Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

I. Introduction
In the eighteenth century a magnificent
country seat was created at Schwetzingen
under the Electors Palatine – a unique
complex consisting of a town, palace and
garden that has stood largely unchanged
to the present day. In the Palatine summer
residence of Schwetzingen, courtly life was
geared towards pleasure and diversion – in
contrast to the main residence of Mannheim,
where the focus was on administration
and display. It is this annual move of the
entire court from Mannheim to the summer
residence, for a stay of several months’
duration, that explains the unique conditions
at Schwetzingen: a town wholly aligned with
the palace but formally subordinate to it – a
palace that seems huge compared to the town
but at the same time quite unpretentious – a
vast garden with a variety of buildings that
maintains its status as an autonomous
element.
The more important a cultural monument,
the more it is possible to discover about it.
History, building history, art history, garden
history, social history, the history of music, of
the sciences, of ideas – invariably the visible,
tangible remains refer to the past. And what
was artificially divided up into disciplines and
categories of research, because of the sheer
complexity of history, retains its original unity
in the cultural monument itself.
This volume undertakes to illuminate the
main aspects of the proposed nomination for
inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage
List from a number of different points of
view:
Part II considers the role of the summer
residence, in particular the tribute it paid
under Elector Carl Theodor to the performing
arts, and especially to music. Part III and
Part IV focus primarily on the structural
and spatial design of the residence. They
place the most significant buildings
within their cultural history and provide
a detailed description of aspects crucial to
understanding the palace garden: its function,
its design, its relationship to its surroundings
and the continuity underlying its care.
Part V takes a closer look both at references
to the historical importance already being
attached to the complex when it was the
“summer capital of the Palatinate” and at the
scientific principles reflected in the extensions
carried out under Carl Theodor. The historical
background essential to appreciating the
garden, the palace and the village in context
will be found in Part VI, along with an outline
of the political situation in which the summer
residence evolved and subsequent perceptions
of the residence. This is followed in Part VII
by guidance for the reader’s rapid orientation.
The concluding Part provides a quick
overview of the basic facts: short biographies
of the rulers and the artists active at
Schwetzingen, a chronology of major events, a
summarized description of the properties and
objects inscribed on the list of monuments
and a bibliography of publications on the
town, palace and garden. The overall map
with detailed captions included at the back
is intended to give an idea of the property
as a whole, and provide information to
complement the essays.
I.
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