Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

of scientific, botanical interests are mainly
responsible for the encroachment of Nature
upon Art and the resulting imbalance of
height and width – in this case, of copse and
lawn. He warns against a false sentimentality,
where issues of garden care and the claims
of art are concerned, and appeals to the
artistic sense to take charge at Schwetzingen
“so that the garden may again justify its
reputation of being the most perfect blend
of the two gardening styles we possess in
Germany. In this way, we honour its creators,
discharge our duties and create an obligation
for the future.“ 32 Hallbaum propagated this
programme in lectures he gave for various
institutions at Mannheim and Schwetzingen. 33
The garden architect, Hans Gerlach, was of the
opinion that the care of the palace gardens
should not be entrusted to the initiative
and competence of the individual garden
director; instead, a long-term plan should
be drawn up. The responsible authorities
of the State of Baden were asked to take
action, decide on appropriate guidelines and
work out a programme for Schwetzingen.
At the same time, Gerlach appealed to the
relevant professional associations, to write
up resolutions and not to allow the care of
the garden to be entrusted to a mere forestry
official, but to make sure it was given to a
garden expert instead. 34 As a consequence,
Karl Heicke, garden director at Frankfurt,
was commissioned to write a report for the
improvement of the existing conditions in
the Schwetzingen palace gardens. The report,
dated 29th May 1937, concludes that “by
careful attention to detail, the uniqueness
and beauty of the park as a whole must
be preserved for the future. 35 The first
measures were the replacement of withered
chestnuts in the western allée en terrasse
32 Franz Hallbaum, “Schwetzingen – Ein Arbeitsprogramm für
seine künstlerische Erhaltung”, in: Die Gartenkunst ‘7/1928, pp.
102-105.
33 Anon., “Erhaltung des Schwetzinger Schlossgartens”, in: Die
Gartenkunst, 12/1928, p.192.
34 Hans Gerlach, “Der Schwetzinger Schloßgarten – Ein trauriges
Kapitel zur Instandhaltung historischer Gärten”, in: Möllers
Deutsche Gärtnerzeitung, 16/1930, p. 188.
35 Karl Heicke, “Vorschläge für eine Verbesserung des Bestehenden
im Schwetzinger Schlossgarten”, in: Die Gartenkunst,
12/1937, pp. 249-256.
IV. Palace Gardens: Role and Significance
and the experimental trimming of limes in
the Dreibrückentorallee; however, with the
outbreak of WWII, the work came to a halt.
The “Parkpflegewerk”
After the war the Mannheim garden director,
Josef Bußjäger, did what he could to ensure
the preservation of the Schwetzingen garden,
which, unlike most palaces and gardens in
Baden, had remained undamaged by the war.
He considered the preservation of the lime
avenues to be the top priority. 36 Christian
Bauer, state garden director at Munich,
was another advocate of the Schwetzingen
garden in the 1950s. It was he who initiated
the compilation of the “Parkpflegewerk” (a
detailed management plan drawn up for the
individual garden), which was completed
in 1970, one of the first of its kind. 37 In the
preface, Bauer explains that historic gardens
rank with a country’s most precious cultural
36 Josef Bußjäger, “Wie können die 200jährigen Linden im
Schwetzinger Schlosspark erhalten werden?”, in: Garten +
Landschaft, 5/1958, pp. 122-123.
37 Christian Bauer/Walter Schwenecke, Parkpflegewerk für den
Schwetzinger Schlossgarten, unpublished, Karlsruhe, October
1970.
IV.
Fig. 4: Temple of Mercury in
1998. Careful thinning out and
regeneration of the trees and
shrubs has allowed the temple
to regain its assigned role as
a belvedere and “point de vue”
(Photo: Landesmedienzentrum,
Karlsruhe).
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