Schloss Hellbrunn aka Hellbrunn Palace lies just about a 10- or 15-minute drive south of Salzburg, Austria. Known for the Wasserspiele trick fountains (keep your cameras hidden!), Hellbrunn was built in the early 1600s by Prince-Archbishop Markus Sitticus, who loved to play pranks on his visitors. It is fun to sit outside in the park and listen to the squeals of delighted children as they get squirted from unexpected places in the fun house. Most of the grounds are free, but if you want to see the tricks and the art inside the palace, you must pay an entrance fee of about eight euros.
You will also find in the Palace Park the pavilion in which Liesl and Franz met in the film “The Sound of Music.” I can sheepishly admit to loving to sing songs from this musical that I grew up watching at least once every year.
I wanted to see the stone theatre, if for no other reason than to leave the beautiful and orderly sculpted gardens for the wilds of the mountains. I was delighted to see the sun shining through the trees and we went up the stairs on the path. It seemed magical to me.
I do believe my Austrian friend was delighted as I turned the corner at the top of the stairs and exclaimed, “I feel a bit like Indiana Jones!” The light was gorgeous and I imagined the sound of voices filling the stone arch above the theatre.
And then I explored the stage doors and enjoyed the shadows. The first performance in the Steintheater (stone theatre) occurred on 31 August 1617. It would have been so cool to have witnessed that!
And finally, here is an image of me pretending that I can sing nearly as well as my niece Alexis. I think the Steintheater was my favorite part of all of Hellbrunn.
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