Research center
CastleSalzburg
Edmundsburg Castle
The Edmundsburg is located above the Salzburg Festival Houses on the Mönchsberg. The three-story, cubic building was constructed between 1694 and 1696 on behalf of the Archabbot of St. Peter's Monastery, Father Edmund Sinnhuber OSB.
The Edmundsburg served as a summer residence for the abbots of St. Peter, later as a boarding house for "worthy monastery employees." A historical peculiarity is Salzburg's second lightning rod, erected at the Edmundsburg under the supervision of Father Dominicus Beck on May 12, 1786 (the first was at Mirabell Palace). After Salzburg's annexation to the Habsburg Monarchy in 1816, the property changed hands in 1834. In 1853, an "institution for poor boys in the Duchy of Salzburg" was established here. For this purpose, Empress Carolina Augusta, the fourth wife of Emperor Franz of Austria, who remained childless herself, generously donated 10,000 fl. The institution was to dedicate itself to the education of neglected boys from the entire Duchy of Salzburg. Educators were provided by St. Peter's Abbey.
As the need for more places in the educational institution grew, another building was erected in 1902 (today's Institute House 2a "Edith-Stein-Haus"). Up to 130 boys could be accommodated in the two houses, and Sisters of the Holy Cross ran the boarding school.
In the Edith-Stein-Haus, the "Salzburg University Weeks," which still exist today, were founded in 1930 as a precursor to the Alma Mater Paridiana, re-established in 1962. The philosopher Edith Stein was present at the first congress, and her first public lecture in Salzburg ("The Intrinsic Value of Women in its Significance for the Life of the People") received strong attention.
During the Nazi era, the Edmundsburg was expropriated but continued to operate as a student dormitory. After the Second World War, Father Eberhard Steinbrecher OSB from St. Peter's Abbey took over the management until 1959.
However, the reputation of the home was not the best; rather, it was a popular intimidation tactic to threaten rebellious children with the Edmundsburg.
Present+
When plans for an International University matured in the 1960s, the property was taken over by the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The "International Research Center for Fundamental Questions of Sciences Salzburg" (IFZ), affiliated with the Catholic University Association, was established here in 1964 on the initiative of Prof. Stefan Rehrl and formed an international pillar in the re-establishment of the University of Salzburg.
The "Catholic University Association" is still housed in the Edith-Stein-Haus today. The "Austrian Institute for European Legal Policy" is also located here.
In 2008, the Edmundsburg was fundamentally renovated by the Archdiocese and the University of Salzburg. Since October 27, 2008, the building has been the seat of a European and Research Center. In this interdisciplinary study center ("Salzburg Center of European Union Studies"), researchers from several disciplines (law, theology, social sciences) conduct research. The City, State, and University of Salzburg have also established the Stefan Zweig Centre Salzburg in parts of the Edmundsburg. The "Salzburg Literary Archive," founded by Adolf Haslinger, is also located here.
The Edmundsburg can be reached on foot via the so-called Festspielstiege, also known as the Clemens-Holzmeister-Stiege, or by lift; the entrance to which is in the Mönchsberg multi-story car park in the Toscaninihof.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forschungszentrum_Edmundsburg.jpg
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 47.7973, 13.0420