Mixing Today and Yesterday

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart                                                   (© Copyright 2012) 

It isn't always easy to mix the present with the past. There are all sorts of reasons why that is. Some have to do with personal taste on the part of politicians and architects, while others have to do with the aftermath of disaster such a war. In too many cases it is a matter of indifference on the part of those who can actually decide the fate of a city's face to the world, i.e., the voters. After all, despite the cynicism of many participants in a democracy, we have seen time and again the surprises that have in fact occurred in elections. However, before this writer digresses too much further toward politics and away from the topic on this page, let's look at interesting effects of mixing history with Stuttgart's reality today.

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart on the Schloßplatz                                (© Copyright 2012) 

Opened in 2005 directly on the Schloßplatz in the center of Stuttgart, the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, or Stuttgart Art Museum, houses modern collections including a large ensemble of works by Otto Dix. The museum is but one of almost a dozen museums in this state capital. The cube shape gives the building its unique character in the city, but at nighttime, the building makes its best appearance with the interior limestone façade well lighted for all on the outside to see.

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart at night              (© Copyright 2012) 

As far as any history is concerned and how this fits in, well, that is rather difficult to say. What had once sat on this same spot was a building that was not particularly old as far as Stuttgart history is concerned, and its origins had nothing directly to do with art.  

(© Copyright 2012) 

The former occupant of this lot was known as the Kronprinzenpalais, or Crown Prince's Palace, and it was commissioned by King Wilhelm I in 1846 for his heir, Crown Prince Karl. The palace, designed by Ludwig Friedrich Gaab, was constructed in the High Renaissance style. It was completed around 1850. The building was used as a royal residence until 1918, when the monarchy ended. Beginning in the 1930s, it was to serve as a museum until it was badly damaged during Allied bombing toward the end of the Second World War. In the 1960s, the remaining façade was torn down. 

To see the photos of the palace before and after destruction in WWII, click here: Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince's Palace) Stuttgart

Now for some, the tearing down of the old palace walls was a waste. Just like the extensive remains of the New Palace across the square, it could be rebuilt and put to use once again. In addition to the New Palace, the square on which it sat is also home to the Old Castle, the proud Königsbau with its grand colonnade, the rebuilt Olgabau, and the city art museum, amongst other older edifices. The palace was quite substantial and as mentioned above, was being used as an art museum up until 1944 when it was gutted by fire in bombing raids. Together with the other grand buildings of the city center, the architectural style fit in beautifully. Obviously, however, for those who were the decision-makers of the day, it was not a waste. Evidently, something else was in the minds of city planners and politicians of the new Germany as to how Stuttgart was to look in the post-war era, and the palace was destined, literally, for the dust bins.

Looking down on the Schloßplatz from the upper square behind the Kunstmuseum        (© Copyright 2012) 

     

The 1950s and 60s were, in my foreign opinion, a difficult time for Germany in more ways than one. Yes, the country was divided in two. And yes, it was in the process of rebuilding itself and making every effort to reshape its image from that of its National Socialist past. Of course, the palaces and almost all other historical buildings prior to 1933 had little if anything to do with that 12-year long tragedy. But for some, an entire new future was sought, and this writer thinks that if it took the destruction of certain "innocent" buildings to be able to move away from those or other memories, then so be it. As one who deeply loves history and the structural representations that remind us of it, I certainly don't want to see such places as these razed, but one must accept that one can't keep everything forever.

Back of the Kunstmuseum from the square above                          (© Copyright 2012) 

Your writer has heard it said more than once that the baroque New Palace, just across Schloßplatz from where the modern museum sits today, might also have been victim to the 1960s' wrecking ball and a mall of sorts erected in its place. Fortunately, however, someone somewhere saw the light and it was instead restored to most of its pre-war beauty. 

Schloßplatz and New Palace (Neues Schloß) as seen from the steps next to the Kunstmuseum              (© Copyright 2012) 

Despite the immense help from the Marshall Plan following the war, money was scarce. Yes of course the Plan provided millions, but infrastructure and food were of the utmost importance in that plan and saving every destroyed relic was just not possible. So, mixed with that and also a desire to try something new, some gems were lost, but to be fair, there is still an abundance to be found today. The question remains, however, whether the gems that do still exist will be here tomorrow. One thing is for sure: based on some recent history here in Stuttgart (i.e., Stuttgart 21), old architecture is still not guaranteed safety. But before I digress once again and this turns into a political entry, I shall return to the topic at hand.

