When she came to Rzędziny (Nassenheide) near Szczecin, by the Baltic Sea, in the late 19th century, she created her garden practically from nothing in an old, abandoned mansion where wind howled, and half-savage vegetation crept up from the nearby forest. She did not know botany, nor gardening, and yet she created a glamorous Eden full of charm, beauty, and peace. In order to save it from oblivion, she began to write… This is how this unique publication, entitled Elizabeth and her German Garden happened (published first in 1898), which shows how the creative consciousness comes to life under the influence of the power of nature.
Welcome to the garden of the Countess Elizabeth von Arnim, AD 1900, which currently is situated in the ever-living, true-to-heart home of virtual and wonderful world of imagination. In the words of Milton, ,”The mind is its own place,” so let us join the Countess in her paths.
Photo from www.forum.gazeta.pl (villages near Szczecin, Poland)
“The house was built of grey stone, and stood in the middle of the vast Prussian plains. It had a stone-floored hall, which once was a monastery’s chapel. However, during the Thirty Years’ War, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden expelled the nuns on the plain to seek other shelter.” (Ogród wyobraźni hrabiny von Arnim-‘(in Eng.-The palace of Countess’s von Arnim imagination’ by Małgorzata Piera)
The book Ogród wyobraźni hrabiny von Arnim is already on sale http://zaczytani.pl/ksiazka/ogrod_wyobrazni_hrabiny_von_arnim,druk
Newsflash
In June this year, I have participated the Rose Festival dedicated to Countess von Arnim in Skarbimierzyce near Szczecin, Poland, where a lot of readers asked me for dedications on my book entitled Ogród wyobraźni hrabiny von Arnim, and many of them spoke of their fascination with the personality of Elizabeth.
Below you can see a fragment of the book stall.
* The Rose Garden
My Inspirations — Countess’ Sepia Roses
The sheer number of species of roses in the Countess’ garden may make your head spin. These precious flowers, which usually bloom all summer, must have looked impressive as the background of the palace, against the lush greenery of the park. Most of her roses were miniature, and she only grew two full-grown varieties, which looked, according to her, like “brooms” driven into the ground (Ogród wyobraźni hrabiny von Arnim)
Flower motifs on pots
