"Madam Crown Princess had a great penchant for watercolors. In particular, she had the rooms she resided in on her many travels painted by skilled or poor artists, depending on the circumstances... ." This resulted in 86 interior views of residential and representation rooms, which were then put together to produce the "Olga Album". An exhibition at the Stuttgart State Gallery (Staatsgalerie) shows how Queen Olga of Württemberg lived at the New Palace (Neues Schloss) and elsewhere. It gives an idea of how the high lords and ladies also resided elsewhere in Baden and Württemberg in the 19th century.
Palace visits are excursions into art and cultural history. At the Baroque residential palace in Rastatt, the State Palaces and Gardens go one step further and offer an extraordinary sound experience. On 26 July concert lovers can expect to hear the resounding sound of wind instruments from the balcony. A walking concert is intended to offer a dramatic musical experience. All musicians will play historic wind and string instruments.
The Duchess Sibylla of Württemberg (1564 – 1614) had taken a fancy to "Golden Apples", better known as bitter oranges. Her Bitter Orange Garden (Pomeranzengarten) has stood proudly over the town of Leonberg for the past 400 years. It was laid out according to the plans of the architect Heinrich Schickhardt. Sibylla was well educated and valued literature, music and the sciences. She shared these interests with Elector Ottheinrich of the Palatinate (1502 – 1559). Our sovereign portrait presents this weighty Renaissance ruler. He had the Ottheinrich Building (Ottheinrichsbau) built in the Heidelberg Castle complex. It is considered to be one of Germany's most beautiful 16th century architectural works.
Lilies are among the oldest ornamental plants and enjoyed great popularity in palace and monastery gardens. A special exhibition on the terrace of Weikersheim Palace Garden shows the splendor and diversity in the shapes and colors of lilies until 16 August.
A focus of this issue is, from a geographic standpoint, Lake Constance. The exhibition "Salem – a Monastery Shapes a Landscape" (Salem – ein Kloster gestaltet eine Landschaft) shows how the Cistercians influenced the cultural landscape. Much of their work is still visible today. – This time our series on traveling in ages past looks at Prince Bishop Damian Hugo of Schönborn, who traveled from Bruchsal to Meersburg to pay a visit to Prince Abbot Beda von Angehrn of St. Gallen, who was in turn on an inspection visit to Max Christoph of Rodt, the Prince Bishop of Constance. – Traveling will still put you in a good mood today: Arenenberg Palace is well worth a visit. It is no longer located in Baden-Württemberg, but it offers a wonderful view toward Reichenau Island and historical references to our palace landscape. Hortense de Beauharnais had settled in the Swiss town of Salenstein. She had initially found asylum in Constance through her cousin, Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden (born de Beauharnais).
As usual, the many sections in the new issue of Schlösser Magazine are well worth reading. In the "Vitrine" (Showcase) we present an album box from Mannheim Palace, and the new installment of "LeseStoff" (Reading Material) is devoted to buttons.
In addition to a wealth of other interesting topics, the magazine also contains tips on events with information on special guided tours.
The issue is available here in German only.