Leopoldskron part 2 or is it 3?

So now that we have some background on the owners and history of the schloss you understand the context of the place.
And as any good archivist knows, "Context is everything."
I mentioned that Max spent a great deal of time and money renovating the schloss.  He created the library and redid the dining room with a Venetian theme.

And just in case you wondered who built the library he had a signature of sorts plastered into the ceiling in the very classic sign for the theatre.  The mask on the left is a portrait of Max himself.

He also built an ampitheatre in the park so he could stage plays.  Sadly the theatre was not built on solid ground and sank years ago, although there are still signs of it if you know where to look.
In fact the schloss itself was not built on solid ground, but the Archbishop took a page from the builders of Venice and used supports in the boggy ground to be the bedrock and foundation of the place.  A problem with waterfront property, I guess.

After the Second World War was over the schloss was returned to Reinhardt's heirs.  His widow offered the use of the place to several Harvard(yes I know...)grad students who came up with what is now referred to as the "Marshall Plan for the mind" to get former enemies to share ideas, cultures, and trust each other again.  The Seminar was supposed to be a one time thing, but it was so popular with the participants that it continued on.  Obviously.  There have been some rather important people who attended sessions there.  The Prince of Wales, and Ralph Ellison were two that I knew about from research(and cleaning) in the office.  So it's very diverse. 
The organization that runs the Seminar bought the place in the 1960's and so here we are.  At least when it comes to ownership.
It was designated a historical place of interest by the Austrian government sometime back.  From an artistic and historical standpoint you gotta love that. 

Reinhardt and Leopoldskron

So now that you have the basics of how the schloss came to be it's time to move to the 20th century.  So here enters the hero of the piece.
After the First World War Max Reinhardt bought the schloss and spent the next 20 years and a great deal of money renovating.  As someone who spent the majority of her time in his office I can attest that it was worth every cent and second he lavished on the place.  Here's one of my favorite views.  This is looking out to the library from the Reinhardt office.

Many people have not heard of Max Reinhardt these days.  So here's a few facts about him(thanks to the finding aid of the SUNY- Binghamton Special Collections, which holds the Reinhardt archives)  Max Reinhardt started his work life as an actor.  He was best known for his portrayals of old men, but he quickly tired of the scripts and the style of acting at the time and founded his own theatre in 1901.  Known as Schall und Rauch it helped Max develop a directorial style for his later years.  He moved around from Vienna, Salzburg, and Berlin during this time.
He quickly became a well known director who used new technologies and experimented with locations for his productions.  This came in handy when he and Richard Wagner and Hugo von Hofmannsthal revived and expanded the Salzburg Festspiele.  Reinhardt convinced the Archbishop to let him direct Hofmannsthal's play Jedermann(Everyman) in front of the Dom Cathedral to open the Festival.  This is something they still do today at the opening of every festival, unless it rains, of course.  Here's a shot of the front of the Dom on Palm Sunday.   A partial view of what it could be like for the play.

After the war he left Berlin for Salzburg where he lived until 1938.  As a Jew he was unwelcome in Austria after the Anschluss.  All his property including Leopoldskron was seized by the Nazis because he was considered an enemy of the state.  Luckily for Max he was in the U.S. at the time where he lived in until his death in 1943 at the age of 70.  Some think losing the schloss broke his heart.  I don't know about that, but it is known that he was saddened by it's loss to the Nazis.  When his possessions(all 16 crates of them) were returned to him by an admirer he replied to her "Thank you, but what are 16 crates when one has lost Leopoldskron?".
So the schloss is still working it's magic on the owner.  Like the original owner it was hard to leave the place that he loved.

Nightlife in Salzburg

There's not much overall.  I mean they roll the sidewalks up at 6 in the place.  Oh you can go out to eat and there are wine bars, pubs and kebap stands that are open.  And there's always window shopping and hanging out in the public spaces, but not a lot of other nighttime events.

However we managed.  There are 2 Irish pubs.  O'Malley's and the Shamrock.  Both are on the Getreidestrasse.  O'Malley's is a bit better.  More atmospheric I thought.
Our favorite was a local place though. The Alchemiste Belge in New Town.  Yes, it is a Belgian beer pub in the heart of Austria.
Good beer.  Even I can tell that.  The varieties were amazing.  From dark to light beers all served in wine bottles.  The music was great and the art funky.  Not to mention the tables outside.
We used to walk into town over the river on Fridays and sit for a few hours with a few bottles and just talk. 
And then go for kebaps.  Troja has the best in the city.  Kebaps are like gyros.  But somehow better.  It might be the spices.  Just so yummy.  We'd climb the stairs of the Kapuchinberg and look out over the city and river.

Not a bad way to spend Fridays.

Seeing Salzburg

I have not been holed up in the library in my almost week here. I've gone out to Salzburg a few times. I had to register with the town officials yesterday afternoon. The town hall is in Schloss Mirabelle. The gardens are lovely. Sunday, as you know, I went to Gaisberg with some of the other interns.
Saturday, Lisa and I went to the market in the center of the old town. That was fun. They have these market stalls in town everyday. Meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, and other things. I got a chocolate pretzel. Oh yum. There's also one with chocolate and jam.
I needed to get a new digital camera, cause mine went all blooey. So Lisa pointed me in the right direction and I did find a shop that had them. You saw the photos, so I think good choice. I walked back past the Dom(the cathedral here) where Mozart played the organ and was baptised. And then I passed the giant modern sculpture of a Man standing on a Mozartklugel ball. So far so good. Then I got lost, as expected.
I couldn't figure out what street led back to the schloss. Finally I gave up and took a cab. But I did see lots of the city. Shops, bridges, stairs, the Dom again, the river and back. It was very frustrating.
Plus all the interns had made plans to go out to the Steigl Brauwelt that's down the street and I wanted to go. Hard to do when you're lost near the cathedral. But I made it back. Oh forgot to mention I found a tea shop. Happy happy! I bought some loose tea(it's really good) a tea mug(Dress Gordon tartan pattern!) and a tea strainer.
We headed out to the Brauwelt down the street. It's the old Steigl brewery, that's now a restaurant and museum. It was a birthday celebration so we all had a good time.

Austria adventure

I took the plunge and went to Austria, Salzburg to be exact, for a few months. Because life is just too short to waste it.
I am interning at the Salzburg Global Seminar in the library there.
I arrived on Thursday. Jet lag ruled for a while. Well until Friday evening. Adjusting nicely now.
Settled into my room. It's not a bad space. A little too much IKEA for my personal tastes, but comfortable. It's the bed that is hard to adjust to. A bit small after the queen sized Stickley at home.
I worked a bit on Friday in the library. I have my own office in the library that looks out over the mountains. Very pretty. The library is a great space, but underused. Well it's something to work on.
Met the other interns here slowly. Which is nice. All are fun and interesting. I'm really enjoying getting to know them.
I've been indulging what Dad and my grandfather would call the 'Shand nose' by walking around the schloss. Oh, did I mention that my internship is in a palace? While I am not staying in the schloss, my office is there. So I've been doing some exploring of the place. It's seriously beautiful. Now that I have a new digital camera(the old one mysteriously died) I can start posting photos of the schloss and the grounds.
The Meierhof(where I stay) is great too. More modern, as you can see. Also has a kitchen, a gym, a small cafe, and a hang out room for interns.
Also saw some of Salzburg on Saturday. Got seriously lost. Sigh. But that too will get better.