Pillnitz Castle
Encyclopedia
Pillnitz Castle is a restored Baroque
castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden
in the German
state of Saxony
. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe
in the former village of Pillnitz
. Pillnitz Castle was the summer residence of many electors and kings of Saxony; it is also known for the Declaration of Pillnitz
in 1791.
The Pillnitz Castle complex consists of three main buildings, the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) on the riverfront; the Upper Palace (Bergpalais) on the hillside, both Baroque with Chinoiserie
elements; and the later Neoclassical
New Palace (Neues Palais), which links them together on the east side. The buildings enclose a Baroque garden and are surrounded by a large public park.
Today, the castle houses the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Dresden State Art Collections and a Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum).
was acquired by the Wettin dynasty in 1694 when Elector John George IV of Saxony
bought it as a present to his mistress, Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz
. Both died soon afterwards. In 1706, John George's brother Augustus II the Strong
gave the facilities to one of his numerous mistresses, Anna Constantia of Brockdorff
, only to rescind the gift after she fled to Berlin in 1715. Augustus II then ordered the château to be converted into an Oriental summer palace for riverside festivities, beginning extensive rebuilding.
Starting in 1720, the first church and buildings were replaced by elaborate Baroque
palaces designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
and Zacharias Longuelune. First, in 1720/21, the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) was constructed on the river bank to plans by Pöppelmann. The upper staircase built on the Elbe side in 1722 was supplemented in 1725 by water stairs forming a gondola dock, designed by the French architect Zacharias Longuelune. In 1723/24, an almost identical complement to the Riverside Palace was completed, the Upper Palace (Bergpalais). At the same time, the garden was established between the two palaces. Construction continued until 1725, with a focus on the Chinoiserie
style. Augustus apparently then lost interest in his renovated palace, shifting his focus to other locations.
In 1765, Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
, a greatgrandson of Augustus the Strong, made Pillnitz his summer residence. At this time, an English garden
with an English Pavilion, a Chinese garden with a Chinese Pavilion and an artificial ruin
were established. When the Countess' palace at Pillnitz Castle burnt down in 1818, Frederick Augustus asked his architect, Christian Friedrich Schuricht
, to design a new palace at the same location. The Neoclassical
New Palace (Neues Palais) was completed in 1826.
Pillnitz Castle was used as the summer residence of the House of Wettin until 1918.
The main buildings are the Upper Palace (Bergpalais), built between 1722 and 1723, and the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais), built between 1720 and 1721. The Riverside Palace has elegant steps down to the river. The two are connected on the east side by the New Palace (Neues Palais), built in Neoclassical style
between 1819 and 1826 after the Countess' palace burnt down in 1818. The New Palace contains the royal kitchen and a Catholic chapel. The roofs and moldings
in each of the buildings exemplify the Oriental-influenced style fashionable during that period.
Today, the New Palace contains the Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum) with a permanent exhibition presenting its eventful history as a former royal Saxon summer residence. The Upper and Riverside Palaces house the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Dresden State Art Collections. It exhibits furniture, ceramics and other objects from the 13th to the 20th centuries, including the throne of Augustus II. Some of the exhibition rooms retain the original decoration.
The visitor center is located in the Alte Wache (Old Guard), a small building east of the New Palace.
approximately 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) long runs parallel to the river bank, flanked by small rectangular hedged parterre
s.
The 28-hectare
park surrounding the main buildings contains botanical attractions from all over the world. Among them is a camellia
tree more than 230 years old – one of the oldest camellia trees in Europe. Legend has it that Carl Peter Thunberg
brought it from Kyoto
to Kew Gardens
in 1776. The tree was planted in its current location in 1801. It extends 8.6 metres (28.2 ft) and, from February to April, produces up to 35,000 blooms. During wintertime, the tree is protected by a glass house on rails.
The park also features a late 18th century English garden
with an English pavilion, a Chinese pavilion, a conifer garden and an orangery
. The English pavilion, built in 1780, is a copy of Donato Bramante
's Tempietto in Rome. It is located next to a pond in the English garden. In 1804, the Chinese Pavilion was erected on the northern edge of the park. While the Chinese elements of the castle are only decorations, this small pavilion was built in real Chinese architecture. The paintings on the walls inside depict actual Chinese landscapes.
Also shown is the red royal gondola
which Frederick Augustus I used as a transport between his residence in Dresden, the royal palace
, and the country seat in Pillnitz. Along with a green version, it was built under the supervision of the architect Christian Friedrich Schuricht
around 1800.
