Understated Untersberg

This massif, hidden in the Alps, is an absolutely delightful stop in the mesmerising and beautiful paradise of Austria, writes Rishabh Kochchar

On the way to the top of Untersberg before crossing the first layer of mountains. PHOTOS BY AUTHOR

Austria has given the world a lot — the soulful music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the mind of Sigmund Freud, the delectable Weiner Schnitzel, and chic Swarovski. But in the Austrian Alps, straddling the German border is the beautiful massif (a ridge or mountain) of Untersberg, which is just one of Austria’s many hidden gems.

Untersberg first caught the public’s attention when it featured in the 1965 musical The Sound of Music. The top of Untersberg soon lost out to Salzburg, though — its distant cousin a mere 16 kilometres away and the site where most of the iconic movie was shot. But I could not get the verdant hills where Baroness Maria von Trapp enthralled us out of my mind and followed a long dream of visiting Untersberg.

Taking a cable car to the top of Untersberg, I had an inkling of what was to follow. A panoramic view of Salzburg, clean air, and a surreal experience was promised to me. But even these promises could not have prepared me for the adventure that followed right from the moment I hopped onto the cable car to the top of the massif. As I bid adieu to the city of Salzburg from my elevated vantage point in the cable car, the greenery of the countryside struck me for the first time. It was one thing to see the sprawling, rolling hills in The Sound of Music, but to see the vista up close and personal filled my heart with joy.

Untersberg is hidden behind several layers of mountains and crossing the first set of these massive, imposing mountains gave way to a breathtaking spectacle, quite literally. For in the brief moment that that cable car changes lines for the final ascent towards the top of Untersberg, one is caught off-balance, while Salzburg becomes a beautiful speck of neat little houses thousands of feet below. This final ascent is much slower, increasing one’s anticipation of what will follow when misty clouds engulf the cable car like a curtain call before the final reveal. No sooner is the view blocked by the clouds than the top of the mountain pierces through the blanket of clouds, standing as majestically as I first saw it in The Sound of Music.

Being a massif, the top of Untersberg has multiple little peaks and a large, flat area where tourists and locals can spend an entire day relaxing and breathing in the pure Alpine air. Untersberg offers something for everyone. Intrepid travellers and hiking enthusiasts can even hike all the way up to Germany from Untersberg. Others ski back down in search of some adrenaline. But I am more than satisfied gawking at the bird’s eye view of the grounds where The Sound of Music was shot. Armed with a cup of fresh hot chocolate, I can almost hear the music in my ears. Untersberg is my first tryst not just with the Alps that I grew up reading so much about, but also with snow. Flakes of white, beautiful snow cover the mountain that is composed of limestone in a royal carpet that is fit for a king. In the distance, the green expanse of Salzburg comes alive with a crown of the electric blue sky which has smudges of clouds parked on it, as if God had painted gentle strokes of white on the blue canvas. It is nothing short of an Instagram filter.

Untersberg was once the site of hundreds of mysterious disappearances, making it an urban legend. Some myths say that Charlemagne, or Charles the Great lives inside the mountain. Other myths say that the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa sleeps inside the mountain, waiting for his resurrection.

Modern conspiracy theorists call Untersberg a portal to an alternate dimension. Lesser known is the fact that Untersberg is the massif through which the von Trapp family escaped to Switzerland in The Sound of Music. But tourists are free to etch their own stories here.

A short distance from the massif is the birthplace of Mozart. A short walk away is the famous Café Sacher, which tourists and locals throng like pilgrims to sample their Sachertorte, which is easily the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. But in the rare case that one is left just a tad bit more, Mozartkugels offer the perfect remedy in the form of small, chocolatey balls filled with a paste of pistachio, marzipan, and nougat. In the distance, I can hear Maria von Trapp singing.
The Hills are alive with the sound of music....
With songs they have sung for a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music.