Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

IV.
Fig. 3: Temple of Mercury
in 1962. The lush vegetation
obstructs the view towards
the building and suppresses
its original function within
the garden as a whole (Photo:
Wertz).
104
IV. Palace Gardens: Role and Significance
The Schwetzingen garden director, Gustav
Adolf Unselt, spoke of his concerns for the
survival of the garden in a public lecture.
“Today we admire the generous layout of the
garden, an effect its creators could not have
foreseen. Unfortunately the current state
of affairs makes the garden’s survival seem
doubtful. This garden, originally created
as one prince’s labour of love, has long
provided the inhabitants of Schwetzingen
and its surroundings with an incomparable
recreation area, and visitors from afar with
all the pleasure a work of art can provide.” 27
Unselt was also a talented organisator who
managed, in the difficult years after WWI, to
finance a modest degree of garden upkeep by
the sale of produce – fruit and vegetables, fish,
wood, grass, leaves, ice to supply the cellars of
breweries and mud from the ponds to fertilize
fields.
27 Gustav A. Unselt, “Vortrag über den Schlossgarten zu Schwetzingen”,
unpublished manuscript, Sandhofen, 5th February
1922.
The Forestry Commission in Charge of the
Garden
When the garden’s upkeep was entrusted
to the state forestry commission in 1924,
experts everywhere feared for its survival, the
more so as a massive reduction in staff was
announced at the same time. It was deemed
incomprehensible “how such a cultural
treasure, ranking at least as high as museums
and art collections, could be left to perish like
that.“ 28 Local history and heritage institutions
and gardeneres were urged to take “energetic”
action. However, the garden was far from
doomed, as became evident from the criticism
that was soon raised concerning a number
of repair and maintenance measures. It was,
however, the lack of a garden expert in charge
of them, rather than the results that was being
criticized. 29 The efforts at reconstruction were
largely approved – it was noted that “a visit
to the splendid garden has become a great
pleasure again.“ 30 To ensure the continued
preservation of the palace gardens, experts
considered the founding of a horticultural
college at Schwetzingen. These activities in
themselves served to bring the gardens of
Schwetzingen to the attention of the public at
large, and garden specialists in particular. 31
Concepts of Appropriate Preservation
The art historian Franz Hallbaum uses the
example of Schwetzingen, to point out the
constant threats to the work of art that
is a garden. He calls for care and a sense
of responsibility in looking after it, and
providing suitable substitutes for old and
decaying trees and their part in the whole.
As well as a responsibility for the work of
art, there is, according to Hallbaum, the
responsibility of social ethics, the duty to
preserve and improve a garden. To him, a lack
of artistic sensibility and the predominance
28 Anonym, “Inland-Rundschau”, in: Die Gartenwelt, 4/1924, p. 32.
29 Anonym, “Neue Gefahr für Schwetzingen”, in: Die Gartenwelt,
5/1927, p. 76.
30 Anonym, “Inland-Rundschau”, in: Die Gartenwelt, 18/1928, p.
251.
31 Diebolder, “Gartenbauhochschule in Schwetzingen”, in: Die
Gartenwelt, 28/1928, p. 388. And: Diebolder, “Schlosspark
Schwetzingen”, in: Die Gartenwelt, 35/1928, pp. 479-480.