The palm house was built between 1859 and 1861. Covering 660 square metres with a length of 93.7 m (307.4 ft), it was the largest greenhouse in Germany at the time. After extensive restoration completed in 2009, it now contains plants from Australia
, New Zealand
and South Africa
.
and the surrounding hills and vineyards.
In 1723, Augustus II the Strong
asked his architect, Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
, to build the country Church of the Holy Spirit east of the castle. Due to its location in the middle of vineyards, it is also known as the Vineyard Church (Weinbergkirche).
Around 1780, the valley to the northeast of the castle, called Friedrichsgrund (Frederick Valley) was landscaped for Frederick Augustus I
to take walks. It features many small stone bridges and other small decorative buildings
that can still be seen today by hiking the path toward the former watermill
, the Meixmühle.
As was fashionable in German interpretations of Baroque and English gardens, in 1785, an artificial ruin
was built on a hilltop, north of the castle. Its Gothic Revival architecture
was meant to contrast with the Baroque style of the castle, its expression of the fleeting vanity of life with the pleasurable nature of the castle gardens.
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in the 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...
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....
. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
in the former village of Pillnitz
Pillnitz
Pillnitz is a city quarter in the east of Dresden, Germany. The quarter is situated in the east of Dresden. It can be reached by bus, ship, walking along the river or by bicycle...
. Pillnitz Castle was the summer residence of many electors and kings of Saxony; it is also known for the Declaration of Pillnitz
Declaration of Pillnitz
The Declaration of Pillnitz was a statement issued on 27 August 1791 at Pillnitz Castle near Dresden by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia...
in 1791.
The Pillnitz Castle complex consists of three main buildings, the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) on the riverfront; the Upper Palace (Bergpalais) on the hillside, both Baroque with Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
elements; and the later Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
New Palace (Neues Palais), which links them together on the east side. The buildings enclose a Baroque garden and are surrounded by a large public park.
Today, the castle houses the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Dresden State Art Collections and a Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum).
History
As early as the 14th century a modest residential fortress existed at the current location of the castle. It was enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries to a four-winged building. The châteauChâteau
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
was acquired by the Wettin dynasty in 1694 when Elector John George IV of Saxony
John George IV, Elector of Saxony
John George IV was Elector of Saxony from 1691 to 1694.He was the eldest son of the Elector John George III and Anna Sophie of Denmark.-First years as elector:...
bought it as a present to his mistress, Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz
Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz
Magdalena Sibylla of Neidschutz , later Countess of Rochlitz, was a German noblewoman and the mistress of John George IV, Elector of Saxony...
. Both died soon afterwards. In 1706, John George's brother Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
gave the facilities to one of his numerous mistresses, Anna Constantia of Brockdorff
Anna Constantia of Brockdorff
Anna Constantia von Brockdorff , later the Countess of Cosel, was a German noblewoman and mistress of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony...
, only to rescind the gift after she fled to Berlin in 1715. Augustus II then ordered the château to be converted into an Oriental summer palace for riverside festivities, beginning extensive rebuilding.
Starting in 1720, the first church and buildings were replaced by elaborate Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
palaces designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church.Pöppelmann was born in Herford...
and Zacharias Longuelune. First, in 1720/21, the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) was constructed on the river bank to plans by Pöppelmann. The upper staircase built on the Elbe side in 1722 was supplemented in 1725 by water stairs forming a gondola dock, designed by the French architect Zacharias Longuelune. In 1723/24, an almost identical complement to the Riverside Palace was completed, the Upper Palace (Bergpalais). At the same time, the garden was established between the two palaces. Construction continued until 1725, with a focus on the Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
style. Augustus apparently then lost interest in his renovated palace, shifting his focus to other locations.
In 1765, Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
, a greatgrandson of Augustus the Strong, made Pillnitz his summer residence. At this time, an English garden
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...
with an English Pavilion, a Chinese garden with a Chinese Pavilion and an artificial ruin
Artificial ruins
Artificial ruins or imitation ruins are edifice fragments built to resemble real remnants of historic buildings.Artificial ruins became fashionable in German interpretations of baroque and english gardens, like the Ruinenberg. The ruins are mostly of gothic or ancient style.- External links :* 360...
were established. When the Countess' palace at Pillnitz Castle burnt down in 1818, Frederick Augustus asked his architect, 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....
, to design a new palace at the same location. The Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
New Palace (Neues Palais) was completed in 1826.
Pillnitz Castle was used as the summer residence of the House of Wettin until 1918.
Buildings
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
between 1819 and 1826 after the Countess' palace burnt down in 1818. The New Palace contains the royal kitchen and a Catholic chapel. The roofs and moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
in each of the buildings exemplify the Oriental-influenced style fashionable during that period.
