abbey is very close to Hohensalzburg Castle, you can easily walk from one to the other. The walk is pleasant and not crowded, which makes a change from the hustle & bustle of the castle above. Along the path that leads to the abbey you pass a worn statue of a dog, this marked the beginning of the Nonnberg parish.

The abbey is open for visitors, but as it is a functioning abbey there are no visitors allowed during Mass and respect for the surroundings is requested at all times. There are no facilities here but the city of Salzburg is a ten minute walk away should you require food or a toilet stop.

More info:  Nonnberg Abbey