In the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in Austria's federal state of Salzburg

 "The hills are alive with the sound of music, With songs they have sung for a thousand years...."

-- Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music lyrics
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(in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in Austria's federal state of Salzburg) The market town of Werfen is prmarily known for its medieval Hohenwerfen Castle and the Eisriesenwelt ice cave, -- which is the largest in the world.

+ Located in the northwest of the historic Pongau region, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the city of Salzburg, the town is situated in the Salzach valley south of the Lueg Pass, between the Berchtesgaden Alps in the west, and the Tennen Mountains in the east. Both the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line (Giselabahn) and the Tauern Autobahn run parallel to the river. (The municipality comprises the  communities of Reitsam, Scharten, Sulzau, Werfen Markt, and Wimm.)

+ Sitting along the Salzach River, the beautiful village of Werfen was initially formed for defensive purposes. In the year 1050, Salzburg’s Prince-Archbishop started constructing the castle o protect his holdings from King Henry IV of Germany. At that time, the Prince-Archbishop was loyal to the Pope, and a conflict arose over whether the Pope or the King of Germany (and Holy Roman Emperors) held ultimate power. This power struggle led to the development of the village, and the amazing Hohenwerfen Castle.

+ Important trade routes have passed through the Salzach valley since ancient times, when the area was part of the Roman Noricum province. Werfen was first mentioned about 1140 CE. The settlement arose south of Hohenwerfen Castle starting in 1075 (at the behest of the Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg) during the Investiture Controversy with King Henry IV of Germany. It is one of the oldest markets in the former Archbishopric of Salzburg, with market privileges documented since 1425.

+ As the seat of the local administration, Werfen and the castle were heavily attacked during the German Peasants' War in 1525/26. Werfen was also a center of the expulsion of Salzburg Protestants under the rule of Prince-Archbishop Count Leopold Anton von Firmian in 1731. With the lands of the secularized prince-archbishopric, Werfen finally fell to the Austrian Empire by resolution of the Vienna Congress in 1816. The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line from Salzburg to Wörgl opened in 1875, with stations in Sulzau, Tenneck, and Werfen.

+ Werfen has been featured in many TV shows and movies. Films such as Clint Eastwood’s "Where Eagles Dare" to the "Call of Duty" video games and the Amazon series "Man In The High Castle" have all featured Werfen. The most famous scenes filmed here were from the 1965 movie "The Sound of Music." In it, the Von Trapp children and Maria enjoy a picnic in the Gschwandtanger Meadow, where they also begin singing the song Do Re Mi. This famous meadow, and the trail that leads up to it, have become quite a popular tourist attraction, along with the Hohenwerfen Castle and Ice Cave.