Things to do in

Oberndorf bei Salzburg

Enjoy an unforgettable Christmas Eve! This 4 hour excursion to Oberndorf, near Salzburg, will make this Christmas one you will never forget: for in Oberndorf stands the Silent Night Chapel, where the famous carol was first performed. According to the legend, it was here that Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber, the lyricist and composer, found themselves faced with the problem of a broken organ. Mohr remembered the poem, Silent Night, which he had written two years previously, and Gruber wrote out a simple tune that he could play on the guitar. And that was how the famous song was born. It is traditional in Salzburg and the regions around it, upper Austria, Bavaria and Tirol, to turn out all the electric lights on Christmas Eve. The church will be lit only by candlelight. There is no more heartwarming place to take part in the Christmas festivities than the Oberndorf Chapel. Of course, the proceedings end with Silent Night , and whatsmore, in several languages. Before visiting the chapel, a knowledgeable guide will accompany you along the Salzach, through the snowy foothills of the Alps.