Sankt Johann im Pongau
Encyclopedia
St. Johann im Pongau or St.Johann/Pg. (in Bavarian
: Saiga Håns or Sainig Håns) is a small town in the middle of the province of Salzburg
in Austria
. It is the capital of the district of Pongau
.
lies within St. Johann's city limits. This gorge is approximately 4 km long and can be explored via walkways first built by Johann II of Liechtenstein in 1875. This gorge lies on the south end of the city.
St. Johann was also the location of a POW camp
operated by the Nazis during World War II
. This camp principally held Russian prisoners. A monument to this camp is located on the north end of the city.
About 20 km north of St. Johann, a small portion of a picnic scene from The Sound of Music
was filmed on a hillside, in the Pongau
town of Werfen
. Julie Andrews
and crew filmed the opening shots of the "Do-Re-Mi
" sequence with the Burg Hohenwerfen
in the background. Werfen was also the location for some filming of Where Eagles Dare
.
Austro-Bavarian
Bavarian , also Austro-Bavarian, is a major group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south east of the German language area.-History and origin:...
: Saiga Håns or Sainig Håns) is a small town in the middle of the province of Salzburg
Salzburg (state)
Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It is the capital of the district of Pongau
Pongau
The Bezirk Sankt Johann im Pongau is an administrative district in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pongau region....
.
History
On 24 June 2000 the town of St. Johann completed the Stadtserhebung process and received the official designation of "city" from the Austrian government.Main sights
A dramatic gorge called LiechtensteinklammLiechtensteinklamm
Liechtensteinklamm is a particularly narrow gorge with walls up to 300m high, located in the Austrian Alps 50km south of Salzburg. It is around 4km long and named after Johann II of Liechtenstein who had the walkways installed in 1875....
lies within St. Johann's city limits. This gorge is approximately 4 km long and can be explored via walkways first built by Johann II of Liechtenstein in 1875. This gorge lies on the south end of the city.
St. Johann was also the location of a POW camp
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
operated by the Nazis during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This camp principally held Russian prisoners. A monument to this camp is located on the north end of the city.
About 20 km north of St. Johann, a small portion of a picnic scene from The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
was filmed on a hillside, in the Pongau
Pongau
The Bezirk Sankt Johann im Pongau is an administrative district in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pongau region....
town of Werfen
Werfen
Werfen is a market town in the St. Johann im Pongau district, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is located in the Pongau region, on the southern rim of the Berchtesgaden Alps in the valley of the Salzach river, about south of the city of Salzburg...
. Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and crew filmed the opening shots of the "Do-Re-Mi
Do-Re-Mi
"Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Within the story, it is used by Maria to teach the notes of the major musical scale to the Von Trapp children who learn to sing for the first time, even though their father has disallowed frivolity after...
" sequence with the Burg Hohenwerfen
Burg Hohenwerfen
Hohenwerfen Castle stands on a rock approximately 40 km south of the Austrian city of Salzburg. The castle is majestically surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Tennengebirge mountain range...
in the background. Werfen was also the location for some filming of Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action-adventure spy film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Upper Austria and Bavaria....
.