JustSayGO Travel Show
We're wrapping up production on this exciting new show. Featuring California, Singapore, Mexico and destinations throughout the US in the first few episodes! Stay tuned!!
In 1901, an exhibition in Germany sent ripples of excitement throughout the art world. Although it had the bland title "A Document of German Art," its contents quickly gave Darmstadt the renown of being the center for Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil, art.
Jugendstil -- a name that comes from the German-language magazine Die Jugend ("youth") that was among Jugendstil's earliest promoters -- was perhaps the first popular intent to integrate art into everyday life. To a Jugendstil artist, art was not just the picture or sculpture, but also the surroundings in which that picture or sculpture was contained or displayed. The entirety had to blend --the house that the picture or sculpture was in (or on), the furniture surrounding it, even the china and silverware used nearby had to match to form -- in order for a true work of art to exist.
In 1899, impressed by the ideas of this new trend, the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse invited seven artists to live in Darmstadt to create a "habitat" they deemed ideal. They received a sizeable piece of land and the monetary means to create a "living and working world."
The results of this artists' colony would be presented to the world as a model for the future -- known as the Mathildenhoehe. When walking up the slight hill from Europa Square to the Mathildenhoehe, the eyes of the observer invariably focus on an ornate Russian Orthodox chapel with golden domes that reflect the sunlight. (It might be necessary to be reminded that this scene is not in Russia, but the heart of Germany.) The chapel was built for Czar Nicolas II, who, married to Princess Alexandra of Darmstadt, frequently visited his in-laws in Germany and missed his Orthodox roots. The Russian architect Benois designed the picturesque building with its mosaics and golden cupolas. The Russian chapel, where Orthodox mass is still held on Sundays, is the eye-catcher atop a hill, adding a distinctive dimension to the Art Nouveau nearby.
To the left of the Russian Chapel stands the "five-fingered tower" that was created by Josef Olbrich in 1906, and built as a wedding present to the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig. Even today the local Justice of the Peace has a sub-office in the tower for couples in search of wedded bliss and who wish to marry in "royal" style. Hence the tower's name: Wedding Tower.
Between the Wedding Tower and the chapel is the exhibition hall that still serves today as an active art gallery. Noteworthy is the first pergola on the stairs, its ceiling a mosaic depicting the Hessian coat of arms.
The next stop should be the Ernst Ludwig House, today home of the popular Artists' Colony Museum, which was designed to be the working place for the artists by Josef Olbrich. The idea he envisioned was that of a mason's hut, after the organization of the constructors from medieval times. Although the building design was by Olbrich, the decoration was the work of various artists. The sculptures Adam and Eve flank the entrance and two bronze figures on top of the door depict the Goddess of Victory. In front of the Ernst Ludwig House are the buildings designed by the artists to be their dwellings and which today are named after each artist who created it and originally lived there. Presently, various cultural institutions - -such as the Institute of Poland and the German Language Institute -- use these stately buildings as offices.
The adjacent plane tree grove should not be missed. It already existed when the artists' colony was founded, but sculptor Bernhard Hoetger found it to be the ideal place to integrate his sculptures. His cycle of four sculptures symbolizing the growth and decay of nature can be viewed here, as well as a first design of the sculpture for the tomb of the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, who died in childbirth. The fountain group is also the work of Hoetger.
Darmstadt is located just 22 minutes by rail from Frankfurt/Main, Germany's biggest banking center and busiest air hub, making a visit to the 5O-acre art site not only worthwhile for lovers of art, but also for those visiting Frankfurt on business.
Copyright
(c) 2007 JustSayGo, LLC. All rights reserved. The material on this
site OR from any other Internet site containing our material may not be reproduced
and may not be distributed, publicly performed or otherwise used in any manner,
except with the prior express permission of JustSayGo, LLC.
All articles and photographs are copyrighted by their respective author/photographer. Please review our Legal Notice and Privacy Policy.
JustSayGO Travel Show
Jugendstil -- a name that comes from the German-language magazine Die Jugend ("youth") that was among Jugendstil's earliest promoters -- was perhaps the first popular intent to integrate art into everyday life. To a Jugendstil artist, art was not just the picture or sculpture, but also the surroundings in which that picture or sculpture was contained or displayed. The entirety had to blend --the house that the picture or sculpture was in (or on), the furniture surrounding it, even the china and silverware used nearby had to match to form -- in order for a true work of art to exist. 
To the left of the Russian Chapel stands the "five-fingered tower" that was created by Josef Olbrich in 1906, and built as a wedding present to the Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig. Even today the local Justice of the Peace has a sub-office in the tower for couples in search of wedded bliss and who wish to marry in "royal" style. Hence the tower's name: Wedding Tower. 
The adjacent plane tree grove should not be missed. It already existed when the artists' colony was founded, but sculptor Bernhard Hoetger found it to be the ideal place to integrate his sculptures. His cycle of four sculptures symbolizing the growth and decay of nature can be viewed here, as well as a first design of the sculpture for the tomb of the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, who died in childbirth. The fountain group is also the work of Hoetger.