Grüneburgpark
Encyclopedia
Westend (Frankfurt am Main)
The Westend area of Frankfurt contains the two districts of Westend-Nord and Westend-Süd. The Westend with its Wilhelminian style buildings is a beloved residential quarter...
district of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, whose name derives from the "Green castle", which used to stand on the site from the 14 century. In 1789 the banker Peter Heinrich von Bethmann Metzler acquired the property and designed the park. In the following years the great thinkers of the day met here, among them Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
and Bettina von Arnim
Bettina von Arnim
Bettina von Arnim , born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist....
.
In 1837, the park was bought by the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
, who had a palais constructed in the manner of a French Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
castle. The English-style park
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...
itself was finished in 1877 by Heinrich Siesmayer.
In 1935, after the Nazi rise to power, Albert von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, who committed suicide in emigration five years later, had to "transfer to the municipality" (quote from a letter to mayor Krebs
Krebs
Krebs is the German language word for "crab" and "cancer" . It is also a common German surname:- People :* Arthur Constantin Krebs , French officer and pioneer in automotive engineering...
) what had been the home of his family. The "New Palais" was destroyed in an air raid in 1944.
After the Second World War, the park was expanded to 29 hectares. It has since been a popular place for recreation among the Frankfurters, especially in the summer months. The park's northwest corner is now a botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, the Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
The Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main , also known as the Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main...
. Another major botanical garden, the Palmengarten
Palmengarten
The Palmengarten is one of two botanical gardens in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany, and is located in the city district Westend-Nord. It is the largest garden of its kind in Germany....
, is just across the street.
See also
- Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MainBotanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MainThe Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main , also known as the Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main...
- PalmengartenPalmengartenThe Palmengarten is one of two botanical gardens in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany, and is located in the city district Westend-Nord. It is the largest garden of its kind in Germany....