The BW Bank building reflected in the Kunstmuseum's outside walls             (© Copyright 2012) 

So, the Art Museum of Stuttgart here; how does this fit in? Well, this writer likes it. It took a while to become accustomed to its stark lines and modernity sitting on this historical square, but now I like it - especially at night when the cube-shaped limestone walls encased within its glass shell is lit up from within and the three-dimensional beauty of this edifice transforms its daytime image into something actually warm and inviting. Still, I might have chosen a different setting for the museum, but what can one do? I guess its fair trade. Modernists get their wish and have it in a prominent place right next to the city's past, and those of us who celebrate those more traditional past architectural achievements can try to learn to accept that this glass cube is now a part of Stuttgart history and that is just fine.

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart from behind                                     (© Copyright 2012) 

There are plenty of other places in the city of Stuttgart where old and new are neighbors and they look rather like the Beverly Hillbillies sitting arrogantly in the middle of finery or the nouveau riche trying to prove themselves amongst grace and tradition. Though, in a few other situations, it is just a matter of getting used to it. More on those places in the next entry. At least the Cube above shows good design and does not detract from the buildings around it. I'll leave it to the visitor to decide on what they think of it on the inside, but whatever the case, I would suggest seeing it. From the museum's top floor restaurant, one can enjoy a splendid city view of the square below, the hills above the city and the three remaining city palaces (Neues Schloss, Altes Schloss, Wilhelmspalais) found in between. And the food? Well, your writer never makes suggestions on that topic. Unless, of course, it's chocolate.

The Fountains at Schlossplatz

This post is dedicated to the memory of Trish, a wonderful photographer from Canada, who had such appreciation for and gave the most supportive and encouraging words to the rest of us regarding our own photography. I will miss your kind words, Trish. Fly high!

North fountain in front of the Neues Schloss (New Palace) in Stuttgart

The two massive fountains that grace the park in front of the New Palace in central Stuttgart are quite beautiful. And they are huge. They date back to 1863, the year before King Wilhelm I died at Rosenstein Palace, not too far away.

The fountains were meant as birthday gifts to His Majesty. At the base of each fountain are four figures, each representing the four of principal rivers that flow through what is today the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. As there are two fountains, that of course brings the total number of such figures to eight, although there are many more than eight rivers in Württemberg.

The names of the rivers represented on the fountain to the left, when facing the palace, are the Jagst, Donau, Tauber and the Nagold. On the fountain to the right, which is to the south, are the Neckar, Kocher, Fils and Enz.  The fountains were cast in Wasseralfingen, which is today a part of the city of Aalen.

The Map

This writer loves maps - especially those old, large maps that people find so beautiful that they hang them on their walls in matted, aristocratic frames. But not so aristocratic as to take away from the map itself. I love those things. If sufficient money were available to me for such treasures, I am sure that a bit of it would be spent on such maps and they would be hanging on my walls. 

That said, wealthy or not, I still collect maps. I have them from my days in China, my life in Portugal and my wanderings throughout the cantons of Switzerland as well as those days in Tibet that late spring and early summer of 1986. Maps are to be gazed upon and one's imagination should be stimulated to wonder what exciting and exotic goings-on are taking place in the remotest of regions on those panels and pages.

Sometimes your writer studies a map, chooses a location and simply decides that he will go to that locale simply because it looks like the most remote place the can go. And this was before the internet and easily acquired satellite imagery was around for the common masses. (Common Masseys, Aunt Olivia?) One simply didn't have pictures or 3-D maps to to help them decide beforehand if it was worth the journey. You simply arrived and got what was there to be offered. Or nothing at all. 

