St. Peter's Cemetery & Catacombs Salzburg: The Oldest Christian Cemetery in Austria (and a Sound of Music Hideout)

St. Peter's Cemetery is not a morbid detour. It is one of the most quietly beautiful places in Salzburg — a walled garden of wrought-iron grave markers, carved rock faces, geranium-filled flower boxes, and medieval chapels pressed against the Mönchsberg cliff. Most visitors walk past the entrance without realising it's there.

What You're Actually Looking At

The Petersfriedhof (St. Peter's Churchyard) has been in continuous use since the 7th century AD, which makes it the oldest Christian burial ground in the German-speaking world. The cemetery surrounds the Romanesque St. Peter's Church, one of Austria's oldest abbey churches, still operated by the Benedictine monks of St. Peter's Archabbey.

The graves themselves are remarkable. Instead of stone headstones, Salzburg's burial tradition uses ornate wrought-iron markers — some simple crosses, others elaborate sculptural works with filigree patterns, curved arms, and inlaid medallions. Many date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Walking among them feels like moving through an open-air exhibition of blacksmith art.

The cemetery is divided into small arcaded sections (called Arkaden), each with its own row of chapels. Wealthy Salzburg families maintained private vaulted burial chapels here for centuries, and some are still in use. Look for the detailed frescoes on the chapel interiors — several are worth pausing at.

The Sound of Music Connection

The climactic escape scene in The Sound of Music — where the von Trapp family hides from the Nazis in a graveyard while Rolf discovers them — was filmed at St. Peter's Cemetery. If you've seen the film, the arcaded section near the cliff face will look immediately familiar.

The real von Trapp family did not escape over the Alps on foot. They walked across the border into Switzerland while Georg von Trapp was attending a music festival in Aachen. But the cinematic version needed a dramatic setting, and the filmmakers chose this one well.

You don't need to take the Sound of Music tour to find the filming location — it's the arcade section along the northern cliff face, identifiable by the iron-grille gate and the low rock-hewn chapels behind it.

The Catacombs

Above the cemetery, carved directly into the Mönchsberg cliff, are a series of catacombs — early Christian hermit cells and chapels cut into the living rock. These are accessible by a stone staircase leading up from the cemetery floor.

Inside, you'll find small rock-cut chambers with original frescoes (partially preserved), Baroque altars added in later centuries, and views down over the cemetery and abbey courtyard. The chambers were used continuously as Christian worship spaces from at least the 8th century.

Entry to the catacombs costs around €2. The climb is short (perhaps 40 steps) but the staircase is narrow and steep. Allow 20–30 minutes.

The Romanesque Church

St. Peter's Abbey Church adjoins the cemetery and is free to enter. The Romanesque nave has been overlaid with Baroque decoration — gilded altars, stucco work, painted ceilings — creating the slightly disorienting but beautiful effect common to Austrian churches of this period.

The church is active. If monks are at prayer or a service is in progress, be respectful and quiet. The cemetery entrance is separate from the church entrance and is always accessible during daylight hours.

Practical Visiting

• Cemetery entry: Free. Open daily during daylight hours.
• Catacombs entry: Around €2 per person. Access via staircase inside the cemetery.
• Dress code: No strict requirements, but it is an active place of worship. Avoid loud behaviour.
• Photography: Permitted in the cemetery. Inside the church, check the posted rules.
• When to visit: Early morning or late afternoon. Midday in summer can be busy with Sound of Music tour groups.

The cemetery is a 5-minute walk from Getreidegasse through the Durchhäuser passages or via the main pedestrian lane behind the abbey. It connects naturally with a visit to Hohensalzburg Fortress or the Old Town generally.