Georgengarten
Encyclopedia
Landscape garden
The term landscape garden is often used to describe the English garden design style characteristic of the eighteenth century, that swept the Continent replacing the formal Renaissance garden and Garden à la française models. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is particularly influential.The...
in the northwestern borough of Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen is an area of the German city Hanover which is most notable for the baroque Herrenhausen Gardens.Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg died in Herrenhausen Castle and his grandson King George II of Great Britain was born there. During the Second World War the castle was...
of 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...
city Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. It is a part of Herrenhausen Gardens
Herrenhausen Gardens
The Herrenhausen Gardens , located in Lower Saxony's capital of Hanover are made up of the Great Garden , the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. The gardens are a heritage of the Kings of Hanover.The Great Garden has always been one of the most distinguished baroque formal gardens...
.
History
Around 1700, country estates for several noblemen were established in the former flood plain of the river LeineLeine
The Leine is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and 281 km in length.The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia...
. In 1726, the Herrenhäuser Allee (Herrenhausen alley) was planted just through the gardens, connecting Hanover with the royal palace and gardens of Herrenhausen in the boroughs of the city; it is almost exactly one geographical mile
Geographical mile
The geographical mile is a unit of length determined by 1 minute of arc along the Earth's equator. For the 1924 International Spheroid this equalled 1855.4 metres...
(1.85 km) long, and consists of four rows of lime trees
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
.
In 1768 the German lieutenant-general and art collector Johann Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn
Johann Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn
Johann Ludwig Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn was a German lieutenant-general and art collector.-Life:He was an illegitimate son of George II of Great Britain by his mistress Amalie von Wallmoden...
acquired some of these gardens and merged them into the Wallmodengarten. Between 1780 and 1782 he built his own palace there, the Wallmodenschloss (also called Wallmodenpalais) to house his antiquities collection.
In order to enlarge the royal gardens of Hanover, the Wallmoden palace and the Wallmoden garden 1817 were sold to George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, who had been King of Hanover since 1814. From 1818 on, the palace was named Georgenpalais and the gardens name changed into Georgengarten.
In 1826 the architect and engineer Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves
Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves
Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves was a German architect, civil engineer and urban planner. Born in Uslar, Lower Saxony, he lived and worked most time in the city of Hanover and also died there...
designed two smaller wings adjacent to the left and right side of the Wallmodenschloss. From 1828 until 1843 the formal garden was redesigned as an English style landscape garden. Former water features, canals and so on, were enlarged into a pond.
Between 1835 and 1841 the then head gardener, Christian Schaumburg, was responsible for some redesign. During these years, three bridges designed by Laves were built: 1837 the Fahrbrücke, in 1840 the Augustenbrücke, and in the same year, the Friederikenbrücke. The latter is the only remaining bridge of the three. Today it connects the Georgengarten and the Great Garden (Großer Garten) within the Herrenhausen Gardens.
At the city end of the Herrenhäuser Allee, in 1857, a gate was built after plans made by Laves. The gate separated Königsworther Platz (Königsworther square) from the alley and the Georgengarten. In the 1960s, the gate was demolished, but in 2007, a replica with some remaining original parts was placed there.
At the end of 19th century Napoleonic
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
troops were going to cut down the whole Herrenhäuser Allee, but baker and grain dealer Johann Gerhard Helmcke (1780−1844) saved the alley by paying 3,000 Taler. To honour Helmcke's deed, a memorial stone was placed near the alley.
In 1921 the City of Hanover bought both the Georgengarten and the Georgenpalais. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Georgenpalais was damaged severely by bombs during a Royal Air Force air raid. The Georgengarten was used to grow vegetables. In post war military occupation years, a lot of seeping engine oil and fuel of the British troop vehicles damaged many of the lime trees of the old Herrenhäuser Allee. Their step by step restoration took until the 1970s.
Since 1949, ownership of the Georgenpalais was transferred to the Wilhelm Busch Society, a literary society
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
named after the famous German caricaturist, painter and poet Wilhelm Busch
Wilhelm Busch
Wilhelm Busch was an influential German caricaturist, painter, and poet who is famed for his satirical picture stories with rhymed texts....
. They later rebuilt the damaged eastern wing of the building.
Present use
Today the house is used as a caricatureCaricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
museum and is named Wilhelm-Busch-Museum
Wilhelm-Busch-Museum
The Wilhelm Busch Museum is a museum in Hanover, Germany. It features the world's largest collection of works by Busch, as well as contemporary comic art, illustrations and drawings....
- Deutsches Museum für Karikatur und kritische Grafik. The Georgengarten now is a part of the famous Herrenhausen Gardens
Herrenhausen Gardens
The Herrenhausen Gardens , located in Lower Saxony's capital of Hanover are made up of the Great Garden , the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. The gardens are a heritage of the Kings of Hanover.The Great Garden has always been one of the most distinguished baroque formal gardens...
.
The Leibniz Temple in the park is named in honour of the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
. Originally it was erected between 1787 and 1790 at the Hanover military parade place (now called Waterlooplatz); later it was transferred to the Georgengarten. Today it is a popular venue during warm summer evenings, especially frequented by young people and students of the nearby University of Hanover.