II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

to a monument of courtly life under the Ancien
Régime, as well as the early 19th century’s
attitude to its historical heritage: “The garden,
originally created as if by magic through
a prince’s fancy, has now become posterity’s
common property, and Schwetzingen has
been appointed its guardian.“ 14 At the same
time, the maintenance and care of this inheritance
provided the town with a chance of
keeping the character and status of a summer
destination visited by many tourists even
without the attractions of a resident court.
It was the appeal of the harmonious complex
consisting of the palace, garden and theatre
that caused many a visitor “originally intent
on only a brief visit to this friendly town,
to stay for weeks or even months, enjoying
the summer in the groves and gardens of the
beautiful palace grounds”. 15 In the course of
the 19th century, the palace and garden with
their “programme” of cultural and natural aesthetics,
became a main attraction drawing a
crowd of visitors in search of rest and relaxation
as well as education.
Another indication that Schwetzingen was
well on its way to becoming a major tourist
destination was the appearance of guides, the
so-called Ciceroni, who were at the disposal
of visitors from the early 19th century. Not
only did they provide a more or less competent
tour of the grounds, they also, for a small
fee, unlocked the buildings for interested visitors.
16 Having completed one such tour, the
writer Count August von Platen noted laconically
that the visit to the garden had not been
entirely cheap. “However, we had to pay for
our enjoyment of those marvels in good coin,
and I would not recommend a visit of the garden
to those who do not carry a purse. At the
very least the Schwetzingen garden feeds its
carers.“ 17
14 Franz Schwab (ed.), Führer durch die Anlagen und Erklärer
der Kunstwerke im Schlossgarten zu Schwetzingen, n. d., p. 8.
15 Schwab, n.d., p. 4.
16 August von Platen describes this service: “There was a mosque
nearby. It was unlocked and explained to us – how it was built
quite after the manner of the genuine Turkish churches.” Oskar
Hufschmied, “Der Dichter Graf von Platen in Mannheim”,
in: Mannheimer Geschichtsblätter, Year X, No. 1, January 1909,
pp. 55-58, here p. 55.
17 Hufschmied 1909, p. 55.
III. Schwetzingen – Historical Context
Eminent Visitors
As early as 1809, Zeyher stressed the importance
he believed Schwetzingen to have attained
as a an international travelling destination:
“No traveller of any distinction will
cruise these waters without casting anchor
at Schwetzingen; a multitude of princes, dignitaries
and great men have fl ocked to this
German Versailles 18 , St. Cloud, Aranjuez 19 or
whatever it may please you to call this strange
place.“ 20 In 1894, Otto Schwarz proudly added
a four-page list of eminent visitors to the seventh
edition of his “practical and systematic”
guidebook (Praktisch planmäßiger Wegweiser
durch den Schlossgarten zu Schwetzingen).
It comprises royalty, aristocrats, diplomats
and other persons of note, who had stayed at
Schwetzingen between 1793 and 1894, usually
accompanied by members of the archducal
house of Baden. In 1815, the garden had provided
a festive setting for a meeting of Tsar
Alexander of Russia and Emperor Franz I of
Austria. In 1830, the Dowager Grand Duchess
Stephanie von Baden had shown the gardens
to the Empress of Brazil, Amalia. Five years later
Schwetzingen was one of the destinations
visited by the Spanish princes Juan and Ferdinand
on their tour of Europe. 21 The entry for
14th August 1889, even mentions a splendid
“suite and banquet” in honour of Nassereddin
Shah of Persia. Thus Karl Schwab’s mid-19th
century guidebook (Führer durch die Anlage
und Erklärer der Kunstwerke) was justifi ed in
proudly referring to the “world-famous palace
garden, that has brought an immense, neverfailing
stream of visitors setting in with the
fi rst days of spring and not petering out until
the late autumn”. 22
Then as now visitors liked to inscribe their
names on the walls of the garden follies. On
the occasion of his own visit on 8th June 1815,
August von Platen criticizes this unseemly ha-
18 Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1979.
19 Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2001.
20 Johann Michael Zeyher, Beschreibung der Gartenanlagen zu
Schwetzingen. Mit acht Kupfern und einem Plane des Gartens,
Mannheim 1809; reprint of the original edition: Schwetzingen
1997, p. 65.
21 Otto Schwarz, Praktisch planmäßigen Wegweisers durch den
Schlossgarten zu Schwetzingen, Schwetzingen 1894, p. 34.
22 Schwab n.d., p. 4.
III.
159