Friday, June 7, 2013

Schloss Leopoldskron and the Meierhof

Well after the delicious hostel breakfast, we headed to the Schloss Leopoldskron for the Salzburg Global Seminar.

The seminar is in its 58th year and students attending our session were selected from private and public colleges and universities in California, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. Our instructors span the globe, with faculty who are American, Israeli, German, Indian and Austrian.

Throughout the week we discussed significant issues facing the world with emphasis on how we can approach cohesive understanding and empathy for other cultures, particularly through reflection about ourselves. It was an enlightening experience to say the least.

Here are some pictures of the Schloss (palace) and Meierhof (stables) where we lived. The property was built by archbishop Leopold and later owned by the famous theater director and founder of the Salzburg Music Festival, Max Reinhardt, who worked hard to restore the palace to its former glory and make it a home and venue for entertainment.

Reinhardt remained in the United States after the Nazi invasion, while the Schloss was occupied by the Nazis until the end of World War II, when it was returned back to his estate.  Schloss Leopolskron became home to the Salzburg Global Seminar in 1947 when Reinhardt’s widow, Helene Thimig, offered the founders, Clemens Heller, Scott Elledge, and Richard Campbell use of it for their first seminar. 

The Salzburg Global Seminar program aims to bring leaders from across the world together for the pursuit of enlightenment and peace. Half way between the United States and Russia, it was once a neutral meeting place for high-ranking officials from both countries at the height of the Cold War. Today, it continues to host world leaders, academic minds, and college students, all of whom are pursuing a higher purpose and state of being. The luxury of the palace and the relaxation that the Schloss and Meierhof provide, really do allow for creative thought and open mindedness. It is a place for whom an appropriate motto was selected: Pure Inspiration.



































3 comments:

  1. Those horse statues and the gate by the lake were in the Sound of Music!!!!

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    1. Yes. There are a lot of zealous tourists in the area who ask, "Is this where the family lived in Sound of Music?" The other side of the lake is a major pit stop for the Sound of Music tour! :)

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