St. Peter's Cemetery (Petersfriedhof)

Description:

• If ever a cemetery could be said to be charming, it would be true of Petersfriedhof or St. Peter's Cemetery. Dating to 700 and the foundation of the adjacent St Peter's Abbey by St Rupert, it is Salzburg's oldest cemetery. Though the oldest tombstone dates to 1288, the ironwork markers from the 18th century on, with their painted religious motifs, most capture the imagination. The well-kept graves are decorated and replanted with each season, so the cemetery is bright with color year round. The center plots are flanked by two walls of railed-in family crypts. These dignified memorials were recreated on a Hollywood soundstage for the filming of scenes depicting the von Trapp family's (largely fictional) escape from the Nazis in The Sound of Music. The 1,000-year-old catacombs, carved from Mönchsberg's stone side, are accessed from the cemetery and are open all year.
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