When we think of Austria, we think of mountains and music.
The Alps mountains cover nearly 75 percent of Austria. On the lower slopes, trees grow; higher up, there are mountain meadows. Even higher there are regions of rock, ice, and glaciers. In the valleys, villages, and farms, Austrians share their family traditions with each new generation.
High in the Alps grows the white star-shaped flower called edelweiss. It is hard to find, and dangerous to reach in hidden crevices. At one time young men sought the white flower for their sweethearts. Bringing the rare blossoms proved their love—and bravery.
It is often said that music is Austria’s gift to the world. The Christmas carol “Silent Night” was first heard there in 1818. Austrian composers Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, and Johann Strauss created symphonies, operas, church music, and waltzes. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg in 1756, was Austria’s most popular composer.
Salzburg was the home of the von Trapp family. In the 1930s they began performing as a singing family. Their early life, told in The Sound of Music, introduced millions to Austria’s mighty snow-covered mountains, and its love of music.
A is for Austria where mountains touch the sky, and peaks are capped by snow and ice.
Look close! There’s edelweiss!