II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

II.
84
Fig. 5: Part of the english
garden near the Temple of
Botany (photo: Brähler).
II. Schwetzingen – A Prince Elector’s Eighteenth-Century Summer Residence
create a semblance of nature by artistic means,
might well be called vain and presumptuous.
Sckell’s “lines of beauty” manifest themselves
in softly meandering paths through seemingly
dense shrubs, inviting visitors to go for a
walk. In this, he was inspired by Rousseau
and Shaftesbury. According to Rousseau,
all landscapes attract the viewer’s attention.
Moreover, experiencing the spirit of nature
is inseparable from experiencing the spirit
of self. The natural experience inspires a
dreamy state of mind and an awareness of the
beholder’s essence. According to Shaftesbury,
the unspoiled wildness of the English garden
refl ects the harmonious unity of the world.
There are both idyllic and heroic landscapes
at Schwetzingen, both incorporating literature
and history, somewhat reminiscent of the ideal
landscapes of Poussin. They are expressive
of a longing for Arcadia, a Utopian attempt to
achieve a sense of unity with nature in order
to reclaim a “natural” human state of moral
integrity.
Another aspect reminiscent of Poussin is the
way the landscape refl ects the contrast of
living nature and the transitoriness of human
life. The slight melancholy adds a romantic
touch to the English landscape garden: it
seems that eternal nature has reclaimed the
works of man.
Next to the landscaped areas, kitchen gardens
were laid out; to the south of the circular
parterre an orchard and a vergetable garden
were planted. Here, too, the new interest in
natural phenomena is evident – an interest
that has to lead to new sciences like botany.
In the second half of the 18th century botany
was considered very important; the ability to
identify plants was part of a sound education.
In order to give this scientifi c progressiveness
its due, an arboretum was laid out in 1777, the
fi rst to become part of a landscape garden, the
so-called Arborium Theodoricum. 6 Here trees
and shrubs were planted that were considered
rarities, or had newly arrived in Central
Europe; they provided illustrative material for
scientifi c research, but were also the subject
of a considerable collecting passion. Friedrich
von Sckell created a walk-in dictionary
complemented by the Temple of Botany, as it
were, the sanctuary of the new science.
Conclusion
The Schwetzingen palace garden represents a
unique blending of the eras of Absolutism and
Enlightenment. It resembles an encyclopedia
– “as one wanders through it, one turns the
leaves of the book of this world.” 7
(Barbara Brähler)
6 Rainer Stripf, Die Arboreten des Schwetzinger Schlossgartens,
Führer / Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten, München / Berlin
2004
7 Monique Mosser / Georges Teyssot, Die Gartenkunst des
Abendlandes von der Renaissance bis zur Gegenwart,
Stuttgart 1993, p. 259.