Spruce Park

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Spruce Park 2009

The Spruce Park , and Johann Gottlieb Fichte Park , located in the Dresden district Plauen and is bordered by the streets Bernhardstraße, Großmannstraße and the West Ring. It is a testament to the landscaping of the 19th century. The spruce tower is an important building in the park .

history

Preliminary planning and start of construction

Pond in the Fichtepark 2009

In the city expansion plans around 1872, a green area was provided to loosen up the development on the Plauener Flur. In the same year the Dresdner Westend corporation was founded. This had the requirement to buy up arable land and to market it as profitably as possible as a prepared building site . The necessary bricks were produced in three brickworks on today's Nöthnitzer Strasse, and the required natural stone material was found in the nearby plan quarries in the village of Plauen . So in a short time a sought - after villa-like new quarter for the well-heeled citizens of Plauen and Dresden was created in a green environment. A distinction was made between Unterplauen and Hohenplauen, because the Westendbaugesellschaft wanted to build large rows of houses on the edge of the park to be even more profitable. However, these plans failed in the municipal council, Plauen should remain a noble suburb. The incorporation plans for Dresden were already on the table. And so in 1887 a legally binding building ordinance was passed. In the city plans of 1890 and 1891, the area for a park with an area of ​​almost 2.5 hectares can be seen. The site, a narrow rectangle extending from Bernhardstrasse over the long side on Großmannstrasse to Westendring, was largely made available by the Bienert Foundation, as was the financial means . The Prussian court garden director Carl Hampel won the public competition from over 25 applicants . He knew how to use the sloping terrain with meandering paths and purpose-built outdoor stairs and a variety of plants to please. A playground and a pond were also planned. The space was also kept free for the Bismarck Tower, which was built later.

Opening and use

The park was officially opened under the name Westendpark on September 26, 1891. The community has invested 23,000 marks in this landscape park. The park enjoyed great popularity, and so in 1895 a restaurant was built on Bernhardstrasse / corner of Großmannstrasse, the Parkschänke, which was converted into a residential building after the First World War. When the 27-meter-high Bismarck Tower was inaugurated a year later , a perfectly landscaped park was in place.

In 1901 and 1902 a small stream and the pond were rebuilt. In 1906 the playground was significantly expanded and equipped with play equipment. Singing competitions and choir events were held in the park, and folk festivals and church services were held. To this end, food stalls , amusement stands and puppet theater especially for children were organized. Even after the park tavern closed, Westendpark remained a popular, relaxing place in the country for the population. In 1903 the village of Plauen was incorporated into Dresden. The city of Dresden was now the new owner and operator.

First redesign

Figure child with dolphin by Franz Weschke
Figure child with turtle by Paul Polte
On May 15, 2018, the pond system was ceremoniously put back into operation.

In 1920 the city council decided to redesign the Westendpark. According to a design by the building inspector Karl Hirschmann , a new roundel-like open space was created as a meadow and with outside stairs in every direction . This was surrounded by eight sculptures by Dresden sculptors , these were supposed to represent the four temperaments and emotions :

Seen from Westendstrasse, an oval roundabout was created, lowered by about one meter. Access was via four spacious six-step outside stairs. In the middle of this magnificent meadow was Gerbert's large, dominant vase. All the sights of the park could be reached via a winding circular path with multiple branches and bends.

With this special assignment, the redesign of the Westendpark in Dresden- Plauen , the city of Dresden made a new start possible for nine sculptors returning from the war in order to improve their livelihood, also thanks to the generous Bienert Foundation. According to the city ​​archives, the costs amounted to around 133,000 marks.

Second remodel

This unique figure meadow was leveled in 1930 in favor of a planned, but ultimately not built, open-air stage. Six figures were removed and stored, they have been considered lost since 1945 and thus a war loss. The figures Child with Turtle by Polte and Child with Dolphin by Weschke are the only ones left in the park elsewhere. The outside stairs have also disappeared. In 1929, azalea and rhododendron bushes were also planted in the park. The park was redesigned again in 1936. An open area was planned and implemented as a sunbathing area and assembly or installation area. In 1937 the park was officially reopened, and at the same time it was renamed in honor of the philosopher and educator on his 175th birthday to Johann Gottlieb Fichte Park, or Fichtepark for short. At the same time, a portrait medallion with the image of Bismarck was exchanged for one by Fichte above the entrance to the tower. The open space is now used by some parties for their public work within the party.

At the end of the Second World War , the population of Dresden sought protection from bomb attacks on Dresden . This started a certain overgrowth of the landscape park. Only when the Bismarck Tower was renamed the Johann Gottlieb Fichte Tower in 1954 was it slightly refurbished. This situation remained until the fall of the Wall. Today the park is in a more or less well-kept condition. Since 1994, the park has been restored by the municipal office for green spaces according to monument conservation aspects. Since 2014, donations have been collected to revitalize the water systems. On May 15, 2018, the renovated pond system was able to go back into operation.

literature

  • Ernst-Günter Knüppel: Georg Turk: 1884–1972. Academic Sculptor - Life and Work. in: Saxon sculpture from Dresden and Meißen. (paperback) Verlag der Kunst Dresden, Husum 2005, ISBN 3-86530-061-8 , p. 32f.
  • Paul Dittrich: Between Hofmühle and Heidenschanze. Verlag Adolf Urban Dresden, 2nd edition 1941, pp. 163, 176, 186ff.
  • Michael Feller: The Fichtepark. In: Der Südhang , edition 6/2000, p. 12f.
  • Anette Dubbers: Plauen - From the history of a Dresden district. Druckerei Thieme Meißen, 2006, ISBN 3-937199-34-9 , pp. 38f and 42f.

Web links

Commons : Fichtepark  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bismarck Tower Plauen
  2. ↑ Water march in the Fichtepark pond. In: Dresden.de. May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 1 ′ 22.1 ″  N , 13 ° 42 ′ 41 ″  E