Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell (13 September 1750, Weilburg
– 24 February 1823) was a German
landscape gardener from Weilburg
an der Lahn.
Sckell was trained in the Court Market Garden in Schwetzingen
near Mannheim
and worked after his apprenticeship in Bruchsal
, Paris
, and Versailles
. From 1773 to 1777, he was in England
busying himself with English-style
gardening. Upon his return, Sckell redesigned the gardens of Schönbusch Park in Aschaffenburg for the Prince-Elector
s of Mainz and Archbishop Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
in the English style, as well as those of Schöntal Park. Afterwards he responsible for the beginning of the Schwetzinger Gardens
as a scenic park, and along with Benjamin Thompson
, was commissioned in 1789 to begin the Englischer Garten in Munich
.
In the time following the Englischer Garten, Sckell spent a short time in service of the rulers of Baden
, before he was called back in 1803 to Munich, where, as the Director of Royal Gardens, he completed the Englischer Garten. He then transformed the regular garden of Nymphenburg Park
into a more scenic arrangement.
As a landscape gardener, Sckell was also responsible for beginning the castle gardens at Biebrich
and Oppenweiler
, and possibly those at Dirmstein
as well.
He is deemed to be the founder of the English gardens, which he introduced to the German experts with his writings on garden design. His manner with grouping and plants is still used to an extent in German landscaping today.
In 1808, Sckell received the title Knight of Sckell. He died in 1823 in Munich
as a Court Garden Director. A monument in the Englischer Garten was erected in his honor. He is buried in the Alter Südfriedhof
in Munich.
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :...
– 24 February 1823) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
landscape gardener from Weilburg
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :...
an der Lahn.
Sckell was trained in the Court Market Garden in Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen is a German town situated in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, around southwest of Heidelberg and southeast of Mannheim.Schwetzingen is one of the 5 biggest cities of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district and it is a medium-sized centre including the cities and municipalities of...
near Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and worked after his apprenticeship in Bruchsal
Bruchsal
Bruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
. From 1773 to 1777, he was in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
busying himself with English-style
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
gardening. Upon his return, Sckell redesigned the gardens of Schönbusch Park in Aschaffenburg for the Prince-Elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s of Mainz and Archbishop Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
Friedrich Karl Joseph Reichsfreiherr von Erthal was prince-elector and archbishop of Mainz from 18 July 1774 to 4 July 1802, shortly before the end of the archbishopric in the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss....
in the English style, as well as those of Schöntal Park. Afterwards he responsible for the beginning of the Schwetzinger Gardens
Schwetzingen Castle
Schloss Schwetzingen, or Schwetzingen Castle is a palace in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Schwetzingen was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore. It is situated in Schwetzingen, roughly equidistant from the electors' seats at Heidelberg and...
as a scenic park, and along with Benjamin Thompson
Benjamin Thompson
Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford , FRS was an American-born British physicist and inventor whose challenges to established physical theory were part of the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. He also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Loyalist forces in America during the American...
, was commissioned in 1789 to begin the Englischer Garten in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
In the time following the Englischer Garten, Sckell spent a short time in service of the rulers of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, before he was called back in 1803 to Munich, where, as the Director of Royal Gardens, he completed the Englischer Garten. He then transformed the regular garden of Nymphenburg Park
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
into a more scenic arrangement.
As a landscape gardener, Sckell was also responsible for beginning the castle gardens at Biebrich
Biebrich
Biebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
and Oppenweiler
Oppenweiler
Oppenweiler is a town in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, and possibly those at Dirmstein
Dirmstein
Dirmstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
as well.
He is deemed to be the founder of the English gardens, which he introduced to the German experts with his writings on garden design. His manner with grouping and plants is still used to an extent in German landscaping today.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
as a Court Garden Director. A monument in the Englischer Garten was erected in his honor. He is buried in the Alter Südfriedhof
Alter Südfriedhof
The Alter Südfriedhof is a cemetery in Munich, Germany. It was founded by Duke Albrecht V as a plague cemetery in 1563 about half a kilometer south of the Sendlinger Gate between Thalkirchner and Pestalozzistraße.-History:...
in Munich.