the rheingau cathedral, church of the holy cross.
starting this walk in the inner city of geisenheim ( a community situated in the rheingau region ) you will encounter this gorgeous place of worship, the rheingau cathedral. it originates in the 16th century, built around 1510 to 1518, though the very first church of the city dates waaaay back to 1146. the erector of this magnificent late gothic hall church was johann von hattstein, which was a cathedral master builder from mainz. in the 19th century it was modified a bit by one philipp hoffmann ( responsible for the russian chapel in wiesbaden for example ) and it got neo-gothic elements, the towers for example where part of that modification and also the arching inside the building. curiously, the cathedral actually isn't a cathedral ( for that to count you need to be a seat of bishopry, which geisenheim isn't ). it's called rheingau cathedral because compared to other churches in the region its dimensions and the importance is the deciding factor for it. it is a very stately church building, that does not need to shy away in comparison to actual cathedrals. hence the rheingau citizens lovingly called it cathedral, thus the title cemented itself in the official linguistic usage.
let's take a peek inside before we go explore more of geisenheim city.
the inside shines brightly and immediately noticeable is the reticulated vaulting, which i personally find super charming in a lot of churches ;)
beautiful gilded saints can be found on the columns in the middle of the church. like st. therese here ( probably teresa of ávila ). i really adore this sculpture, her clothing is so exquisitely elaborate.
nearing the choir... the high altar is a neo-gothic addition, as seems to be the wheel chandelier above.
looking up reveals the beauty of the vault!
i couldn't find a lot of information on the interior pieces inside the church, but i know the date of the installation of the high altar - 1886.
it's a real piece of art, super elaborate and utterly under the influence of late romanticism.
there are some really cool epitaphs inside the church as well. this one shows philipp erwein von schönborn, an influential local baron that lived from 1607 to 1668. the epitaph was possibly created by one matthias rauchmiller, though it is not entirely confirmed. he was a very sublime artist and created breath-taking baroque statues and sculptures. i will never get over the fact that people were/are capable to carve intricate portraits and figures into stone, and especially in that age! the details of this epitaph are incredible!
i love the little serious-looking cherub holding the sword. look at that double-chin and its fat little cheeks! ( i mean, they almost all have double-chins, but i find it especially amusing on the angel baby 😂 )
another epitaph, this one showing friedrich von stockheim ( 1462 - 1528 ) and his wife irmel von karben ( 1484 - 1529 ). it's from 1536, the creator is unknown. friedrich von stockheim was basically a local mayor with aristocratic roots. this epitaph differentiates immensely in its style from the prior one. it's typically renaissance.
lovely side altar ( unknown origin ). depicted are st. hildegard and st. elisabeth. i'd say it's neo-gothic, because it is so finely carved and painted and the saints look quite romantic, but with no real proof of when it actually was created, my guess stays unfounded.
the view back to the nave, high above you can makeout a 'stumm' organ from 1842.
again i looked up, now my gaze was mesmerized by the stone railings.
leaving the church through the main portal introduces you to this sunny glass window.
when you go around the church you stumble upon some old gravestones...
... and lovely crumbling medieval houses in spring mode!
the old parochial school ( or also called verger house ), which is over 300 years old! the church wants to repair it in the future ( it was said around 2019 - so i'm not sure if they went through with it ). it's actually much too cute to let it rot away.
the streets of geisenheim are narrow and labyrinthine ( as most streets in rheingau villages and cities are ). that's why to me the rheingau is such a charming place, not only because of the extensive vineyards next to the rhine river but also because of the historic communities that still exude the air of centuries past.