Today, the New Palace contains the Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum) with a permanent exhibition presenting its eventful history as a former royal Saxon summer residence. The Upper and Riverside Palaces house the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Dresden State Art Collections. It exhibits furniture, ceramics and other objects from the 13th to the 20th centuries, including the throne of Augustus II. Some of the exhibition rooms retain the original decoration.
The visitor center is located in the Alte Wache (Old Guard), a small building east of the New Palace.
The park
The buildings surround a Baroque flower garden, whose centrepiece is a pond with a large fountain. From this, a chestnut-lined alléeAvenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
approximately 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) long runs parallel to the river bank, flanked by small rectangular hedged parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
s.
The 28-hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
park surrounding the main buildings contains botanical attractions from all over the world. Among them is a camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
tree more than 230 years old – one of the oldest camellia trees in Europe. Legend has it that Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg aka Carl Pehr Thunberg aka Carl Per Thunberg was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. He has been called "the father of South African botany" and the "Japanese Linnaeus"....
brought it from Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
to Kew Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
in 1776. The tree was planted in its current location in 1801. It extends 8.6 metres (28.2 ft) and, from February to April, produces up to 35,000 blooms. During wintertime, the tree is protected by a glass house on rails.
The park also features a late 18th century English garden
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...
with an English pavilion, a Chinese pavilion, a conifer garden and an orangery
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
. The English pavilion, built in 1780, is a copy of Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante was an Italian architect, who introduced the Early Renaissance style to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rome, where his most famous design was St...
's Tempietto in Rome. It is located next to a pond in the English garden. In 1804, the Chinese Pavilion was erected on the northern edge of the park. While the Chinese elements of the castle are only decorations, this small pavilion was built in real Chinese architecture. The paintings on the walls inside depict actual Chinese landscapes.
Also shown is the red royal gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
which Frederick Augustus I used as a transport between his residence in Dresden, the royal palace
Dresden castle
Dresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
, and the country seat in Pillnitz. Along with a green version, it was built under the supervision of the architect 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....
around 1800.
The palm house was built between 1859 and 1861. Covering 660 square metres with a length of 93.7 m (307.4 ft), it was the largest greenhouse in Germany at the time. After extensive restoration completed in 2009, it now contains plants from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Surroundings
Pillnitz Castle is also harmoniously integrated with the natural setting of the Elbe valleyDresden Elbe Valley
The Dresden Elbe Valley is a former World Heritage Site in Dresden, Germany. The valley, extending for some 20 kilometres and passingthrough the Dresden Basin and the city of Dresden, is one of two cultural landscapes along the Central European river Elbe...
and the surrounding hills and vineyards.
In 1723, Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
asked his architect, Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church.Pöppelmann was born in Herford...
, to build the country Church of the Holy Spirit east of the castle. Due to its location in the middle of vineyards, it is also known as the Vineyard Church (Weinbergkirche).
Around 1780, the valley to the northeast of the castle, called Friedrichsgrund (Frederick Valley) was landscaped for Frederick Augustus I
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
to take walks. It features many small stone bridges and other small decorative buildings
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
that can still be seen today by hiking the path toward the former watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
, the Meixmühle.
As was fashionable in German interpretations of Baroque and English gardens, in 1785, an artificial ruin
Artificial ruins
Artificial ruins or imitation ruins are edifice fragments built to resemble real remnants of historic buildings.Artificial ruins became fashionable in German interpretations of baroque and english gardens, like the Ruinenberg. The ruins are mostly of gothic or ancient style.- External links :* 360...
was built on a hilltop, north of the castle. Its Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
was meant to contrast with the Baroque style of the castle, its expression of the fleeting vanity of life with the pleasurable nature of the castle gardens.
See also
- Dresden CastleDresden castleDresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
– Residence of the electors and kings of Saxony - Moritzburg CastleSchloss MoritzburgSchloss Moritzburg is a Baroque castle in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is named after Duke Moritz of Saxony, who had a hunting lodge built there between...
– Hunting lodge of the electors and kings of Saxony - List of castles in Saxony
Further reading
- Hans-Günther Hartmann: Pillnitz – Schloß, Park und Dorf. Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1996, ISBN 978-3-74000-995-3.
- Hans-Günther Hartmann: Schloss Pillnitz: Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Verlag der Kunst, Dresden 2008, ISBN 978-3-86530-099-7.
External links
- Map of the garden
- Schloss Pillnitz – 360-degree view of the castle
- Dresden State Art Collections
- Castle Pillnitz saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de
- Pillnitz Castle and Park at Schlösserland Sachsen