Königsbrück camellias

Greenhouse of the Königsbrück camellias

Flower of the cultivar 'Alba Plena', white, double

Flower of the cultivar 'Althaeiflora', red, double

The three Königsbrück camellias are considered to be the oldest standing camellias in Europe north of the Alps . They were probably planted around 1825 and are in a greenhouse at Königsbrück Castle in the town of the same name in the west of the Bautzen district , Saxony .

description

Of the three specimens of the species Camellia japonica that were probably planted in 1825 , two belong to the white-flowering variety 'Alba Plena' and one of the red-flowering variety 'Althaeiflora'. Because they are right next to each other, the local vernacular describes the camellias as “snow white and rose red” based on the fairy tale of the same name . The ornamental plants are over five meters high and have double flowers with a diameter of eight to ten centimeters. The specimens of the 'Alba Plena' variety usually flower first. The main flowering time of the three oldest camellias is in February.

In addition, there are nine camellia bushes with a height of up to two meters that date from the 1920s and 1950s, as well as 15 espalier camellias planted in 2000. The main flowering time of these plants is in March. A total of around 30 camellias can be found in the greenhouse of the Königsbrück castle nursery.

history

Saxony is considered to be the country of origin of German camellia breeding. The Pillnitz camellia was planted as early as 1801 . In 1813 , the Seidel brothers founded a nursery in Dresden that increasingly specialized in camellias. In 1824 it already had 19 camellia varieties in its range. It has not been proven, but it is possible that the Königsbrück camellias originate from the Seidel camellia collection, which is now located in the Pirna district of Zusatzendorf , and was brought to Königsbrück by Peter Carl Wilhelm von Hohenthal or his descendants at the beginning of the 19th century . The exact date since when the camellias have been in Königsbrück is not known. In the opinion of the expert Matthias Riedel, head of the Botanical Collections in Zusendorf, a detailed examination that can provide clarity about the actual age of the camellias is too risky for the further growth of the plants. In the Königsbrück church chronicle there is an entry in 1846 that a camellia house has been restored. This is an indication that there is a high probability that such a camellia house existed before. Files in the Saxon State Archives show that Heinrich Friedrich von Friesen , then lord of the royal lordship of Königsbrück , had extensive renovation work carried out on the palace garden and the orangery from 1728 to 1746 and had two new, massive greenhouses built at the palace. A steam boiler house with a flower-growing building was mentioned in 1872. On December 11, 1897, the Königsbrück castle gardener R. Hoffmann recommended blooming "Camellias" in the Westlausitzer Zeitung.

In 1996, due to construction work on the castle, the old greenhouse was no longer supplied with heat. The excavation of the camellias was not possible due to the size and the strong adhesions in the masonry. A mobile oil heating system was therefore installed as an interim solution. In 1998 the Free State renovated the greenhouse, which is about five by 20 meters. The installation of a modern heating system and an automatic shading system also improved the conditions so that the flower color of the camellias became noticeably stronger in the following years.

It was not until 2000 that Königsbrück became known as a traditional Saxon camellia location. On the occasion of the anniversary “200 years of camellias in Saxony 1804 to 2004”, Deutsche Post issued a special stamp from the “ Post ” series with a camellia motif in August 2004 . The postal stationery also included a jewelery envelope designed by Rolf Kraus from Neuwied in an edition of 200,000 pieces, which showed flowers of the white variety 'Alba Plena' in front of the Königsbrücker Schlosstor as a motif.

In 2004, workers cleared the soil under the nine camellias that had germinated in the 20th century from calcareous rubble, as several specimens had previously developed brown leaves.

exhibition

The camellias can be seen in full bloom at the annual camellia show every Sunday from mid-January to mid-April in the greenhouse at Königsbrück Castle . The camellia show regularly counts more than 10,000 visitors each year. On offer are offshoots of the three old camellias, which are equipped with a certificate of authenticity. The 10th Camellia Show was opened on January 25, 2009 in the presence of the Prime Minister of Saxony Stanislaw Tillich . The camellia group of the Königsbrücker Heimatverein cares for the ornamental plants all year round. Every year the association presents two volunteer camellias. The association is currently (as of 2011) planning to enlarge the greenhouse. The architect Wolfgang Hänsch from Königsbrück was involved in the preliminary planning and drafts . The cost of the project is over 100,000 euros.