The Steinfurter Bagno is a
park near the town of
Burgsteinfurt in the German state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
.
History
Amusement park
Count Charles Paul Ernest of
Bentheim-Steinfurt
Bentheim-Steinfurt was a historical county located in northwestern North Rhine-Westphalia in the region surrounding Steinfurt, Germany. Bentheim-Steinfurt was a partition of Bentheim-Bentheim, itself a partition of the County of Bentheim. Bentheim- ...
founded it in 1765 with the intention of creating a summer residence for his family. The initial design adhered to the
French garden tradition of imposing strict order and symmetry on the layout. Following
Count Louis' succession in 1780, the park saw the addition of various buildings and structures, including the so-called Greece and Egypt, as well as imitations of Oriental and Far-Eastern styles. The oldest surviving layout dates from 1787 and includes 105 buildings, fountains, bridges, statues, islands, gardens, and paths crammed onto a 125-hectare plot.
In later years, criticism on the excessive density of objects and architectural styles and the rise of the
English garden
The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...
brought about substantial change to the Bagno. Buildings and other objects were removed, new ones constructed; straight ways were replaced by meandering paths, natural looking yet artificial
cascades were built, large lawns created and exotic trees planted. The Bagno developed into the most prominent park of
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
boasting extraordinary
fountains
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...
, a widely known chapel, and a lake navigated by a fleet of small yet pompous ships. In a rather modern move, the Count opened the park to the general public.
French occupation
The park experienced a sudden change in 1806 when
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's vassals seized the county. Count Louis traveled to Paris to talk to the French emperor in person and reclaim his position, but to no avail. His son
Alexius
Alexius is the Latinized form of the given name Alexios ( el, Αλέξιος, polytonic , "defender", cf. Alexander), especially common in the later Byzantine Empire. The female form is Alexia ( el, Αλεξία) and its variants such as Alessia ...
maintained the park on scant means, and saw himself forced to demolish a number of buildings for want of money for their maintenance. By 1828, only 16 of the 39 buildings counted in 1806 remained; of these 3 remain to this day.
Restoration
State contributions of 4.1 million Euros helped reshape the Bagno in 2004; the refurbished concert hall has gained particular popularity since. In 2006, the park became a member of the
European Garden Heritage Network
The European Garden Heritage Network is a nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organi ...
.
References
Further reading
* Döhmann, Karl Georg; Das Bagno, Geschichte des Fürstlich Bentheimschen Parks Bagno bei Burgsteinfurt, 2 Teile, Burgsteinfurt 1907, 1909
* Korzus, Bernard; Das Bagno in Steinfurt, in: Gärten der Goethezeit, Hsg. Harry Günther, Leipzig 1993
* ders.; 1792 im Potsdamer Neuen Garten, in: Wieder wandelnd im alten Park, Beiträge zur Geschichte der Gartenkunst...,Potsdam 1993
* Lübbers, Wolfgang; Das Bagno bei Burgsteinfurt – Versuch einer Rekonstruktion, Steinfurt 1992
* ders.; Das Bagno in Steinfurt - Ein Garten der Goethezeit, Steinfurt 1997
* Pries, Hans-Walter; Das Steinfurter Bagno, Alte Beschreibungen und Ansichten, Greven 1988, Schriftenreihe des Kreisheimatbundes Steinfurt, Bd. 5
* Strohmann, Dirk; Der Konzertsaal im Bagno-Park Burgsteinfurt, Wege zur Wiederherstellung eines Baudenkmals, Münster 1987
* ders.; Die Konzertgalerie im Burgsteinfurter Bagno, in: Westfalen, Hefte für Geschichte, Kunst und Volkskunde, Bd. 67, Münster 1989
External links
Description on the European Garden Heritage Network websiteWebsite of the concert hall (in German)
{{Authority control
Protected areas of North Rhine-Westphalia
Parks in Germany
Steinfurt