Well, today I went through the flea market at König-Karl-Platz in Stuttgart - the square directly behind the Old Castle. Miriam went too. I really enjoy the place because there are a few book sellers amongst the cornucopia of stalls, and one of them sells books of all ages for just 3€ each! At that price, this writer's budget availability is in full swing. I won't go so far as to say that I come home with a book following every visit, but rest assured I make every effort to do so. Once, I came home with a sack filled with 10 volumes of Goethe's works. The backs of the books are leather. The set cost a total of 20€. The tomes once belonged to a long-gone Bavarian noble named Theodorus, Freiherr (Baron) von Tucher und Simmelsdorf, Behringersdorf und Winterstein. His title and name alone warranted half the inside of the books' front covers. They were printed in 1904 in Berlin, and although I cannot read a lick of the marvelous old style lettering printed in those days, I am just glad to have them. Besides, they look nice. 

But back to today's visit: we wandered around the flea market. I went directly to the old books and stamps (I lead an exciting life.) and Miriam went on her own interesting hunt. Needless to say, I was quite pleased to come across a little book printed in 1927 entitled Württemberg, Reisehandbuch by Rudolf Höllwarth. To his even greater pleasure, your writer discovered that at the time of its printing, today's Baden-Württemberg was called Württemberg-Hohenzollern: Hohenzollern being a principality that is the historic origins to the last dynasty of Imperial Germany up to 1918. You know, Kaiser Wilhelm II and his kin? (By the way, please do not confuse good King Wilhelm II of Württemberg with the egocentric Emperor (Ger: "Kaiser") of Germany of the same name and number up in Berlin at about the same time. Two different men: the good one was invited to live out his retirement years south of Stuttgart on a stipend; the bad one got kicked out of the country altogether and died in exile in the Netherlands.)

Anyway, the whole point of this posting is to tell you that the little book is a 1920s travel guide with maps galore in the forms of inserts and fold-out pages! Pay dirt for 2.50€. There's a big one of Stuttgart in the middle. The streets are even designed showing outlines of the larger landmarks, some of which no longer exist due to World War II. Other towns and cities of the Weimar state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern are also included, of course. I am sure some of the streets have been altered following post-war reconstruction and urban sprawl with the incredible expansion and development of the new Federal German state since 1949. 

Can't wait to show this to Miss A.!

Cannstatter Wasen: a Stuttgart tradition

(© Copyright 2012) Anyone who claims to know anything about Stuttgart is aware of one thing for sure: in the district of Bad Cannstatt, across the footbridge from Berg, lies about 85 flat, open acres known as "the Wasen". This long, rectangular strip of land on the north-east bank of the Neckar River is a popular place indeed to all who live and, well, celebrate here. Six years from now, this beloved piece of real estate will celebrate its 200th anniversary, and this writer has the feeling that due to its reputation, it will see a celebration the likes of which will not be seen for a long time thereafter. However, although its origins were to celebrate good fortune, the situation leading up to that were not good at all. (© Copyright 2012) Throughout the growing seasons between 1815 and 1817, the little Kingdom of Württemberg suffered the worst famine in its history. Crops failed miserably due to remarkably cold temperatures which lasted throughout the year leaving hardly any summer at all. The people suffered miserably. Many would starve.  (© Copyright 2012) Young King Wilhelm I received grain shipments from the Tsar of Russia to help relieve the desperate situation. When crops finally began to yield produce once again, the king and queen held a festival in what is known as the Wasen in Cannstatt to celebrate the positive change in the people's fortune. It was held on the king's birthday, September 28, 1818. He decreed that every year thereafter on this day, the festival, otherwise known today simply as "The Wasen", would be held. (© Copyright 2012) The Wasen, located in what is known today as Bad Cannstatt, is a large fairground of approximately 85 acres which is located right along the banks of the Neckar River, very close to where Rosenstein Palace stands today. (© Copyright 2012)          Tradition takes root                                                                                                     Throughout the 19th century and first part of the 20th until the fall of the monarchy and establishmentof the Weimar Republic in 1918, the fall festival, known as the Volksfest, was held for only one day. It was an agricultural fair with prizes and awards given out for agricultural accomplishments. Thousands attended the event despite limited time of one day. In the 1920s it was expanded to just under a week and in the 1970s it was lengthened to just over two weeks. Agriculture is still a part of the theme during this time, but rides and other attractions have long taken over the festival's skyline and now it is the second largest festival in Germany after Munich's Oktoberfest, which has only just wound down when Stuttgart's huge party begins.   The festival which takes place during the spring, beginning mid April through the middle of May is known as the Spring Festival or Frühlingsfest. Because there are two festivals in the year at the Wasen, people tend to mix the names and call both of   the events the Volksfest and I really don't think many people are too overly concerned about it. The most important thing is that everyone has a good time. And certainly this writer can attest: they do! (© Copyright 2012) So what is Frankie Avalon doing at the Stuttgart Frühlingsfest? Well, as can be seen in most of these photographs, the festival is similar to so many other festivals around the world. As this writer walks around the Fest grounds, the references to American and British pop stars from the past are obvious. If the huge beer halls with traditional music bellowing out of them were not so in abundance through fair lanes, it would be very obvious that one was in Germany.   (© Copyright 2012) Some people mistakenly call it Stuttgart's "Oktoberfest". It isn't. Certainly beer flows throughout the tents and halls, but doesn't it flow at just about every public event in Germany? Right, so that isn't the only thing that makes this festival what it is today. (© Copyright 2012) Interestingly enough, so many millions attend the festival during its duration that it makes it one of the largest such festival attractions in the world! I don't live so far away from the Wasen and I go by the festival grounds on the train or streetcar almost every day. The crowds are mind-boggling, but it all seems to work. It's worth walking through, at least, to see people in national costumes all over. Young people today are more and more caught up in the atmosphere of wearing traditional dress for the occasion, although some of the outfits tend to be borrowed from their Bavarian neighbor's styles than those of the traditional Württembergers. Oh well, it's colorful and a good time is had by all! (© Copyright 2012)

