Gaussig House
Encyclopedia
Gaussig House is a manor house in Palladian style located in the district Bautzen
in the German state of Saxony
approximately 6 km southwest from the Upper Lusatian central city Bautzen
. Extending over some 75 acres (303,514.5 m²), nestled in beautiful natural surroundings and bordered by the Grosse Picho hill to the south, lies one of Upper Lusatia
’s largest landscape parks. Gaussig House, the orangery, the church and vicarage, and the estate form the centre of Gaussig village.
A manor house at Gaussig was first mentioned in 1245. Major General and Colonel Rudolph von Neitschütz received Gaussig as a fief in 1696, and around 1700 he and his wife, Ursula, had Gaussig House built in the Baroque style.
From 1747 to 1750, the new owner, Count Heinrich von Brühl
, had a Baroque garden landscaped according to plans by master builder Johann Christoph Knöffel. The round pavilion (since 2009 under reconstruction) and the canal are the two surviving features of this garden.
After Count von Brühl, Count Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk, the Russian ambassador to the court of Saxony, took over Gaussig.
In 1800 Countess Henriette von Schall-Riaucour, probably with assistance from master builder Christian Friedrich Schuricht
and Lord Findlater
, had the park landscaped in the design that survives to this day. Schuricht redesigned Gaussig House in the neo-classical Palladian style, with plaster imitation ashlar masonry on the projections, and lions’ heads and tapestries in the arch bays. The entrance area was also redesigned during this period (entrance hall with Ionic columns), as was the garden room, with herms supporting the pediment over the side doors.
The cemetery was added in 1880 and the chapel in 1894. In 1907 the extension for the library on the south side of the house was completed and several rooms were redesigned. After the property was expropriated in 1945, it was used by the Red Army
and later by the CDU
. From 1950 to 1992 the park was managed by the Technische Universität Dresden, which used Gaussig House as a recreation venue for academic staff and for conferences.
In 2005 Andreas Graf von Brühl-Pohl and his family took over ownership of Gaussig House and Park. The house was carefully renovated and restored to its former glory over the course of three years, and the magnificent building now serves both as the von Brühl-Pohl family’s residence and as a luxurious hotel.
Bautzen (district)
Bautzen is a district in the Free State of Saxony in Germany including the former districts of Bischofswerda and Kamenz. It is bounded by the Czech Republic, the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, the district-free city Dresden and the districts of Meißen and Görlitz...
in the German state of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
approximately 6 km southwest from the Upper Lusatian central city Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
. Extending over some 75 acres (303,514.5 m²), nestled in beautiful natural surroundings and bordered by the Grosse Picho hill to the south, lies one of Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
’s largest landscape parks. Gaussig House, the orangery, the church and vicarage, and the estate form the centre of Gaussig village.
A manor house at Gaussig was first mentioned in 1245. Major General and Colonel Rudolph von Neitschütz received Gaussig as a fief in 1696, and around 1700 he and his wife, Ursula, had Gaussig House built in the Baroque style.
From 1747 to 1750, the new owner, Count Heinrich von Brühl
Heinrich von Brühl
Heinrich, count von Brühl , was a German statesman at the court of Saxony and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth...
, had a Baroque garden landscaped according to plans by master builder Johann Christoph Knöffel. The round pavilion (since 2009 under reconstruction) and the canal are the two surviving features of this garden.
After Count von Brühl, Count Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk, the Russian ambassador to the court of Saxony, took over Gaussig.
In 1800 Countess Henriette von Schall-Riaucour, probably with assistance from master builder Christian Friedrich Schuricht
Christian Friedrich Schuricht
Christian Friedrich Schuricht was a German architect and painter who designed, among others, the New Palace and the Chinese garden at Pillnitz Castle....
and Lord Findlater
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater and 4th Earl of Seafield was a Scottish peer and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist...
, had the park landscaped in the design that survives to this day. Schuricht redesigned Gaussig House in the neo-classical Palladian style, with plaster imitation ashlar masonry on the projections, and lions’ heads and tapestries in the arch bays. The entrance area was also redesigned during this period (entrance hall with Ionic columns), as was the garden room, with herms supporting the pediment over the side doors.
The cemetery was added in 1880 and the chapel in 1894. In 1907 the extension for the library on the south side of the house was completed and several rooms were redesigned. After the property was expropriated in 1945, it was used by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and later by the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
. From 1950 to 1992 the park was managed by the Technische Universität Dresden, which used Gaussig House as a recreation venue for academic staff and for conferences.
In 2005 Andreas Graf von Brühl-Pohl and his family took over ownership of Gaussig House and Park. The house was carefully renovated and restored to its former glory over the course of three years, and the magnificent building now serves both as the von Brühl-Pohl family’s residence and as a luxurious hotel.
External links
- http://www.schloss-gaussig.de