Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria

The beautiful Schloss Leopoldskron reflected on a lake
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salzburg_schloss_leopoldskron.jpg
Author: Andi Roehrich


Schloss Leopoldskron is a rococo palace on the southwestern part of Salzburg, Austria. It is located within the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site. The palace is beside the lake Leopoldskroner Weiher.

Schloss Leopoldskron was built by Prince-Archbishop Count Leopold Anton Eleutherius von Firmian (1679-1744) in 1736. The prince-archbishop reap a fortune by expelling the 22,000 Protestants living in Salzburg and acquiring the abandoned properties for a song. He acquired the piece of land between the lake and Untersberg, a 1972-meter (6469 ft) mountain.

The inside of Schloss Leopoldskron's library
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schloss_Leopoldskron_Salzburg_library.jpg
Author: MatthiasKabel


View of the lake Leopoldskroner Weiher with Schloss Leopoldskron in the background
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schloss_Leopoldskron_and_the_Leopoldskroner_Weiher_in_Salzburg.JPG
Author: Maxx82


The heart of Archbishop Leopold is buried in the chapel within the palace while the rest of his body is interred at Salzburg Cathedral.

Schloss Leopoldskron remained in the Firmian family until 1837, when it was sold off. From then on, it passed through several hands, before being acquired by famous theatre director Max Reinhardt, co-founder of the Salzburg Festival, in 1918. By then, the palace had badly deteriorated. Reinhardt spent the next twenty years restoring it.

Reinhardt fled Austria and based himself in Hollywood during World War II. During that time, the Nazis seized the palace. It was turned into a guest house for prominent artists of the Reich and reception facility to Hitler's Berghof home.

The Salzburg Global Seminar bought Schloss Leopoldskron in 1959, along with adjacent property also belonging to the Firmian estate. It is now used as a conference centre and venue for events.

Untersberg
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Untersberg_von_salzburg.jpg
Author: MatthiasKabel

Movie Set

The grounds adjacent to Schloss Leopoldskron - a property known as Bertelsmann at that time - featured in The Sound of Music. The scene with the song Sixteen Going on Seventeen was at the glass gazebo originally located in the garden of the palace. Only long shots of the gazebo was used in the film while the interior of the gazebo was actually shot on a sound stage.

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