The Ferris-wheel is said to be the largest portable Ferris-wheel in the world! I think the emphasis is on "portable" because it certainly isn't there the rest of the year. Now, that big thing on the banks of the Thames in London is notably larger, of course, but I don't see that going anywhere any other times of the year.  

Even though the fair-ways could be mistaken for any fair in North America, there is one thing that makes it all German: the massive beer tents with benches and tables and music and singing and eating and large mugs of beer in every hand. You are allowed to stand on the wooden benches to sway arm-in-arm with your neighbor while singing all the songs, but never stand on the table: it just ain't fittin'!   

(© Copyright 2012)

Shades of Solitude

                                                                                                Schloß Solitude                                                   

Compared to Rosenstein Palace (see earlier post), Schloß Solitude is not that much bigger, but it does appear rather more like an actual palace in its façade than that of the less ornate Rosenstein. Despite all its grandeur, it came as a surprise to this writer that it was originally built as a hunting lodge. It's not what one usually thinks of as a hunting lodge, is it? From the outside, the round hall under the rotunda resembles more of a wedding cake than it does a place where hunters would drop their rifles, kick off their dirty riding boots, throw down their packs, and, I dare say, their kill of the day as well! But, as you can no doubt imagine, the kind of hunters who spent any time here were not the type to do that - probably.

Commissioned by Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg in 1764, the Schloß came into existence through a difficult birth. Previously, the duke had left his capital of Stuttgart following a falling out with his nobles and government there and moved to the ornate palace of Ludwigsburg, where he set up court. So, as the ruler had chosen to reside in a different place, the capital had in effect gone right along with him, and Stuttgart was not to be graced with the presence of its reigning duke for a number of years. While in Ludwigsburg, Carl Eugen chose to build a pleasure palace for himself in the form of this hunting lodge. Philippe de La Guêpière was chosen as principal architect together with a group of other advisors and of course the input of the duke himself. The location on the top of a hill west of Stuttgart and above Gerlingen was cleared of its trees and construction was begun.

One of the reasons the duke had had a falling out with his government was because he tended to be more absolutist in his style of governing than his advisors preferred. And perhaps in his way of ruling, he also felt that money was no object to get in the way of his personal desire to maintain the lifestyle which he felt, as reigning duke, that he should have. Aside from Solitude, Carl Eugen had not only built the spacious New Palace in the middle of Stuttgart and expanded the baroque residential palace of Ludwigsburg, but he also commissioned or improved on other palaces such as the smaller Mon Repos, Favorite and Hohenheim, which we will see more about in a later post. In doing so throughout his long reign, he bankrupted his properties and became dependent on loans from France in the process. Needless to say, this did not sit well with his government.

