II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

III.
Fig. 3: Temple of Mercury
in 1962. The lush vegetation
obstructs the view towards
the building and suppresses
its original function within
the garden as a whole (photo:
Wertz).
154
III. Schwetzingen – Historical Context
ding suitable substitutes for old and decaying
trees and their part in the whole. As well as
a responsibility for the work of art, there is,
according to Hallbaum, the responsibility
of social ethics, the duty to preserve and
improve a garden. To him, a lack of artistic
sensibility and the predominance of scientifi c,
botanical interests are mainly responsible for
the encroachment of Nature upon Art and the
resulting imbalance of height and width – in
this case, of copse and lawn. He warns against
a false sentimentality, where issues of garden
care and the claims of art are concerned, and
appeals to the artistic sense to take charge
at Schwetzingen “so that the garden may
again justify its reputation of being the most
perfect blend of the two gardening styles we
possess in Germany. In this way, we honour
its creators, discharge our duties and create
an obligation for the future.“ 153 Hallbaum
propagated this programme in lectures he
153 Franz Hallbaum, “Schwetzingen – Ein Arbeitsprogramm für
seine künstlerische Erhaltung”, in: Die Gartenkunst ‘7/1928,
pp. 102-105.
gave for various institutions at Mannheim and
Schwetzingen. 154
The garden architect, Hans Gerlach, was of the
opinion that the care of the palace gardens
should not be entrusted to the initiative and
competence of the individual garden director;
instead, a long-term plan should be drawn
up. The responsible authorities of the State
of Baden were asked to take action, decide on
appropriate guidelines and work out a programme
for Schwetzingen. At the same time,
Gerlach appealed to the relevant professional
associations, to write up resolutions and not
to allow the care of the garden to be entrusted
to a mere forestry offi cial, but to make sure it
was given to a garden expert instead. 155 As a
consequence, Karl Heicke, garden director at
Frankfurt, was commissioned to write a report
for the improvement of the existing conditions
in the Schwetzingen palace gardens. The
report, dated 29th May 1937, concludes that
“by careful attention to detail, the uniqueness
and beauty of the park as a whole must be
preserved for the future. 156 The fi rst measures
were the replacement of withered chestnuts in
the western allée en terrasse and the experimental
trimming of limes in the Dreibrückentorallee;
however, with the outbreak of WWII,
the work came to a halt.
The “Parkpfl egewerk”
After the war the Mannheim garden director,
Josef Bußjäger, did what he could to ensure
the preservation of the Schwetzingen garden,
which, unlike most palaces and gardens in
Baden, had remained undamaged by the war.
He considered the preservation of the lime
avenues to be the top priority. 157 Christian
Bauer, state garden director at Munich, was
another advocate of the Schwetzingen garden
in the 1950s. It was he who initiated the com-
154 Anon., “Erhaltung des Schwetzinger Schlossgartens”, in: Die
Gartenkunst, 12/1928, p.192.
155 Hans Gerlach, “Der Schwetzinger Schloßgarten – Ein trauriges
Kapitel zur Instandhaltung historischer Gärten”, in: Möllers
Deutsche Gärtnerzeitung, 16/1930, p. 188.
156 Karl Heicke, “Vorschläge für eine Verbesserung des Bestehenden
im Schwetzinger Schlossgarten”, in: Die Gartenkunst,
12/1937, pp. 249-256.
157 Josef Bußjäger, “Wie können die 200jährigen Linden im
Schwetzinger Schlosspark erhalten werden?”, in: Garten +
Landschaft, 5/1958, pp. 122-123.