SALZBURG, Austria — From central Salzburg, it is a short but scenic bike ride — with the Eastern Alps as a breathtaking backdrop — to the 18th-century rococo palace of Schloss Leopoldskron. While it may not look very notable from the road, from the lakeside it is a spectacular vision of manicured lawns, hedges and giant trees.

The palace has also served as a setting for famous moments in the region. The Salzburg Festival was conceived here almost 100 years ago. During World War II, the palace was taken over by the Nazis as a summer residence.

The rowboat scene in “The Sound of Music” was filmed here in 1964, on the adjacent Meierhof property, while the ornate Venetian room inside the palace was meticulously recreated on a soundstage in London as the ballroom in the film. In 2014, it was the setting for both Chanel’s December 2014 métier d’arts fashion show and Melinda Gates’ 50th birthday party.

But possibly its most important function is as the home of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a nonprofit organization that hosts programs on topics from climate change and health care to the role that the arts can play in community development.