3. - Schlösser-Magazin

projecting galleries, and stalls gently sloping
towards the stage. The curved balcony rails
are covered in fabric, and the entire interior
of the theatre is decorated in shades of grey
and ochre, with neoclassical elements such as
lions‘ heads moulded in papier-mâché. The
proscenium arch is defined by Corinthian
pilasters in blue-green marbling. Resplendent
above the stage is the coat of arms of Prince
Elector Carl Theodor.
The circular parterre itself is transected by
a central path (allée principale) and two
parallel paths (allées secondaires), which are
crossed in the centre by three identical paths
running at right angles to them. There are
also paths running diagonally through the
circle and along its cirumference in front of
the quarter-circle pavilions; these paths define
eight sections in the form of sunken lawns
(boulingrins).
From the slightly raised terrace in the east, a
broad strip stretches to a fountain with two
water-spouting stags in the west (known as the
stag fountain, Peter Anton von Verschaffelt,
1766-1769). While the lateral paths take the
form of tree-lined avenues, the centre path
is free of trees. The east-west extension is
emphasised within the circular parterre by
two lawn parterres lined with flower beds
(parterres a l’angloise), the central, circular
pool (the Arion Fountain: approx. diameter
30m, attributed to Barthélemy Guibal, first
half of the 18th-centuries, probably from the
gardens of Lunéville Palace), four parterres
de broderie surrounding the fountain, and
a symmetrical pattern of lawn parterres
stretching to the west. The transversal paths
are all flanked with trees, including the path
in the centre. The elongated lawns between
the paths are also lined with a row of trees
on each side, so that altogether there are ten
parallel rows of trees along the transverse
(north-south) axis. Oval lawns mark the ends
of the lateral paths at the edge of the circular
parterre; only the central avenue continues
beyond the parterre to the north and south
boundaries of the gardens.
2. Description
The circular parterre is rich in statuary. The
four oval pools in the centre of the lawn
parterre are adorned with cherubs sitting
on swans and herons, from whose beaks
revolving water jets spout forth (attributed
to Barthélemy Guibal, first half of the
18th-centuries, probably from the gardens
of Lunéville Palace). Further decorative
elements are found in the form of the four
urns on the terrace symbolising the four Ages
of the World (Peter Anton von Verschaffelt,
2.
Obelisk in the transverse axis.
South quarter-circle pavilion,
exterior facing the circular
parterre.
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