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Schloss Leopoldskron opens its doors to offer refuge
This article was first published on March 1, 2022.
Salzburg Global Seminar was founded in 1947 to help bridge divides and rebuild connections following two devastating World Wars. At that time, our home of Schloss Leopoldskron also provided refuge to displaced students. Today we continue these traditions by offering free accommodation to our Fellows fleeing the war in Ukraine.
A limited number of rooms will be made available for the full month of March to our Fellows in need. Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron is part of the Austrian National Hoteliers Association’s #HotellerieHilft and Salzburg Global Seminar is coordinating with local authorities to provide resources, services, and support to those seeking safe refuge in Salzburg.
We are in the process of reaching out to all our Ukrainian Fellows directly. If you need support, please contact us for more details.
Since our earliest days, Salzburg Global Seminar has been a place of refuge and connection. A place where Fellows can shed their national and institutional identities and come together as individuals with a shared mission and purpose.
Our thoughts today are with all our Fellows in Ukraine, as well as all those across the region who face a volatile and uncertain future. During this tragic and difficult time, we will continue support our Fellows in Ukraine and across the region as we collectively seek to shape a better world.
Since offering free accommodation to Salzburg Global Fellows and their families fleeing the war in Ukraine, we have heard from friends and Fellows worldwide with offers of support and solidarity.
We have 23 people staying with us, as of today, including parents, children, and grandparents fleeing the war. Many of them have come by car, some by train, traveling for days to reach safety, leaving behind their homes, husbands, fathers, brothers, family members, and friends.
At Salzburg Global Seminar and Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, our priority so far has been to provide a place of refuge and safety and to welcome those seeking refuge into the comfort and peacefulness of Schloss Leopoldskron.
Over the course of our 75-year history, Salzburg Global Seminar and Schloss Leopoldskron have been a place of safety and refuge for former enemies, displaced persons, and people from different sides of ideological, political, and religious divides. It has been a place of inspiration and renewal for more than 40,000 Fellows from more than 180 countries.
Those finding refuge with us now have full access to our facilities, and we are providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as other support. In addition, we have created a lounge area where our guests have 24-hour access with couches, a dining space, a tea station, refrigerators, and other services. We have also set up an office for those who need computers and printers.
So many of our Fellows, friends and partners worldwide have reached out asking how they can help, which we greatly appreciate.
If you'd like information about how you can help, or if you have questions about what Salzburg Global Seminar and Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron are doing to support our Fellows and others fleeing Ukraine, please email ukraine[at]salzburgglobal.org.
Alternatively, you can also donate via our website and designate it for Ukrainian Support under “Special Instructions.” This will help cover meals, rooms, and other housing costs. Thank you.