Founded in 1947 by three Harvard University students, the Salzburg Seminar was initially intended to promote dialogue among the young people of war-torn Europe and America. That first summer nearly 100 young intellectuals from Europe and the United States gathered for six weeks at Schloss Leopoldskrohn in Salzburg, Austria, to study American politics, economics, and culture. Since its inception, the Salzburg Seminar has evolved into a centre for intellectual exchange that commands the attention of leaders around the world.

The Seminar currently conducts ten one-week core sessions and occasional special symposia, workshops and conferences annually. Each is devoted to an issue of pressing social, political, economic, or cultural importance. Although the Salzburg Seminar has emerged as a global institution, drawing Fellows from every continent, it continues to offer several core sessions in American Studies every year, and has recently established the Center for the Study of American Culture and Language.

CORE SESSIONS :

A Salzburg Seminar core session generally brings together fifty-five to sixty mid-career professionals from around the world. These participants, known as Fellows, are selected on a competitive basis and are drawn from the public sector, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academic and research institutions.