Leimbach river system in Schwetzingen palace gardens
In order to ensure the water supply for the ponds and fountains of the Schwetzingen palace garden , the Leimbach was systematically canalized by Nicolas de Pigage , provided with six barrages, moved around and through the garden and two waterworks (1771–1774) were built. The Leimbach had a tap each from the south and north to irrigate the garden. The main goal was to supply the Great Pond. The Zähringer Canal branches off on the south side, which marks the southern boundary of the palace gardens. This flows into the mosque pond, from which there are two tributaries to the large pond. On the east side, the Leimbach is diverted over the castle moat. Originally it already fed the medieval moat here and ran a little further to the west. Today's castle only has a moat on the east side in front of the main gate and can therefore no longer be called a moated castle like its predecessor. At the three-bridge gate at the Invalidenkaserne there is the northern branch, which initially runs parallel to the old Leimbach through the northern arboretum . At the triangular pond, the canal circumscribes a hairpin to the south past the fountain of the water-spitting birds. In front of the Temple of Apollo there is a right-angled bend to the west, where it flows out of the Great Pond. The upper and lower waterworks were also important for the irrigation of the palace gardens, which enabled the wells and the large fountain in the district ground floor to operate. For the construction of the waterworks, the fountain master Thomas Breuer was sent to study the water lifting machine built by Marly near Paris from 1681 , which supplied the gardens of Versailles six kilometers away. The overflow of the Arion fountain supplies the water features of the district parterre and the Angloisen. The moat around the orangery parterre is supplied by the nymph fountain at the Temple of Apollo. The Roman water fort received its water from the lower waterworks, but is now supplied by pumps. The latter is no longer in function, the aqueduct to the water fort has long since ceased to have water. The two main canals flow together at the triangular pond. There is an outflow in the direction of the Roman water fort until the Leimbach at the lower waterworks finally finds its way back into the original creek bed.
Zähringer Canal
Castle moat
Three-bridge gate
Triangular pond
Weir at the triangular pond
Canal from the direction of the Temple of Apollo
Gear train in the upper waterworks
Lower waterworks
Aquatic flora
The banks of the water are characterized by numerous moisture-loving wild plants, which are usually found in the surrounding forests and in the Rhine floodplains, but not in this originally dry, sandy location. This was only made possible by the intensive artificial irrigation of the palace garden. Above all, bear's garlic is to be mentioned, various rumors are circulating about its occurrence in the castle garden, but the most obvious is its natural spread from the neighboring Schwetzingen Hardt . Other typical water plants are the real and the feed comfrey , the bittersweet nightshade , the purple loosestrife , the duckweed is of course ubiquitous, the Rough horn sheet (in Zähringer channel), the marsh marigold , the Skullcap , the swamp yarrow , the marsh Iris , the swamp forget-me-not , the square willowherb , the water mint , the meadow foam herb and the black fruited two -toothed herb . Typical forest plants include the gold buttercup , the small periwinkle and the forest violet .
Allium ursinum
Achillea ptarmica
Bidens frondosa
Caltha palustris
Ceratophyllum demersum
Epilobium tetragonum
Iris pseudacorus
Lemna minor
Lythrum salicaria
Myosotis scorpioides
Ranunculus auricomus
Scutellaria galericulata
Solanum dulcamara
Symphytum officinale
Symphytum × uplandicum
Vinca minor
Violareichenbachiana
literature
- Schwetzingen Palace Gardens. Official Guide of the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg, Munich / Berlin 2008.
- Schauer, Caspari: The great FSVO plant guide. Munich 1996 (for the water flora).