my most favourite element in medieval houses is the timber frame construction. i love the visible lattice and how differently they could be styled and painted. there is not a single timber frame house in the world that is made entirely of the same patterns, and the layouts are also totally different, never planned according to a norm. there are wide houses, and narrow houses, there are crooked ( almost all in some way ) or slightly less crooked, the wood is either painted in natural colours ( brown mostly ) or in in more wild varieties, like these blue ones with the red framing. the plastering's colour can also be of any colour you want it to be. whereas with bauhaus buildings you don't have so much freedom to paint them as you want ( bauhaus is dominated by clear instructions on how to use colour in them ), medieval houses are the opposite of that notion. i guess, no matter how much i love so many different styles, the reason behind that is probably because the aesthetics speak to me on various levels and reach from wanting to be more minimal and less chaotic, back to throwing caution to the wind and embracing more unpredictable parts of me. at least that's what's going through my mind whenever i think about why i love such wildly differing architectural styles...
this house is originally medieval, but the timber frame windows and the triangle detail are surely not! i love when modern and old mix together and create something special!
an 18th century eaves building with the brightest blue highlights greets you in the behlstraße. directly next to it ( the brickstone building ) is the werk2 winery, which seems to be a rather cool spot to drink a few glasses of lovely riesling wines. it looked rather inviting to me, but i mostly enjoy my riesling from the comfort of home, since most of my friends don't like going out drinking in a bar or winery. and to sit there alone... it always makes me feel a little uneasy ( though sometimes i feel rather accomplished if i DO end up alone in an establishment and dine out or sip coffee ).
this is a building that's actually listed as a historic one from the early 19th century, though it sadly fell victim to a fire in 2017 ( it even stood in my local newspaper ). it was home to the 'plattenstübchen', a vinyl player shop. i probably would've loved to check out that shop if it still existed, but unfortunately it didn't re-open yet in 2019. there were rumours that it might come back in 2020, but what came of that, i don't know. there's nothing to be found on the internet whether it has re-opened or not.
actually not a super interesting building per se, but i still loved the turquoise railings of the balcony.
in the middle of the city is an old castle, castle schönborn ( formerly stockheimer hof ). surrounding it are some vineyards ( it's actually called a 'clos' ) that of course are still in use today! before we take a closer look at that castle and learn a little bit about its history ( maybe you remember one of the epitaph inside the rheingau cathedral ), let's explore a bit the surroundings.
this dilapidated ( but still super awesome because of that fact ) building is of unknown origin and i also don't know what it's purpose is. i reckon it was a storage facility. the high roof is super fascinating, i wondered how it still held up so well after all these centuries. i know, it should probably be renovated, but i still loved it the way it was, admiring the waves the falling roof tiles created with age. though the castle itself is still used as a winery and as a location for celebrations and other shenanigans, a great deal of the surrounding buildings are not in very good shape. seeing as the castle still belongs to the counts of schönborn one might think that the historical importance of this jewel should be worth it enough to make them care for it a tad bit more.
the eastern facade of the castle also was in a not so ideal state, with the plastering chipped off in many places. the two-level timber frame oriel is quite a lovely addition to the rather simple renaissance castle, though.
not far away from the castle my eyes spotted this lovely villa. it's an art nouveau villa that was built for a newspaper publisher in 1911 by the architect georg hartmann. these days the evangelical parish office resides in it.
uhm, what would my posts be without any signs of random nature strewn in? ;)
two buildings are of main interest here: the evangelical church & emely-salzig-schule ( an elementary school ). the neo-romanesque evangelical church was built between 1895 and 1897 after plans of ludwig hofmann and the school is a historicized art nouveau structure ( 1904 - 1909 ). the architect was the parish office's georg hartmann again, which i think is quite visible, there's a familiar quality to it when you compare it to the parish office. all buildings together make a good ensemble, methinks.
this double villa from 1900 had some serious spring vibes going on.
the magnolia tree was magnificent.
back to the schönborn castle! nearing it from the southeastern side.
spotted a truly gorgeous marian column shrine.
couldn't find a date of origin, though, but look at the beautiful weathering!
schönborn castle was erected first in 1550 by the stockheim nobility ( another epitaph in the cathedral comes to mind 😉 ), but later ( in 1652 ) acquired by the schönborn's, namely philipp erwein of schönborn, whose epitaph you can also find in the cathedral. though mostly unornamental in design the castle still makes quite a charming impression on you, even though of course it's no versailles.
