Max Reinhardt
If “monuments tell history and stories”, and the park at Schloss Leopoldskron can tell many tales. In the 1920s, Salzburg Festival founder Max Reinhardt, who had previously bought the palace and park-like property in a dilapidated state, had a lavish open-air stage and a neo-baroque park with a garden theater and mirror pond designed. Reinhardt wanted to realize his vision of baroque theater performances here.
A huge lawn parterre with sculptures, richly decorated marble vases, small fountains, ponds and hedges preceded the actual theater – complete with orchestra pit, trellis walls and balustrades. Baroque sculptures were bought from palaces and parks all over Austria to decorate the Festival founder’s grounds. In 1931 the garden theater opened with a performance of Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night”. Unfortunately, however, the first and only performance had to be canceled due to a thunderstorm.
The Forgotten Garden
When Max Reinhardt went into exile because of the Nazis, the garden fell into disrepair and was forgotten. Over the years, the vases and sculptures sank into the soft moorland, became overgrown and weathered.
Recently, these "treasures" have gradually been lifted in order to make them accessible again to Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron guests and Salzburg Global Seminar participants: thanks to the work of the Federal Monuments Office and Salzburg Global Seminar, Schloss Leopoldskron's current owner, on the historical complex, a total of 55 sculptures have now been salvaged, restored and rebuilt be set up. A 900 square meter section of the lawn parterre has also been reconstructed, complete with water channels and paths. It is intended to show the splendor that once characterized the park.
The Garden Parterre
In the summer of 2020, the redesign of the garden parterre, the section between the palace and lake, began. The Royal Garden Academy Berlin was commissioned with the project, in which over 15,000 plants have been planted so far. 2,485 flowering perennials, such as peonies, grasses, asters or catnip, 1,660 yew trees, 87 roses (in 12 different varieties), and 10,860 spring bloomers, including tulips, ornamental onions, daffodils and crocuses were planted.
By now, a sea of flowers with a true explosion of color has emerged. In June 2022 the renamed “Mansbach Garden Parterre” was officially opened. Immerse yourself in the wonderful splendor of colors and linger on one of the benches or garden chairs.
Schloss Park 2.0
The newly designed garden parterre is only the first cornerstone for a long-term park project: over the next few years, the entire park with a floor area of over 70,000 square meters will be gradually redesigned.
Guided tours through the historic park of Leopoldskron are offered on select dates. Guests of Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron have the opportunity to stroll through the park at any time and discover the multitude of sculptures during a walk.
Rhododendron "Schloss Leopoldskron"
On the occasion of the renovation of the garden parterre, a new rhododendron variety was presented in May 2022 and officially named "Schloss Leopoldskron".
This special novelty was crossed in 2003 in the Gristede Rhododendron Park from the father variety "Hercules", created in 1894, and the mother variety "Beaufort", created in 1950. The growth habit of this special new breed is wide, compact, with medium to high growth and is characterized by its special winter hardiness. The very large flower head is also special. Large individual flowers in baroque pink color, which are lighter colored inside, make up the stump. Each of the individual flowers has a strawberry-colored dot pattern in the throat and the sepals are transformed into small light pink corollas.
The numerous guests from Germany and Austria attending the rhododendron baptism were enthusiastic about the ceremony and the subsequent concert by students of the Mozarteum University.
Impressions
Dieses Hotel ist eine Zeitreise in die Entstehungsgeschichte des kulturellen Salzburgs, wie wir es heute kennen! ... Die Zimmer sind alle individuell gestaltet modern, sauber und sehr gemütlich.”