Trapp Family Lodge

The Trapp Family Lodge is a 2,400-acre (9.7 km2), three-and-a-half-star resort located in Stowe, Vermont, United States.[1] The lodge is managed by Sam von Trapp and his father Johannes von Trapp.[2]

Contents

History

The von Trapp family, largely fictionalized in The Sound of Music and The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, left Austria shortly before its annexation by Germany in 1938 and ended up in Vermont in 1942.[3] In 1950, a 27-room ski lodge was opened. The lodge was destroyed by a fire on December 20, 1980, that forced 45 people, including Baroness Maria Von Trapp, to flee in their nightclothes. The body of a 30 year old guest was found later in the rubble.[4] In 1983 a new, Austrian-style lodge with 93 rooms was opened.[1]

By the time Maria von Trapp died in 1987, 32 family members owned stock in the lodge. Johannes von Trapp bought their shares in 1994 and resolved all family lawsuits in 1999.[2]

The Trapp Family Lodge added 23 rooms and 100 guesthouses.

Facilities

The Lodge has a mountain biking trail, gym, tennis courts, and sleigh rides. It has a restaurant, and access to skiing, and maple sugaring.

The Lodge is one of the principal sites for the annual Vermont Mozart Festival.

In 2010, the Lodge began to brew beer, producing approximately 60,000 US gallons (230,000 l; 50,000 imp gal) annually. The brewery produces traditional German and Austrian style lagers. The beers are sold on-site, as well as at restaurants and bars throughout Vermont.[5]

Family cemetery

A cemetery in the grounds of the Lodge contains the graves of several family members.[6]

Cross-country skiing

During the winter of 1968–69, Johannes von Trapp, the president at the time, came up with an idea to start cross-country skiing trails at the Lodge. Today, there are 45 kilometres (28 mi) of groomed trails and 100 kilometres (62 mi) of un-groomed trails throughout the Trapp Family Lodge property.[1]

Sources

  1. ^ a b c "Sam von Trapp back in family business". Trapp Family. http://www.trappfamily.com. Retrieved 2008-12-26. "Today, the 2,400-acre resort with sweeping mountain views provides accommodations in an Austrian-style Main Lodge with 96 rooms and suites, 100 2-bedroom Guest Houses (time shared) and 16 luxurious 3-bedroom Villas (Fractional and whole ownership). Talented chefs prepare European specialties in The Dining Room, The Lounge and the Austrian Tea Room, complemented by nightly entertainment. First-class facilities are available for meetings and weddings." 
  2. ^ a b Clifford, Stephanie (December 24, 2008). "Von Trapps Reunited, Without the Singing". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/business/25vontrapp.html?_r=1&em. Retrieved 2008-12-26. "He returned to Stowe to put the inn’s finances in order, and ended up running the place. He tried to leave, moving to a ranch in British Columbia in 1977 and staying a few years, then moving to a ranch in Montana. But the professional management in Stowe kept quitting. 'Now I’m stuck here,' he said." 
  3. ^ "Tribute to Baron von Trapp Joined by Country He Fled". New York Times. July 14, 1997. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E7DE1438F937A25754C0A961958260. Retrieved 2009-01-05. "In 1942, the Baron and his wife bought a farm in Stowe and built the lodge, which burned in 1980 and was rebuilt. Some family members have continued to run the lodge as an inn and ski resort." 
  4. ^ "Trapp Lodge Sued by Widow Over Husband's Death in Fire". New York Times. November 8, 1981. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9E05E1DB1E39F93BA35752C1A967948260. Retrieved 2008-12-26. "A $5 million lawsuit has been filed by the widow of an Illinois man who was killed when fire destroyed the famous Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The lodge was destroyed Dec. 20, 1980, forcing 45 people, including Baroness Maria Von Trapp, to flee in their nightclothes." 
  5. ^ WCAX.com von Trapp on Tap
  6. ^ "Changes in the Lives of the Trapp Family Singers" – TrappFamily.com

External links