but who are we kidding, i wouldn't want to live in versailles anyway with its overproportionate rooms and exaggerated flamboyance which would make you feel like you were living in a museum? this more easy-going abode is much more my taste ( and probably a little easier to maintain ^^ ). the small buildings next to the castle are a wine press house ( middle ) and the custodian's house ( left ). the last main alterations to the castle's property were made in 1874/75 when the corner turrets and the oriel were renovated and some parts were reconstructed in 17th century fashion.
delicious looking blossoms.
i eventually found my way outside the inner city and made my way to a really special place. everywhere things were blooming.
the special place i was talking about: the classical villa monrepos. it was built between 1860 and 1863 by and for heinrich eduard von lade, a german banker and jack of many trades, who settled in there to enjoy his early twilight years ( he retired at age 44 ). he was super interested in horticulture and astronomy and pursued all these interest in the comfort of his home. the park he let design by carl friedrich thelemann - held lots of fruit trees, wineyards and rosariums, all of which he tried to cultivate to his likings. von lade is also responsible for bringing the geisenheim research institute into life in 1872 ( now grape breeding institute ), which was the first academy for pomiculture & viniculture in germany. it still exists today as part of geisenheim university. why, yes, now you know that this small city is also a university city! and one more special thing is the fact that you can study viniculture in geisenheim only, nowhere else in germany exists a similar field of study.
he also installed a big observatory on the roof of the middle section, where he gazed upwards into the sky to study the moon! there's even a crater on the moon that got his name, and a comet as well! unfortunately the observatory got heavily damaged in world war 2 ( as lots of the park, which consequently changed its face post-war ). a telescope was rescued, though and can be found at the observatory in remscheid.
you see, this building is chockful of interesting tidbits, and just you wait until you see the attached park!
this semicircle front porch is probably the most significant detail of the building, beautifully supported by columns and topped with several terracotta statues on the roof. it's like a little winter garden!
twigs and blossoms of a bitter orange tree!
peeking inside the front porch. looks like i disturbed a plant bather!
the beautiful tiles inside!
bitter orange trees are quite thorny! i love their labyrinthine little twigs.
saying goodbye to the building.
after the second world war destroyed lots of the former park a professor of the institute called gerd däumel decided to rebuilt and restore the then almost 3,6 hectare big park and minimized it to 2,5 hectare ( he used the other hectare for opening up a testing ground for the institute ). that happened from 1954 to the 1970ies. now, the park is an impressive testimonial for post-war garden architecture, with seating areas, pergolas, water lily ponds & theme gardens full of concrete elements, which was a really en vogue material back then and managed to slip into landscape architecture quite often.
basically, i stumbled upon a haven of mid-century landscaping by accident, actually expecting a typically english landscape garden.
this seating area with pergolas is probably really cozy in summer when everything is green ( i really want to visit it this summer again, possibly with a book to read and some delicious pastry to eat ).
all the old vines crawling up the walls were super cool!
the other side of the seating area.
a view into a spring jungle ( not as lush and impenetrable as it could be, right? )
when i visited, everything was still quite bare of growth, only bits and pieces started to get green. there's probably also a big assortment of interesting flowers on the grounds everywhere, that you only get to see when you visit in late spring/ summer.
some hellebores amidst narcissuses.
and an unidentifyable bush with faded pink blossoms.
there's a big path leading around the villa, so you never loose it out of sight.
flowerbeds don't need to be missing in mid-century gardens. especially with this mixing of pansies and narcissuses.
aren't they the cutest with their violet bonnets and bright orange faces?
delicious colourssssss.
pink cherry trees and even more narcissuses! ( does anybody else also think of the plural of narcissus as absolutely ridiculous? in germany we call them narzissen, and that is so much easier on my tongue than narcissuses. such a tongue-breaker! )
i guess i couldn't get enough of these pansy meets narcissus flowerbeds, lol.
