Let the Schlösser Grow On Forever
Something that has amazed me so far while in Germany has been the castles. They are grand, their grounds are extensive, and they seem to be everywhere. This was somewhat expected given Germany's rich history back when it was just a bunch of Germanic kingdoms. Something that I was not expecting, however, is the emphasis that Germany has taken to preserve and even integrate the gardens that are on the castle grounds. It may not sound particularly spectacular, but when noticing the trend across different German cities, its easy to see how it exemplifies German sustainability.
My first instance of noticing this was when a couple of us on a free day in Stuttgart decided to go to Schloss Lichtenstein. Not actually located in the country of Lichtenstein, but an hour and a half south west of Stuttgart and an hour from Switzerland, this small castle sits on top of a mountain overlooking a small town. After the long hike to get up there, it's actually quite beautiful how it is alone overlooking the valley. Unlike how it is with almost every major attraction in the US, there is but one restaurant near the castle; everything else is nature being left alone. Many people come with their families (there is access to reach the castle by car for those with children and the elderly) and walk around the smaller grounds and the large field. Dogs run around among the flowers and weeds and the walking trails are built to work with what's naturally growing, not against it. It was relaxing to just walk around and admire the preservation the small town had taken instead of creating a large tourist attraction out of it.
Another example I came across, was the gardens at the Residenzschloss in Ludwigsburg not far from Stuttgart. It was the home of the Duke and his family who had a large presence and influence during their time there. For this reason, it is grander, more extensive, and more ornate than Schloss Lichtenstein. The palace itself was beautiful in every way. What was equally if not more beautiful, were the many gardens that were preserved. Unlike the Baroque style of the palace, the gardens were kept to look more natural and realistic. There are several that people can come to and visit. People of all ages could be seen walking along the grounds near the entrance with its fountains and beautiful flowers, venturing to the smaller side gardens that were overflowing with plants, and laying out in the more
extensive gardens enjoying each others company and having picnics (or naps). The
grounds had more people and therefore did have a few food stands at the entrance and a restaurant in the back, but what I found really interesting was that some of the money and space from the gardens were going to fund urban planting. While walking around, I took a turn down a path that led me to what looked like a greenhouse. Inside I found examples of how people could keep plants in their homes using items they can find around their house. There were also signs talking about the importance of helping the environment and urban planting. It was reassuring to see that even at a place that was visited by many people, domestic and international, they still worked towards awareness of preserving and saving the environment.
Schloss Nymphenburg is another example of the garden preservation. Walking through the extensive gardens is free and for only 3,50 euro you have access to the other smaller pavilions that are spread out within them. The 200 hectare (490-acre) were very popular for family and guests alike of the Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy who were a prince-electoral couple during the Holy Roman Empire. The gardens are kept to their original design for all to enjoy. I unfortunately couldn't go see the whole garden, but what I did see, again, made me really admire Germany's love for nature and the natural inclination to preserve it.
This trend seen can be hard to describe to someone who has never been to see these palaces and castles, or even Germany. It may be easy to just say that they are only kept up for tourist purposes. Schloss Lichtenstein, while partly open to the public, is not nearly a typical tourist destination and the grounds were still left as they were when it was first occupied. The idea of preserving nature goes beyond just nice castle views, it is part of the society. Most houses have gardens, whether it be a small patch right outside their door or even a larger Schrebergarten (the latter was popular during the 19th century to allow a space for children to play safely and be with nature and soon got picked up by adults to use as urban gardens). There is the recognition that we as a civilization we are building into nature and becoming part of it. Being able to build and preserve without completely destroying what was there is a large part of sustainability that all cities currently have to face and will continue to do so for a long time. Old kings, dukes, and members of the higher class from varying places had the idea of preservation, and it has been passed on to the German people today which is why there is an underlying emphasis towards it. You hear about measure that should be taken to help the environment, but this aspect is less spoken about. It is just something that is witnessed. There are gardens and grounds in the US from our early history, but most are modernized to look like normal gardens we would have today. Another large difference is that fact that in Germany these castles and gardens are being kept up while being in the middle of a large city. Only recently as the idea of urban farming and just plain gardening become somewhat popular in the US. I hope that more people can become aware of the examples there are of co-exisition between development and nature, and I am glad that I have been able to see the way that Germany has gone about it.
