Salzburg Allegro – Interview with Margot Weindorfer, Director Hotel Stein

Can you tell us your favourite place in the house?

Margot Weindorfer: The terrace with the fantastic view, of course. It's particularly beautiful in the morning when the sun slowly illuminates the city.

The Hotel Stein has Venetian flair - how do you bring the Serenissima to Salzburg?

Margot Weindorfer: Trade and art have linked the two cities for many centuries. With Barovier&Toso, we have a congenial partner at hand. The company is a veteran of glass art in Murano. The furnaces have been kept burning and knowledge passed on here since 1295. That is very special.

In the hotel there are photographs by Luigi Caputo, who recently published an illustrated book about the Salzburg Festival - which is your favourite work?

Margot Weindorfer: Luigi is a wonderful, very delicate and sensitive artist. His view of the scenery and the details of a place, a performance, often touches me very much and I particularly like those pictures in which people are schematically part of the scenery.

Where do you eat out and what do you order?

Margot Weindorfer: In our Gasthof Goldgasse. Here we live the good Salzburg inn tradition. Here we serve wonderful fish dishes with fish from the Salzkammergut, e.g. from the Schloss Fuschl fishery.
Our kitchen team always finds exciting combinations with ingredients or side dishes from a baroque cookery book. Simply marvellous.

Everyone knows Jedermann. Which lesser-known Salzburg Festival performance should not be missed?

Margot Weindorfer: The Ouverture spirituelle is certainly worth mentioning as the opening event of the festival. A wonderful series of concerts at special venues.

Festival dress code - what should you pay attention to when choosing your clothes?

Margot Weindorfer: The dress code has become more casual and informal. But the Salzburg Festival is still an opportunity for the big gown and the grand entrance. This is also part of the fascination of the Festival and I know that many of our guests really enjoy it.

And where do you escape to when the festival summer gets too hectic and hot?

Margot Weindorfer: Then I go for a walk on the Kapuzinerberg - just behind the Hotel Stein. A wonderful retreat with far-reaching views over the city and the surrounding area. From time to time I also enjoy a break in the Salzkammergut - you can switch off here and still be very close to the festival summer.