Favorite Castle (Rastatt)
.jpg)
Favorite Palace was built by Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer from 1710 to 1730 in Rastatt - Förch . The builder was the Margravine Sibylla Augusta von Baden-Baden (1675–1733), widow of the so-called Türkenlouis , Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden (1655–1707), who had very clear ideas of how this Baroque total work of art with richly decorative interiors should look . In addition to the residence in Rastatt , it was to serve as a pleasure palace in the country for princely amusements, sociability and games, hunting, masquerades, studies and raising children.
description
Favorite Castle is the oldest German "porcelain castle" and is the only one that has been preserved in its original form. The extensive collection of Chinese porcelain and black lacquer work, as well as the Schwartz Porcelain ( stoneware with black and gold lacquer painting) is remarkable .
Schloss Favorite is surrounded by a formerly baroque pleasure garden. At the time of the margravine, the garden was defined by avenues, symmetrical parterres with water features and orangeries. In the pheasant forest there were numerous hatcheries and feed houses for breeding and keeping game that could be hunted. In 1718 a hermitage was built in which the margravine retreated to reflect. In the last decades of the 18th century, the palace garden was modernized by the court gardener Johann Michael Schweyckert and transformed into a landscape garden, which essentially defines the character of the entire complex to this day. It offers views over meadows and ponds, lines of sight and watercourses.
Building description
Favorite Castle is a three-storey complex that encloses a small courtyard with its two side wings . Colonnades were built in the west and east , which soon served as orangeries . The prominent central projection of the castle is dominated by a triangular gable on which the Baden-Saxony-Lauenburg alliance coat of arms can be seen. 15 window axes and the uniform arrangement of the colossal pilasters combine the ground floor and upper floor. A curved flight of stairs leads to the first floor with the representative parade rooms . The ground floor thus offered space for usable rooms. Underneath, however, there is also a show kitchen, which was one of the favorite sights even during the Margravine's lifetime, which she occasionally showed her high-ranking guests in person.
The interior of the palace is dominated by the Sala terrena , which extends through all floors and is crowned by a domed tower. The rectangular hall, which relates to the garden, is rounded off by four sloping niches in the corners. On the first floor there is an apartment on either side of this central room.
The artisanal techniques that were valued in the early 18th century are used in lavish abundance in all the rooms. These include floors made of stucco marble , walls with faience tiles , richly decorated stucco and fresco ceilings, hangings made of rare embroidery on the walls and exquisite furniture. Schloss Favorite is a unique baroque total work of art with an abundant flood of decorations and not only represents the taste of the princess, but also appropriate stately self-expression.
The “Florentine Cabinet” in Favorite Palace, in its entirety, is unique in Europe. 758 picture panels adorn the walls. The 55 most valuable come from Florence - hence the name. They are made from “ Commesso ”, an expensive stone inlay technique in which ground and polished slabs and plates made of different colored marble, granites and semi-precious stones are put together and placed in a stone base. To this day, the panels are overwhelming with their rich color gloss and the perfection of the craftsmanship.
meaning
The splendidly decorated interiors, which are equipped with unique Asian and European porcelain, glass and faience collections, confirm the Margravine's extraordinary artistic sense. A visit to Schloss Favorite makes it possible to get to know different forms of chinoiserie . The textiles, but also the paints and ceramics, illustrate in a special way the effect of European enthusiasm for Asia in the early 18th century. In contrast to modern museum rooms, the exhibits in Favorite Palace are presented to visitors in their original, historical surroundings as part of the princely collections. In this way, they are not only shown as exquisite objects, which they are, but also made vivid in their cultural-historical context.
Todays use
Favorite Castle is open for tours in the summer months. It is one of the state's own monuments and is looked after by the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg . The park is open all year round and freely accessible.
The castle park and the castle were repeatedly the location of filming, for example in 2008 as the main location of the ARD fairy tale film Der Froschkönig .
Since 1957, the Quantz Collegium has organized the “Festive Serenades Schloss Favorite” concert series every year.
literature
- Sigrid Gensichen, Ulrike Grimm: Schloss Favorite Rastatt-Förch . KF Schimper, 2001, ISBN 3-87742-168-7 .
- Rudolf Sillib : Castle Favorite and the hermitage of the Margravine Franziska Sibylla Augusta of Baden-Baden. New Year's Sheets of the Baden Historical Commission, New Series 17. Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1914.
- Sigrid Gensichen, Ulrike Grimm, Manuel Bechtold, Sandra Eberle: Schloss Favorite Rastatt with garden and Hermitage . Guide State Palaces and Gardens, Ed. State Palaces and Gardens Baden-Württemberg, Deutscher Kunstverlag Munich Berlin, 2007, ISBN 978-3-422-02261-4 .
- Sibylla Augusta. A baroque fate; Magazine from the KulturGeschichte | series BW. Edited by Staatsanzeiger-Verlag / State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg. 2008.
- Extra nice. Margravine Sibylla Augusta and her residence. The latest research results on the life of Margravine Sibylla Augusta von Baden-Baden (1675–1733). Exhibition catalog. Published by State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg in 2008. Michael Imhof Verlag Petersberg
- "Schwartz Porcelain". The passion for art and its effect on European porcelain; Edited by State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg and Monika Kopplin, Lackmuseum Münster. Hirmer Verlag, Munich, 2003
- Porcelains. The blue and white Asian porcelain in Schloss Favorite near Rastatt. Edited by State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg and Staatsanzeiger-Verlag Stuttgart. Verlag KF Schimper, 1998.
- Ulrike Grimm: Favorite: The porcelain castle of Sibylla Augusta from Baden-Baden . Edited by the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-422-02261-4 .
- Wolfgang E. Stopfel: The Rastatt Castle . In: Hugo Schneider (Ed.): Castles and palaces in central Baden . Verlag Historischer Verein für Mittelbaden, Offenburg 1984, pp. 55–66.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Schloss Favorite - special exhibitions: Schwartz Porcelain , accessed on October 14, 2013.
- ↑ Schloss Favorite - special exhibitions: Schwartz Porcelain , accessed on October 14, 2013.
- ^ Frank Krawczyk: Opening times. In: Schloss Favorite. State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg - Headquarters, accessed on November 4, 2019 .
Coordinates: 48 ° 49 ′ 20 ″ N , 8 ° 14 ′ 24 ″ E