My first instance of noticing this was when a couple of us on a free day in Stuttgart decided to go to Schloss Lichtenstein. Not actually located in the country of Lichtenstein, but an hour and a half south west of Stuttgart and an hour from Switzerland, this small castle sits on top of a mountain overlooking a small town. After the long hike to get up there, it's actually quite beautiful how it is alone overlooking the valley. Unlike how it is with almost every major attraction in the US, there is but one restaurant near the castle; everything else is nature being left alone. Many people come with their families (there is access to reach the castle by car for those with children and the elderly) and walk around the smaller grounds and the large field. Dogs run around among the flowers and weeds and the walking trails are built to work with what's naturally growing, not against it. It was relaxing to just walk around and admire the preservation the small town had taken instead of creating a large tourist attraction out of it.
Another example I came across, was the gardens at the Residenzschloss in Ludwigsburg not far from Stuttgart. It was the home of the Duke and his family who had a large presence and influence during their time there. For this reason, it is grander, more extensive, and more ornate than Schloss Lichtenstein. The palace itself was beautiful in every way. What was equally if not more beautiful, were the many gardens that were preserved. Unlike the Baroque style of the palace, the gardens were kept to look more natural and realistic. There are several that people can come to and visit. People of all ages could be seen walking along the grounds near the entrance with its fountains and beautiful flowers, venturing to the smaller side gardens that were overflowing with plants, and laying out in the moreextensive gardens enjoying each others company and having picnics (or naps). The
grounds had more people and therefore did have a few food stands at the entrance and a restaurant in the back, but what I found really interesting was that some of the money and space from the gardens were going to fund urban planting. While walking around, I took a turn down a path that led me to what looked like a greenhouse. Inside I found examples of how people could keep plants in their homes using items they can find around their house. There were also signs talking about the importance of helping the environment and urban planting. It was reassuring to see that even at a place that was visited by many people, domestic and international, they still worked towards awareness of preserving and saving the environment.
Schloss Nymphenburg is another example of the garden preservation. Walking through the extensive gardens is free and for only 3,50 euro you have access to the other smaller pavilions that are spread out within them. The 200 hectare (490-acre) were very popular for family and guests alike of the Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy who were a prince-electoral couple during the Holy Roman Empire. The gardens are kept to their original design for all to enjoy. I unfortunately couldn't go see the whole garden, but what I did see, again, made me really admire Germany's love for nature and the natural inclination to preserve it.
This trend seen can be hard to describe to someone who has never been to see these palaces and castles, or even Germany. It may be easy to just say that they are only kept up for tourist purposes. Schloss Lichtenstein, while partly open to the public, is not nearly a typical tourist destination and the grounds were still left as they were when it was first occupied. The idea of preserving nature goes beyond just nice castle views, it is part of the society. Most houses have gardens, whether it be a small patch right outside their door or even a larger Schrebergarten (the latter was popular during the 19th century to allow a space for children to play safely and be with nature and soon got picked up by adults to use as urban gardens). There is the recognition that we as a civilization we are building into nature and becoming part of it. Being able to build and preserve without completely destroying what was there is a large part of sustainability that all cities currently have to face and will continue to do so for a long time. Old kings, dukes, and members of the higher class from varying places had the idea of preservation, and it has been passed on to the German people today which is why there is an underlying emphasis towards it. You hear about measure that should be taken to help the environment, but this aspect is less spoken about. It is just something that is witnessed. There are gardens and grounds in the US from our early history, but most are modernized to look like normal gardens we would have today. Another large difference is that fact that in Germany these castles and gardens are being kept up while being in the middle of a large city. Only recently as the idea of urban farming and just plain gardening become somewhat popular in the US. I hope that more people can become aware of the examples there are of co-exisition between development and nature, and I am glad that I have been able to see the way that Germany has gone about it.
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