Architectural gems in miniature format

Historic garden houses are a delightful destination – real gems that are far too often overlooked. We have the Landschaftsverband Rheinland to thank for drawing our attention to these mini-architectures. It has now published a handy little volume on these treasures. It also includes a map so that you can put together your own route.

The volume contains the work of the last decades, during which the office has documented numerous garden houses in the Rhineland and in some cases accompanied their restoration. Most of these precious small architectures are still used and maintained today, but others are acutely endangered by neglect and vandalism. The book contains more than 90 examples in smaller and larger gardens in or outside the city, monastery gardens, extensive parks or even the open countryside.

Renaissance houses and baroque pavilions, classical round temples and foreign architecture, buildings in the Bergisch style, historicism and modernism reflect the history of architecture and gardens. The publication invites you on a tour of wonderful locations in the Rhineland. Starting in Kleve in the north along the Rhine to Bad Honnef in the south or from Aachen in the west to Radevormwald in the east, you can go on a tour of discovery with this magnificently illustrated volume. Readers follow in the footsteps of aristocratic clients, ecclesiastical dignitaries and bourgeois patrons through lush garden landscapes and can enjoy picturesque small-scale architecture from the past.

The volume is initially dedicated to small-scale architecture that no longer survives, for example, we learn of electoral buildings that were demolished in the 19th century due to a lack of funds or of building plans that were never realized. When looking at the surviving source material, which is richly available in the book, a sense of melancholy creeps over the loss or non-realization of the building projects. The Elector of Cologne, Clemens August (1700-1761), who was so important and well-known for the Rhineland due to his building activities, was, for example, the builder of several garden houses, which unfortunately no longer exist today, but with this knowledge one may have a different view of him after reading the book. This first introductory chapter in the book also offers a definition and differentiation of the terms garden house, pavilion and monopteros. The various building materials used, which were often subject to fashionable tastes, are also briefly mentioned.

The lavishly illustrated architectural guide takes the reader to garden houses in gardens outside the city walls, in monastery gardens, in stately gardens and in the gardens of villas and residential buildings. A separate chapter deals with monopteries in the gardens, parks and landscapes of the Rhineland. Sub-chapters are devoted to various towns or regions of the Rhineland where special gems of garden architecture can be found. Readers will get to know the many garden houses that can be found on the Rhine promenade in Bonn and learn that in the Bergisches Land region, the small buildings were clad with the slate shingles so typical of the region. A further sub-chapter presents garden houses in Aachen, Burtscheid and Konrad Adenauer’s garden in Rhöndorf. The garden houses in Xanten also illustrate the development of the town and its history.

Each chapter contains a brief introduction to how the garden sheds were used: on the one hand, there were architectures that were used to store garden tools, but also those that were purely intended for relaxation. The book is illustrated with atmospheric photos and provides readers with brief and concise information on the location, the clients, the architects, the time of construction and also on the current use and accessibility of each building. Historical images such as postcards, historical photographs or architectural drawings or plans are also included with the descriptions. The texts on the buildings provide a brief overview of the historical background of the garden or park in which the garden houses are located. In addition, information on the families who built the buildings, as far as they are known, can be found in the entertaining documents. Readers are also provided with information on the state of preservation and restoration of the garden houses. The book’s appendix contains references to further reading as well as a glossary explaining both art historical and architectural terms.

The publication is a thoroughly successful book that makes you look forward to spring in the hope of exploring some of these gems. With its detailed information and lavish illustrations, the book is a good companion.

Publication

Garden Houses in the Rhineland. A guide to the small architectures in parks and gardens

Edited by Dr. Andrea Pufke and published by Landschaftsverband Rheinland

320 pages with 336 color and 84 b/w illustrations, German, folding brochure

29.95 Euro (D), 30.80 Euro (A), 34.40 CHF

Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2023

ISBN: 978-3-7319-1363-4

About the book