Premiere of the Polish biography of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau

Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785-1871) was an aristocrat, traveler, gardener and writer who played an important role in the development of the landscape style of gardens and parks. The Prince’s most outstanding works include Muskau Park, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the Park in Branitz. In the years 1843-1849 he also actively participated in the arrangement of other sites such as the Babelsberg Park near Potsdam. In the mid-19th century, he collaborated with Napoleon III on the rearrangement of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. Thanks to his passion and achievements in the field of garden art, he was called the “Green Prince”.

In 1874, the first biography of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, written by Eduard Petzold, was published. The book contains not only details of the aristocrat’s life, but also his design legacy passed on to his student in personal conversations and letters. The text takes the reader on an extraordinary journey into the gardens of the Romantic era, shaped by the artistic sensitivity and unlimited imagination of their creators. It is also an extremely rare record of the master-disciple relationship that shaped Eduard Petzold’s garden workshop. To this day, about eighty gardens and parks designed by Petzold remain within the modern borders of Poland, including: the Sarny Castle, palaces in Bożków and Kamieniec Suski and cities such as Legnica and Bolesławiec.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the publication of the biography of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, we have started a project to prepare and publish its Polish translation. The initiative is coordinated by the Eduard Petzold European Centre for Garden Art, in partnership with the Sarny Castle Trust and the Prince-Pückler-Museum Park and Palace Branitz Foundation. The project was co-financed by the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation within the “culture” priority. This summer, readers will receive the first Polish-language biography of the Prince, supplemented with texts by historic gardens specialists: dr Stefan Körner, prof. Michael Rohde, dr Claudius Wecke, Łukasz Przybylak. The book will be available for sale only at Sarny Castle in Ścinawka Górna in Poland (63 PLN) and Branitz Palace in Germany.

The book is published as part of the series: Petzold
Concept of the book series: Łukasz Przybylak, Jacek Kuśmierski
Graphic design of the book series: Idalia Smyczyńska, Robert Zając (Kilku.com)

Publisher

• The Sarny Castle Trust

Project partner

• The Prince-Pückler-Museum Park and Palace Branitz Foundation

Co-financing

• The Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation

Patrons

• Eduard Petzold Foundation
• Eduard Petzold European Centre for Garden Art
• European Route of Historic Gardens

The book is available to borrow in selected libraries in Poland and Germany:

1. National Library in Warsaw
2. National Heritage Board of Poland in Warsaw
3. University of Warsaw Library
4. Public Library of the Capital City of Warsaw, Main Library of the Masovian Voivodeship
5. Library of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw
6. Goethe-Institut Library in Warsaw
7. Jagiellonian Library in Krakow
8. Goethe-Institut Library in Krakow
9. Library of the Cracow University of Technology
10. University of Łódź Library
11. University of Wrocław Library
12. Lower Silesian Public Library in Wrocław
13. Library of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław
14. Adam Mickiewicz University Library in Poznań
15. Main Library of the University of Gdańsk
16. Pomeranian Library in Szczecin
17. Main Library of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin
18. University Library of the Catholic University of Lublin
19. Podlaska Library in Białystok
20. Silesian Library in Katowice
21. Nicolaus Copernicus University Library in Toruń
22. Main Library of the University of Opole
23. Public Library of the Culture Center of Nowa Ruda Commune
24. Library of the Agricultural Education Center School Complex in Bożków
25. Public Library of the Town and Commune of Radków
26. Library of the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec
27. Library of the Methodological Centre for Garden Culture in Kroměříž, Czech Republic
28. Library of the Silesian Museum in Görlitz, Germany
29. Library of the Polish Institute in Berlin, Germany
30. Library of the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf, Germany