Name of Monument:Garden Mosque Location:Schwetzingen, Germany Responsible Institution:Baden-Württemberg Castles and Gardens, State Agency for Property Assets and Construction About State Castles and Gardens Baden-Württemberg, Schwetzingen Date of Monument:The mosque complex comprises a cloister-like colonnade in the east (1779–84) and a main building (1782–86) flanked by two minarets (1786–95) in the west Architect(s) / Master-builder(s):Nicolas de Pigage (1723–1796) History:The mosque in the Schwetzingen palace gardens today is the last surviving example of a type of building quite common in European landscape gardens up to the end of the 18th-century. Description:The mosque is surrounded by a “Turkish garden” with winding paths and exotic plants. The architectural feature of the central building provides an original variation on the language of shapes found in baroque churches. Quotations from the western architectural history are combined with oriental motifs and inscriptions from the Qur'an. The minarets are positioned slightly in front of the western façade. The colonnade walkway with its rectangular layout is comprised of latticework open on all sides. The octagonal pavilions are decorated with dictums in Arabic and German. One striking feature is the refined roofscape with different basic slatecovered shapes, adorned by innumerable gilded crescents. The mosque’s interior is comprised of a round central hall, richly and colourfully decorated. Various general maxims are inscribed in Arabic and translated into German. These texts are not religious in nature, but generally invoke virtues, such as wisdom, diligence and discretion. Citation of this web page:Hartmut Troll "Garden Mosque" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;de;7;en Database entry origination:Prepared by: Hartmut Troll MWNF Working Number: DE 008 |