Educational excursion with ornamental woodcarving
course members to the castles of Brühl
The palace of Augustusburg & hunting lodge “Jagdschloss” Falkenlust
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| The palace of Augustusburg and hunting lodge “Jagdschloss” Falkenlust |
For many years now I have been undertaking annual,
educational excursions with some of my ornamental woodcarving course members.
In this context, the famous palace of Versailles has always been a popular
destination. This year I thought it was time for something different. A couple
of magnificent places in Germany came to mind. We thought it would be a great
idea to visit the castles of Brühl, i.e. the palace of Augustusburg
and hunting lodge (German: jagdschloss)
Falkenlust. These are two prime examples of German rococo, located not too far
from the Belgian border, which have been rightfully included on the UNESCO
World Heritage list.
Unfortunately we were not so lucky with the
weather, as it rained throughout the whole day.
With a couple of cars we drove in the direction
of Brühl, situated close to Cologne. It was only a 1 hour 15 minute drive from
Maaseik ( where I live), making it acceptable for people who do not enjoy long car or bus
rides. I have probably already visited these UNESCO World Heritage sites at
least 10 times, but being in the company of several of my “students” gave an
entirely different feel to this excursion, compared to when visiting Brühl by
myself.
I tried to answer all the questions my students
have, but I also learned new things about this fascinating style period
(rococo). As always, I was very much attracted to the splendid rococo
compositions, executed in stone, plaster and wood.
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| Hunting Lodge Falkenlust in Brühl |
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| Hunting Lodge “Jagdschloss” Falkenlust |
First up was hunting lodge Falkenlust. Originally
this palace was used by the archbishop-elector and of Cologne Clemens August of
Bavaria strictly for falconry and hunting. Afterwards his girlfriend and
children also moved in. This hunting lodge opened its doors at 10:00 AM. As
always the staff was very friendly and courteous. They were very happy to see a
bigger group visiting the castle.
As we were also planning to visit the palace of
Augustusburg later that day, we opted for the combi-ticket which costed 12
euros (June 25th 2016). The discount price was 10 euros.
It was highly recommended to use the audio
guide, which was included in the ticket. Depending on your personal interests
and the use of the audio guide a tour of this intimate hunting lodge took
roughly 1 to 1.5 hours.
It was not allowed to take photographs of the
interiors. The same was true for the palace of Augustusburg, and the staff made
sure that the rules were strictly abided by. After some searches on the
internet I did however manage to find a couple of nice photos of the Falkenlust
rococo interiors.
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| Hunting Lodge Falkenlust in Brühl |
After the visit we returned to our cars, and a
5 minute drive took us to the palace of Augustusburg. The parking lot (free of
charge) was located close to the Brühl train station. This was quite useful,
especially when you contemplate visiting downtown Cologne; something we did
later that day. A return ticket Brühl-Cologne costed 4.5 euros, and a train
ride of approximately 15 minutes took us the famous Cologne cathedral. What a
luxury, especially considering the high parking costs, the low emission zone
tax, and the time spent to reach the old town.
To the visitor, who is lucky enough to pick a
day without rain I would highly recommend to visit the palace of Augustusburg first,
then to leave your vehicle on the above-mentioned parking lot and to proceed on
foot through the lovely park and forest to the hunting lodge Falkenlust.
I have done this a couple times myself and the
25-30 minute walk is truly a pleasant change of pace.
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| An impression of the walk to Falkenlust in 2008. |
The palace of
Augustusburg
The palace of Augustusburg in Brühl, close to
Cologne, is generally considered the architectural pinnacle of European
architecture of the first half of the 18th century. This residence
of the archbishop-elector of Cologne Clemens August of Bavaria, of the House of
Wittelsbach, is one of the first rococo style buildings in Germany.
Construction started in 1725 and was overseen
by Johann Conrad Schlaun. From 1728 onwards work continued on the interiors and
decoration based on the designs of architect François de Cuvilliés. He also
designed the decorations found on the facades and in the grand reception room
in Regency and late Baroque styles.
Interesting to note is that François de
Cuvilliés was born in Belgium and later settled in Munich, Germany, to become
an accomplished interior designer, sculptor and stucco master.
The center piece or showpiece of Augustusburg
is undoubtedly the west wing staircase, which is both elegant as well as
dynamic; truly an architectural masterpiece and a real treat for the eyes. It
was designed by Johann Balthasar Neumann who was also responsible for the
staircase in the palace of Würzburg.
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| Augustusburg in Brühl | German Palace |
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| The palace of Augustusburg |
Johann Heinrich Roth completed the palace
interiors, including the “Gardensaal”, located on the first floor and lavishly
decorated with stucco.
In concordance with the client’s expensive
taste, and the prevailing style of the time, a lot of stucco marble was used.
Stucco marble or “scagliola” was used extensively on pilasters and walls, often
combined with trophies and other ornaments, instead of real marble.
In those
days marble was often considered too ordinary to be used as decoration. The
baroque style garden (French) from 1728 can still be enjoyed in its original
splendor.
This palace with its staircase and garden is
one of the most important creations of German baroque.
The prince-electors only used the palace of
Augustusburg as hunting and summer palace, and was inhabited approximately 4 to
6 weeks of the year. Their main residences were the Electoral Palace and Palace
Poppelsdorf in Bonn.
When Clemens August died in 1761, construction
on the main halls was still ongoing. His successor Max Friedrich von Königsberg
(1761-1784) oversaw the completion of the palace as planned by Clemens August. After
more than 40 years of construction the palace of Augustusburg was finally completed
in 1768.
With the advent of the French Revolution the
prince-electorate of Cologne seized to exist in 1794.
French troops occupied
the castle and sold all the furniture. When Napoleon visited the castle in
1804, he liked it so much that he wished it had wheels. In 1809 he donated it
to marshal Davoust, who neglected it completely.
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| Augustusburg in Brühl | German Palace |
On the train to Cologne
As mentioned,
we also scheduled a short visit to Cologne. Due to the rain we decided to just
visit Cologne Cathedral (German: DOM), rather than discovering the old center
on foot. It was a challenge to ascend the 157.31 meter south tower with its 509
steps. This massive edifice is located close to the Rhine River (250 meters), and
the main train station. Cologne Cathedral, officially called the High Cathedral
of Saint Peter, was built in Gothic style with a cross shaped floor plan.
Including the nave and towers this cathedral is 144.58 meters long and 86.25
meters wide.
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| Cologne Cathedral |
Construction
started on August 15th 1248 but was halted in the 15th
century due to lack of funding. Centuries later, in 1824, construction resumed
based on the original medieval design. Finally in 1880 the cathedral was
completed in Neo-Gothic style. Only the base of the west tower dates back to
the 13th century. It wasn’t until 1956 that all the damage caused by
the war was repaired, and the church could be officially reopened.
The Cologne
Cathedral boasts an impressive inventory including a couple of stained glass
windows dating back to the 14th and 16th centuries.
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| Cologne Cathedral, 509 steps higher |
After a visit
to a local “Brauhaus”, for which Cologne is famous, we took the 18:00 train
back to Brühl, where we ended our educational Saturday in the “Brühler
Wirtshaus”. This was the old Brühl train station which had been converted to a
very nice restaurant, something we experienced first-hand.
Translation Koen verhees
