North Tower - Schloss Drachenburg

Tea Room
in the South-West Oriel
The south-west oriel at Schloss Drachenburg is not mentioned in the accounts of the castle
written doing the era of castle-owner Stephan von Sarter (until 1902) or that of his nephew
J. H. Biesenbach. Nor do the inventories of the time give any information as to how this
small room was furnished.
Nevertheless, in the course of restoration work on the oriel, good records of former stencils
emerged that allowed the restorers to reconstruct large parts of the original livery. Along
with its carefully reworked mosaic fl ooring, the oriel is on show as a room with a special
decorative fl air. It also comes over as a link between outdoors and indoors. Due to its southwest
position, the oriel can be reached from the Venus Terrace outside and via the loggias
from the Dining Room.
It is conceivable that the room was used in summer as a Tea or Coffee Room – and the present
furnishings help to lend credence to this notion. The round table, surrounded by “airy”
wickerwork chairs, displays a typical coffee and tea service made of silver and consisting
of a tea pot, a coffee pot, a milk jug and a sugar bowl. With the silver, of course, you could
combine any type of porcelain. Guests would be offered tea or coffee, depending on personal
preference. Both of these beverages were widespread in the late 19th century as a stimulant
enjoyed at all social levels. Chiefl y because of the expanding plantations in colonies such as
North India (tea) and Central & South America and Africa (coffee), there was an abundance
of the leaves and beans in Europe. Coffee houses fl ourished in the cities to serve these
non-alcoholic beverages, although people enjoyed them at home too. Very popular in the
19th century were receptions hosted by the Lady of the House, who would invite guests to
afternoon tea or coffee and welcome them in the salon or front room accordingly.
An earlier account of Schloss Drachenburg refers to a “tea room furnished with exquisite
taste” on the top fl oor (Proelss 1884). However, this particular fl oor – which accommodated
a number of guest rooms as well – is not available as a viewing area. It is used instead for
the castle management’s offi ces.