Palaces and Castles of the Hesses

[violetta]

i`d like to have more info on the rosenhohe palace - non-existent, destroyed in 1944 as a result of bombing.it wasn`t rebuilt.look what they have done with it!









this is what the palace looked like




i was searching the web and found the following info on the palace (it was on
 http://www.darmstadt.de/en/sights/rosenhoehe/index.html)


i found the following info

In 1894, Prince Wilhelm had the beautiful Palais Rosenhöhe built, in which Prussian diplomats were housed between 1903 and 1918. Later, the Palais was divided up into flats and finally, in 1944, it was destroyed in a bombing attack on Darmstadt.



could anyone tell me more about this palace? who was prince william, i wonder?

[Helen]

This Prince Wilhelm (1845−1900) was the youngest son of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (1809-1877) and a brother of Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine (1837-1892).

[violetta]

dear helen ,thank you for the info. i checked prince william in the internet but found only basic info on him. what was he famous for? did he do anything special e.g. for the benefit of hesse? helen,do you know anything about the palace ( i found only basic info)? was it famois for anything? any particularly ineresting events in this palace?

[Thomas_Hesse]

He was famous for causing his mother grey hair when marrying morganatically....
The prince was a very gifted and intelligent man - highly interested in literature and fine arts. He was one of the most frequent visitors of the Bayreuth festival. But he did not play an important role at court living (due to his morganatic wife) a very private life.

The Palais Rosenhöhe was errected at his request on land he inherited from his mother who was a very wealthy woman (being the daughter of Prince and Princess Wilhelm of Prussia).
After his death it was sold and uses by artists as far as I know - until the RA bombers completely destroyed it in 1944 - like 80% of Darmstadt's city

[Helen]

dear helen ,thank you for the info. i checked prince william in the internet but found only basic info on him. what was he famous for? did he do anything special e.g. for the benefit of hesse? helen,do you know anything about the palace ( i found only basic info)? was it famois for anything? any particularly ineresting events in this palace?

I haven't much specific information about Palais Rosenhoehe, but then, I've never really looked for such information. 'Auf der Rosenhoehe zu Darmstadt', published as No. 17 in the 'Notizen zur Ortsgeschichte' series, only provides a summary of this park's history and does not provide much specific information on Palais Rosenhoehe.

Palais Rosenhoehe was built in 1894 at the same spot where the stately home of Grand Duchess Wilhelmine once stood. The architect of Prince Wilhelm's palace was Gustav Jacobi. After Prince Wilhelm's death, the palace was used by the Prussian embassy till 1918 and then converted into housing units.  It burnt down in 1944. The upper part of the gate in the first two pictures you posted is a segment of the original gate that once stood there. An old fountain has been restored too. From the terrace and fountain one had a wonderful view of Nicholas' and Alexandra's Russian Chapel on the Mathildenhoehe in Prince Wilhelm's days. Although the trees have grown quite high, one still can see the golden domes of this pearl from here.

One more fact about Prince Wilhelm: he once saved a woman's life who tried to drown herself.

[violetta]

helen and thomas, thanks a lot

[violetta]

He was famous for causing his mother grey hair when marrying morganatically....
The prince was a very gifted and intelligent man - highly interested in literature and fine arts. He was one of the most frequent visitors of the Bayreuth festival. But he did not play an important role at court living (due to his morganatic wife) a very private life.

The Palais Rosenhöhe was errected at his request on land he inherited from his mother who was a very wealthy woman (being the daughter of Prince and Princess Wilhelm of Prussia).
After his death it was sold and uses by artists as far as I know - until the RA bombers completely destroyed it in 1944 - like 80% of Darmstadt's city

i`ve been to darmstadt twice and i saw that the city looks a little bit like a patchwork. old building are near to modern ones made of glass and metal. i know that darmstadt suffered a lot during ww2.but why didn`t the Authorities decide to restore the city? then it would retain its oldish look and peculiar atmosphere.any idea?

[Thomas_Hesse]

Easily explained: just look at photographs dating directly after the bombing. There was scarcely an intact building left. More than 10.000 humans had been killed, there was no food, nothing to keep warm. Most people had left what they wore.
All they wanted was to get a roof again - there was no room for architectural refinements. Plus in the 1940ies/50ies nobody was keen on rebuilding any foundation period adifices..... the style was completely different....

Fortunately some places survived! Or were restored - like the Residential Palace

[violetta]

i`ve always wondered why darmstadt authorities do not promote the city although this place has a lot of places of interest and it is definitely worth seeing. darmstadt can show a huge part of the european history, german history and the history of the grand duchy. darmstad is not as famous as weimar or stuttart but it also has many interesting monuments of the past.but oddly enough, the city does nothing to attract tourists. e.g. there are no maps in the newsstand and there is no tourist information. there are no cityguides either.when i was in karlsruhe i was pleased to find tourist information and maps althouhg carlsruhe is not a hot spot for tourists,either. at the tourist informaion in coburg one can borrow a special device with headphones which will guide you through basic attractions of the place. in the tourist information in coburg one can find leaflets or info on the accomodation.

i think it is important to understand that a tourist attraction is A PRODUCT whether we like it or not. and if it`s a product   the authorities should think of how to promote a certain destination and sell it to the prospective tourists.if darmstadt isn`t promoted it is UNFORTUNATELY logical that too few visitors visit the Schloss musem or the porcelain museum. is there anthority dealing with the tourist issues? who takes care of it in darmstadt?

[Thomas_Hesse]

What you say is very true - especially true in case of Schloss- and Porcelain Museums.
Our citizen's action group is working on it currently - and we're all waiting for the new concept to be. The recent director has been fired now.

Keep your fingers crossed that things will turn out to be get better!

[Thomas_Hesse]

Wolfsgarten - The Grand Salon (Princess Margaret, The Queen's sister called it "my favourite room in Germany")



The main dining room (the tapestry to the right is to be seen in a 1903 photograph of Tsarina Alexandra and her three sisters)



The library - on the Louis XV. bureau plat two Fabergé frames and a bust of Tsaria Alexandra Feodorovna (1896 - Antokolsky)



Empire drawing - note the exceptional Jacob-Desmalter furniture. Above the door a portrait of Caroline the Great Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt. On the table Mafalda di Savoia

[Eddie_uk]

Such beautiful rooms, thank you Thomas! Is it open to the public? Does anyone still live there? So nice to see so many original items still insitu.
I wonder what did Princess Alice think of the place when she came to Hesse?

[Ilana]

I'm not sure that it is open to the public, it may be on special days.  Prince Moritz still lives there, I believe.  Please correct me!

[Eric_Lowe]

Ilana you are correct !  Landgraft Moritz does lives there, but the garden is open to the public sometimes during the year.

[Gabriella]

This year the garden of Wolfsgarten is open for the public May, 15-16th and 23-24th 2010.

The Princely Gardening Event takes place Sept., 17-19th 2010.

Regards,
Gabriella.