Story Highlights
- Historical event
- 30 May 1947
- Georg von Trapp, whose story served as the inspiration for the musical "The Sound of Music", was born in Zadar (Croatia), received his education in Rijeka, and owned a villa in Pula.
The famous Georg von Trapp died on this day in 1947. The musical “My Sound of Music” was based on a true story.
Namely, the young Maria (Julie Andrews), who firstly wanted to become a nun, and Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) fell in love.
Von Trapp was a widower, who had seven children. His first wife got scarlet fever, and died in her early 30s. Von Trapp hired Mary from the nearby monastery to be a tutor to his children.
Later, she renounced her vows and they got married. She gave birth to three children. Therefore, the von Trapp family had ten children.
Namely, the members of the von Trapp family were singers, who performed in Europe, and later in the United States when World War II began.
They became famous singers in America, and their story served as the inspiration for the musical. Of course, details of the history of the von Trapp family were altered for it (e.g. Georg himself didn’t perform as a singer).
It is interesting to note that Georg von Trapp was born in Zadar (Croatia), received his education in Rijeka, and owned a villa in Pula.
In fact, he was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer, and Pula was the command center of the entire Austro-Hungarian fleet.
Von Trapp was a submarine officer who held the rank of “Korvettenkapitän”. The famous Admiral Miklos Horthy, the last commander of the Austro-Hungarian navy, and long-time head of state, also owned a villa in Pula, Croatia.
