Max Reinhardt: Director, Dreamer, Refugee
Max Reinhardt (1873–1943) was one of the most celebrated theater directors of his time, an Austrian-Jewish artist known for staging grand, immersive productions. In 1918, he bought the neglected Schloss Leopoldskron and poured his creativity into restoring it as both a residence and cultural haven.
Refusing Nazi offers to support propaganda in exchange for “honorary Aryan” status, Reinhardt fled Austria in 1937. The Nazis seized the Schloss in 1938, the same day he had purchased it 20 years earlier. He never returned.
Restoring a Stage of Dreams
When Max Reinhardt purchased Schloss Leopoldskron in 1918, it was in disrepair. Over the next two decades, he transformed it, restoring the Marble Hall and staircase, designing new spaces like the Max Reinhardt Library and Venetian Salon, and embedding his artistic spirit into every detail.
For Reinhardt, the Schloss became a living production, a place where art, architecture, and imagination coexisted. In one of his last letters to his wife before he died in New York in 1943, Reinhardt wrote:
“I lived in Leopoldskron for eighteen years, truly lived, and I brought it to life. I lived as one with every room, every table, every chair, every lamp and every picture. I built, designed, decorated, planted; and dreamed of the place when I wasn’t there. I loved it in winter and summer, in spring and fall, both alone and with company. I always loved it in a festive way, never as something mundane. Those were the most beautiful, rewarding and vital years of my life and they bear your name.”
A Collection of Theatrical Worlds
Max Reinhardt filled this intimate hallway with 69 rare etchings and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, each one a window into the theatrical traditions that inspired him.
Scenes by artists like Ferdinando Galli da Bibiena and Jacques Callot depict baroque garden theaters, masked dancers, and moments from the Commedia dell’arte.
These dynamic, sometimes satirical images helped shape Reinhardt’s own vision of immersive, emotionally charged performances and remain preserved as part of Austria’s national heritage.