i always want to push the middle section with one finger, as if it is a secret button that will open up a alternate universe of some kind!
lovin' those little round leaves! they belong to muehlenbeckia axillaris ( also called creeping wire vine ).
when the vine creeps over brickstones it's one of the best combinations of overgrowth ❤
these concrete fences made my heart beat a little faster! i also adored the tiles of the garden paths. däumel put big focus on geometric forms interacting with the landscape!
i would probably install a fence like this in my garden as well, if i had one! it's kinda cool how it's not exposing what's behind at first, but upon closer inspection allows you a few tiny peeks. also, there's room for plants to grow over it and interact with!
the cutest duck pond was sitting in a tiny corner. i like the duck house made out of concrete. also, can you spot them two cuties?
floating staircase and trapeze-like handrails. i'm also madly in love with the little cornice and the kidneys printed into the differently coloured concrete 😍
a different kind of concrete fence, this time combining crosses and circles ( and half round triangles & diamonds 😉 )
this pergola was a bit different than the one in the seating area, which was made out of wood instead of concrete.
detail shot of the kidney imprinted cornice! notice the little jutties that probably were meant to give lizzards and other little creatures a hiding spot!
the fact that everything was showing its age was even more charming to me!
looking back onto the garden hut.
the sun slowly vanished behind some clouds for a bit, giving the garden a special gloom.
this pergola is only home to roses! it's probably really sweet when they all start having their leaves and then start to bloom!
discovered some gorgeous tulips with heart patterns inside!
the final jackpot i found when i discovered these little lily & marshland plant ponds 😍
admiring the tilework from above ( i'm standing on the ledge of the wall you see above ). i like the juxtaposition of the geometrical cut tiles and the chaotic pebble inlay.
before i went down to the ponds some narcissuses captured my attention again.
this pond landscape basically gave me heart palpitations! all the structures and patterns and the different materials used, it all created a wonderful overall picture and formed a perfect example of mid-century garden architecture! typical for these gardens are ponds that almost feel like extensions of the flagged floor, a seemless transition, as if the pond is an extension made of glass. of course it's an interesting optical illusion. you should totally refrain from trying to walk on water here ;). but it still seems like everything is at one level! also a big component of mid-century architecture is always the use of geometrical forms which you have plenty of here!
the reflections of the surrounding trees and garden elements in the pond add a wonderful visual component, turning it into an aesthetically pleasing experience to spend some time around here.
i will definitely have to check out the park when it's more green, the water lilies probably give the place quite a certain something, elevating it to a dreamy place of modernism.
one last glance over the ponds, then i made my way back to the inner city to get back home. i promised the park right there and then to return eventually, and especially when it would be more lush and green!
i passed by a wayside cross that stood in front of one of the buildings of st. ursula's high school. the writing on the base of the cross says: in the cross there is salvation.
right next to the 'new school' ( from 1966 ) is the neo-gothic ursuline institute, which is still part of the school. it was built in 1904.
not far away from the high school you encounter the 'eberbacher hof' ( blue ) & the 'palais ostein' ( yellow ), two more buildings full of history. the eberbacher hof was erected between 1705 & 1709 and is a former farmstead of the eberbach abbey. palais ostein instead was built much later ( 1766 - 1771 ) and was not a farmstead, but actually a nobleman's estate, belonging to one count karl maximilian von ostein. only two buildings of this palais have survived, the east and the west wing. it was built after plans of johann valentin thoman, who built lots of ostein estates in several cities - they were an influential family in the rhine region.
don't ask me why i didn't take a much more wholesome picture of the ostein estate, but i guess i was more intrigued into capturing the slightly dilapidating condition of the two buildings 😅
this was the last one of my geisenheim pictures of that day. i hope you liked the little walk through the tiny university city of geisenheim!
discovering and re-discovering places in my immediate surroundings is one of my favourite pastimes, so i will probably end up in geisenheim sooner than you might think!
until next time, stay curious!
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