Orangery

Baroque Garden Culture

Baroque garden culture is manifested not only in palace gardens, but also in orangeries and kitchen gardens.

Orangeries served not only for overwintering outdoor plants. They also had a courtly function, as one could stroll here in winter as if in a gallery. Therefore, an orangery was also built in Kirchheimbolanden in 1778. Previously, a gardener’s residence with side greenhouses already existed on its site. However, the 1778 project was much larger in scale, with a total length of almost 70 m.

The extensive kitchen garden area of the “Herrengarten” (Gentlemen’s Garden) in front of the orangery’s south facade in the 18th century has become a service and residential area as part of the inner-city development since the 1980s. To the east, the civic “Kappesgärten” (Kappes=white cabbage) adjoined it. A relic of this earlier garden history is still a Rococo pavilion (“Gartenhäuschen” – garden house) on Gartenstraße.

The Orangery, now structurally connected to the modern functional building of the “Stadthalle” (City Hall) erected between 2011-13, is today a venue for cultural events, such as art exhibitions. In addition, the municipal culture and event office is located here.

The golden lion – the Nassau heraldic animal – in front of the Orangery is a gift from the city of Weilburg.