Iva Schell's happiness on the mountain pasture

If you want to get to know a person, you have to invite them to the mountain pasture.

Maximilian Schell

The whole world knows Oscar winner Maximilian Schell! He was an international theater and film actor, director, producer and author for decades. But not many of his fans knew that he was also a self-confessed alpine lover and spent a lot of time in his alpine hut in Carinthia.

And this is how it came about: His grandfather, a Viennese doctor, used to travel to Preitenegg to hunt. He then had a hut with a wonderful view built high above Preitenegg at 1300 m above sea level. In the decades that followed, the entire Schell family, including Maria Schell, Maximilian's sister, spent their vacations on the mountain pasture to recharge their batteries for their strenuous artistic careers. The Oscar winner did this often and in abundance. One of his films from 1958 was entitled "Happiness on the Alpine Pasture - A Wonderful Summer." How fitting! In his "retirement", which you couldn't really call it, as he was always working from the Alm - let's say when he was traveling a little less internationally - he also moved his main residence to the Alm. Incidentally, he had a very cordial relationship with the local alpine and mountain farmers. It's telling that today, eight years after his death, if you ask in the village about the ascent to the Schell-Alm, you'll hear: "Aha, you want to go to Maximilian?"

An artist in her alpine hut

Life wrote another alpine pasture story of a great artist. He lived in this alpine hut with his widow Iva for seven years until his death. What was perhaps unusual was Iva Schell's profession. She was and is a soprano in the genres of operetta, opera, musicals and also a concert singer and is at home on many stages in Germany and Austria and beyond. That wasn't so surprising because her husband was also an artist. But the way Iva Schell has embraced life in the Alps and mastered it admirably is quite extraordinary. Because, as she says herself, she wasn't born into it. She was a city girl, loved nature but had absolutely nothing to do with mountains. During a visit to the mountain pasture, Iva Schell comes running out of the hut, laughing happily and with a few questions in her luggage. She has just fed the cats and then wants to look after Pünktchen and Anton, the two mini pot-bellied pigs, before continuing her life story.

Mrs. Schell initially moved to Vienna after the death of her husband, from where she could easily manage her numerous engagements in theaters and concert halls. But three years ago, she decided to move the center of her life to the Carinthian Alps. Today she is very happy with her decision, as she admits from the bottom of her heart. Why? "Because I have found my inner home and found myself, because I can be who I am here. Creativity is very important here, I can live out my emotions."

And how can you reconcile a somewhat remote place of residence with a career as a singer?

"Whether I drive to an engagement from Vienna or from the Alps is probably the same. Perhaps the journey, with a few more bends down the mountain, takes a little longer. I can also practise in the hut as much as I want and, above all, when I want. That's not so easy otherwise. And nature in harmony with music is very important to me."

Sure, not everything is always easy!

Of course, the artist also sees the difficulties of alpine life. What do you need to bring with you for a year-round alpine life? Iva Schell takes a very pragmatic view. She says down-to-earth what qualities you should have to be able to live on an alpine pasture: "You have to be adventurous in some way, close to nature anyway, you can't be afraid of a lot of physical work or dirt. You can't be afraid of being alone or of loneliness. You shouldn't be scared and you should be brave. And yes, you also have to be prepared to spend a lot of time driving, because I don't want my alpine hut to be a hermit's hermitage."

Iva has many and excellent contacts with the locals in the village, she is simply one of them and is loved and respected by all. Unasked and enthusiastic, the alpine farmers tell her what wonderful concerts she gives in churches and halls in the village and the valley town for the locals. "And all for free," they add admiringly. Iva Schell's five-year-old daughter attends kindergarten in the village. The little daughter was also one of the reasons for the "Alm" residence, as Mrs. Schell wanted her child to grow up completely free. She thinks that the girl really enjoys it.

And how does Iva Schell see the future of her alpine hut? The future has already begun here!

In collaboration with "Brixis bunter Ponywelt", Ms. Schell has built a pony riding arena next to the hut and Brixi, alias Brigitta Penz, offers educational riding activities for children up to the age of ten. The ponies are also housed on the mountain pasture. But that's not all, Iva also rents out parts of her alpine hut. As you can read in the reviews on the internet, this has been very successful. "Iva was a very good and warm hostess", you can read there

Iva Schell has observed that all the people who come to her on the mountain pasture are immediately happy and content. And that's exactly how she herself feels when you talk to her. A warm, completely happy woman and artist lives on this mountain pasture!