3. - Schlösser-Magazin

I. Report on the Architectural and Art Historical Importance: Prof. Dr. Michael Hesse
creations of Robert Adam and his successors,
the orangery in the Neuer Garten of Potsdam
by Carl Gotthard Langhaus (1791), or the
Pavlovsk monument of Princess Frederica by
Giacomo Quarenghi (1791).
Of equal originality is the layout of the long
northern axis of the bathhouse’s separate
garden: A trelliswork gallery opens to reveal
the water-spouting birds, modelled on the
lost Versailles birdbath in both theme and
execution. Bird sculptures from the estate
of King Stanisław were used to illustrate
an Aesop fable; live birds in aviaries served
to enhance the illusion. In the reliefs of the
agate cabinets, elaborately decorated with
semiprecious stones, the pleasures of nature
and the country life combine with erotic
symbols. Raised viewing areas provide a vista
of the surrounding gardens, and at the end of
yet another trelliswork is the grotto leading
to the diorama. Here, a trompe-l’oeil painting
illuminated from above offers a sweeping
view of an untouched, idyllic landscape – a
subject that appears to contradict the garden’s
intimacy and separateness but that may in
fact, by offering a space for personal longings,
serve to complement it.
Summary
• Schwetzingen is an outstanding example
of a ruler’s summer residence from the
age of enlightened Absolutism. Unlike
most summer residences of that time
it has not been converted or rebuilt
since then, and it is moreover the bestpreserved
complex among the 18thcentury
palaces on the Upper Rhine.
• Schwetzingen can boast works of art,
including architecture, sculpture and
garden art, of the highest order, even
judged by international standards.
• The ruler’s ordering hand, shaping his
domain with rare vision and consistency,
is still clearly visible in the network of
axes and the unified whole made up of
the town, the palace buildings and the
garden.
• In the circular parterre and the
harmonious ensemble of formal and
landscaped areas the palace and garden
reveal a unique overall layout based on
their planning and functional history.
• Intentional simplicity and an unusually
close interconnection of the buildings and
garden serve to articulate a closeness to
nature and the informality of country life
in accordance with the new awareness
of nature and the changing values of the
18th-century.
• The Schwetzingen court theatre is the
earliest galleried theatre in existence. The
theatre and the garden buildings were
among the most avant-garde buildings
of their time. The park buildings are
formally unique structures und invaluable
for both history and art history.
• Both in their shape and their pictorial
plan the park’s buildings illustrate in
an uniquely rich and varied way the
attitudes of the Age of Enlightenment
– the discovery of nature, faith in man’s
creative reason and in the progress of
civilization. The Schwetzingen mosque in
particular, expression of an awareness of
another religion and civilization based on
tolerance, is without parallel in its time.
• The buildings, the gardens and the
interior decoration and furniture have
been preserved in a fine and largely
authentic state.
It is my opinion that with regard to
architectural and art historical aspects
the former Palatine summer residence
of Schwetzingen fulfills the criteria for
inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage
list to an unusual degree.
Heidelberg, 7th May 2006
(Prof. Dr. Michael Hesse)
I.
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