II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

eastern part was restored to its original
function as an orangery, again using as much
as possible of the authentic materials. Thus,
the plants are once again displayed on a clay
fl oor, as excavations have shown this to have
been the case originally. The middle section
of the building now houses an exhibition
about orangeries generally, and the history
of the Schwetzingen orangery in particular,
while a number of sculptures removed from
the garden for reasons of conservation and
replaced by copies, are now displayed in the
western part (Figs. 3 + 4)
Prospects
A large catalogue of future measures (in the
management plan: Area of action B-1, Sections
1.1-1.13) illustrates the work still waiting to be
done. At present, work on the Lower Waterworks,
the Temple of Mercury and the arbour
walks surrounding the grand parterre, as well
as a renovation of the palace’s exterior walls,
are under way.
Besides the major renovation measures, a
long-term commitment listed in the budget of
the Land of Baden-Württemberg, a thorough
maintenance is the main priority. It is based
on the detailed Baupfl egekatalog (management
plan, Part C II.); in emergencies the
Bauleitung Schwetzingen (the locally based
department of the Landesbetrieb Vermögen
und Bau Baden-Württemberg, i.e. the State
Agency for Property Assets and Construction)
has the authority and capabilities to react
quickly.
Questions regarding the appropriateness
and innocuousness of measures due to be
implemented, are carefully considered; the use
of authentic construction methods, techniques
and materials is part of the renovation
scheme. Repairs and renovations are based on
insights gained from observation and analysis
of the existing buildings, ideally supplemented
by archival documents.
The main focus is on repair and careful
renovation; reconstruction of earlier building
stages is limited to cases where they are
III. Schwetzingen – Historical Context
documented reliably. Use is subject to the
requirements of the historic buildings, and
limited accordingly.
(Peter Thoma)
III.
Fig. 6: Palace theatre, building
stages/alterations of the
lobby, Peter Knoch, Büro für
Bauforschung, 2003/2004
(original document: Bauleitung
Schwetzingen).
Fig. 7: Orangery, Record of
damages to an 18th-century
window, Büro Crowel, 1997
(original document: Bauleitung
Schwetzingen).
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