The Weikersheim Palace Gardens are one of the few Baroque complexes in Europe in which an extensive original range of figures can still be found. Part of this is the famous Gallery of Dwarfs (Zwergengalerie). The "Court Personnel of Stone" is worth seeing! Our cover motif shows a detailed view of the sculpture of the cellarer with an expression merry with wine.
This year Weikersheim is definitely well worth a visit: 300 years ago the gardens were already praised by contemporaries as being created "for the "Plaisir" (pleasure) of the lords and ladies“. To commemorate this, the State Palaces and Gardens are offering an extensive program with special guided tours, lectures and changing exhibitions. The motto of both this year of celebration and the new permanent exhibition is "Water Art and Round Dance of the Gods" (Wasserkunst- und Götterreigen).
The focus at Favorite Palace in Rastatt-Förch is on "Pietre Dure" images of stone. The most impressive treasures at the former summer palace of Margravine Sibylla Augusta include a precious table in the "Florentine Cabinet" (Florentiner Kabinett). The base of this piece of furniture is richly carved and the table top consists of marquetry images with colorful semi-precious stones. This piece is presented in detail in the section entitled "Vitrine" (Showcase).
Margrave Carl Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach was particularly enamored of flowers, and especially of tulips. He had thousands of the flowering bulbs painted, but most of the pages were burned in World War II. The preserved "Karlsruhe Book of Tulips" (Karlsruher Tulpenbuch) makes it clear what a treasure has been lost. Together with a second volume, it is part of the collection of manuscripts of the Baden State Library (Badische Landesbibliothek). It has made the illustrations of the book of tulips available on the Internet to anyone who is interested.
Another article covers the history of gardening. Today Mannheim Palace is boxed in by streets. Who would suppose that an English landscape garden spread out behind the palace 200 years ago? There actually are watercolors of the park showing strolling couples or guests, who were underway in carriages and on horseback. By the late 19th century most of this idyllic setting was already gone.
The heraldic animals lion and stag stand on bases at the Court of Honor (Ehrenhof) of the New Palace (Neues Schloss) in Stuttgart. The striking sculptures are among the characteristic elements of the Palace Square (Schlossplatz). But who created them? They are the main works of the Roman Antonio Isopi (1758 – 1833). The former court sculptor of Württemberg and Director of the Institute of Artists (Künstlerinstitut) in Ludwigsburg also designed interior decorations, ceilings and luxurious vases. Fabulous creatures repeatedly play a role in the latter, for example a monkey that persuades a cat to retrieve chestnuts from the fire for him.
Our sections once again present interesting exhibits. In the series "LeseStoff" (Reading Material) we show the development of women's shoe fashion from the Baroque until today. The new series entitled "Adel verpflichtet“ (Noblesse oblige) explains titles and ranks and their history and importance. The second installment covers the title of count. The trip tip takes readers to the Bell Museum in the Cathedral (Stiftskirche) in Herrenberg. The special thing about the exhibits is that they ring and swing!
In addition to other interesting topics, the issue also contains a calendar of events, a detailed, constantly updated version of which can be viewed at this website.
The issue is available here in German only.