The Grand Duke of Baden Friedrich I and his wife Luise of Prussia had this romantic mausoleum built hidden in the avenue of larches of the Hardt Forest (Hardtwald), at the edge of the Pheasant Garden (Fasanengarten) beginning in 1889. The occasion was the early death of their youngest son. His parents wanted to be able to remember him far from the noise of the city in "in the seclusion of the deep, peaceful forest". For up to that point the sovereigns of Baden had been interred in the Palace Church (Schlosskirche) in Pforzheim or in the crypt of the Town Church (Stadtkirche) in Karlsruhe. And these were places that could not be visited by the Grand Duke and Duchess without attracting the attention of the public.
The desire for a separate family tomb away from the traditional burial sites was not an individual wish of the rulers of Baden, but instead manifests a generally increasing separation of the public and private sphere and the desire for the seclusion of the family in this age. For example, in 1810 a mausoleum had been erected in the park of Charlottenburg Palace for the grandmother of the Grand Duchess of Baden, the Queen of Prussia Luise. And the King of Württemberg Wilhelm I had a sepulchral chapel built on Württemberg Mountain in 1820 in memory of his late wife Katharina. As a result, the importance of the tomb as a symbol of dynastic continuity increasingly diminished.
When bids were requested for the construction of this sepulchral chapel, the Building Inspector of the Arch Bishop, Franz Baer of Freiburg, originally prevailed. However, due to illness he had to be replaced by the Court Building Director, Friedrich Hemberger, shortly thereafter. The latter was supported from the start by his son Hermann, who had a reputation of being especially familiar with medieval stylistic elements. As things continued, Hermann Hemberger gradually assumed the further project planning and execution, so that today the Sepulchral Chapel is considered his first work.
|
|
|
Grand Duke Friedrich I demanded quick execution. As a result, the foundation already to be laid before the beginning of winter in 1889, although the planning work had just begun. In addition, the Grand Duke continually had new ideas as to which architectural models, and therefore also styles, were to be integrated in the building. In order to fulfill these wishes, Hemberger worked with sub-plans. Although these frequently confronted him with major design difficulties, the resulting mixture of styles lends the building its uniqueness and a beauty all its own.
Floor plan: 106.6 ft x 70.5 ft (32.5 m x 21.5 m).
Cross-shaped basilica consisting of a nave, two aisles and a transept.basilica consisting of a nave, two aisles and a transept.
A building resulted with an exterior structure with proportions and an emphasized high crossing tower intended for long-distance views. Pinnacles, gargoyles and dragon figures, imaginative work of the Karlsruhe sculptor Sauer, adorn the exterior.
The light-flooded Upper Church (Oberkirche) is characterized by the rows of columns positioned on top of each other, with those of the top row carved of black shimmering labradorite. They carry a wooden barrel vault with ornate transverse ribs on sandstone corbels. Four angles' heads on light-yellow limestone enliven the crossing. Decorative forms, like leaf friezes and leaf base capitals, can be found everywhere. Stone lizards are hidden in the leaves of the apse frieze. The altar of white Carrara marble standing on a base with two steps of fine-grained Baden granite is a handicraft masterpiece from the workshop of Rupp & Möller in Karlsruhe.
Broad steps lead from the Upper Church down into the crypt. A two-piece, wrought-iron gate opens into a bright, friendly room.
|
|
|
On 29 June 1896 the Chapel was festively consecrated. The body of Prince Ludwig Wilhelm was already brought here on the morning after the consecration. The second person to be interred here was Prince Wilhelm of Baden, a brother of Grand Duke Friedrich. He was followed in 1906 by his youngest brother, Prince Karl of Baden. The Grand Duke himself was carried to his grave here with great splendor and the sympathy of the entire realm in 1907. His wife was interred in 1923. The last to follow was Grand Duchess Hilda in 1952.
The reason why the mausoleum ultimately became the final resting place of a total of 18 members of the Baden dynasty lies in the fact that the Town Church (Stadtkirche) in Karlsruhe was mostly destroyed in World War II and the royal crypt with its sarcophaguses stood open to plundering. To prevent destruction, the coffins located there were moved to the Sepulchral Chapel in 1946.
Today there are three sarcophaguses in the Upper Church: that of Prince Ludwig Wilhelm, of Grand Duke Friedrich I and of this wife Luise of Prussia. Worked of marble, they are of a high artistic quality and are unique in Baden-Württemberg. Hermann Volz, Professor at the Karlsruhe Academy of the Arts (Kunstakademie) took up tomb motifs of the Middle Ages in this sculptural work. For example, a life-size figure of the Prince in this military coat rests on a pillow. In his folded hands he holds a rose branch and the handle of his dagger. In accordance with the spirit of the times, he is not depicted as being deceased, but rather as someone sleeping peacefully. The plasticity and realistic intensity of the depiction conveys the impression of suddenly being face to face with someone who passed away long ago.