Despite its lofty location and esthetic beauty, Schloß Solitude was not used very often. Money for the upkeep was always the problem. The duke had extravagant plans, but he had a difficult time financially supporting his lifestyle. Still, the palace was completed, and its design has proven to be most interesting. A good part of the structure itself contains a warren of passageways for the servants so that they would not have to be seen any more than necessary. Wood paneling in the walls camouflaged the smaller service doors. After all, servants were not to be seen coming down the hall and through the main door. They were merely to materialize directly in the room when called and to leave the same way: through the walls. Squeezed into corner spaces, narrow staircases and connecting tunnel-like hallways were constructed for service access. Even the fireplace in the duke's rarely used bedroom had a passageway which led directly to it from a hidden corridor which allowed the charwoman to set, stoke and maintain the fire from the side without being seen. 

In the photograph above, the inner walls of the palace can be seen behind the paneling that has yet to be restored. This particular room is in the north-east corner of the palace and is normally off-limits to tours. As I am an avid admirer of Fachwerk (half-timber) structures, I was shown the room before paintings are one day put back to fill the gaps. Here, it can be seen how the finished walls were installed over the half-timbered structure itself. This includes inner walls as well as the outer. 

The room under the rotunda is grand and beautiful. However one cannot see all the way to the dome. Access to the room up there is not so easy to gain. If ever given the access, the photographs will be posted.

   

In a crescent just behind the palace itself can be found four sections of service buildings and dependencies. These houses and buildings have served various purposes throughout the past 250 years of its existence. As the Rococo palace was being completed, the duke probably spent his nights there in one of the larger sections close to the walkway which leads back to what used to be the formal gardens. Over time, these buildings would used as schools and lodging for guests or members of the court, depending on need. Even today, the 12 little houses that flank the buildings of the central crescent, six to one side and six to the other, are used mostly as private residences for people who in some way serve the state of Baden-Württemberg or Solitude itself. The state's minister-president (governor) also lives on the palace estate in a modest, modern home just out of sight of the 18th century complex itself. 

The name of the palace was inspired by the duke's desire to have a place away from court where he might find peace and quiet. When visiting the large grounds, any visitor can imagine how true it must have been for pleasant it must have been for him. Of course, he had a large staff in attendance and though most of the court formalities could be left down in Ludwigsburg, some still existed in that quieter surrounding nonetheless, so this writer imagines that the actual solitude he experienced must have been relative. 

Horses are still grazed and kept at the former royal stables still found up on Solitude today. No doubt there is much more solitude for them than there was for ducal gatherings.

As mentioned above, there is a system of servant's passageways. Upon visiting the palace, it was learned that some of the French doors and shutters that are seen on the outside actually cover the site of a few of these passageways that creep along the inside just along the outer walls of the palace. These doors are not even visible on the inside.  

    

The palace sits atop a huge foundation made of stone blocks and carvings and which also contains a number of rooms as well. The staircases leading up to the palatial dwelling on top are immense on both sides of the palace.

Although the palace is clearly rococo on its exterior, its interior is by contrast mostly classical. The central hall is a beautiful example of this design. Along with the rest of the structure, it was restored by the federal government in the late 70s and early 80s and is today open to the public. The grounds also support the Akademie Schloß Solitude, an art academy which was founded in 1990. Other schools have used the grounds and its buildings since the late 1700s, once the duke finally accepted that upkeep for such a rarely used pleasure palace was beyond reasonable for his delicate budget. The duke himself established the first academy that was to use part of its facilities.

                                                                                                    

Magnificent plans were drawn up for the creation of extensive and splendid formal gardens. The garden upkeep alone would have been exorbitant. The plans were not all completely followed through with at the time. Even so, visitors today can get an idea of the extent to which they would have been built simply by following the lane that leads away from the palace into the woods which have consumed what gardens were there. Placards depicting diagrams are posted to give an overview of the former layout.

(© Copyright 2012)

(© Copyright 2012)