Temple de l’amour; Temple rustique

From an artificial ruin to a thatched cottage

Temple de l’amour; Temple rustique

There once stood here the artificial ruins of a tower, the Temple de l'amour, which was destroyed in 1793. During the 19th century refurbishment of the garden, an artful thatched-roof cottage was built in its stead.

When the garden was opened in 1785, Birseck Castle was not taken in as part of the garden, but served simply as part of the scenery. With the Temple de l'amour the Ermitage received another typical element of a landscape garden: an artificial ruin, from which you could get a view of the surroundings, while your thoughts could wander to a lost, heroic past. After the destruction of the Ermitage in the revolutionary turmoil of 1793, it was rebuilt in the early 19th century and the temple dedicated to love was replaced with one dedicated to rural simplicity: the Rustic Temple. The reed hut represents rural innocence and the very beginnings of architecture. Under its roof stood an alter with flower and fruit baskets, as well as the inscription "Aux dieux amis des champs, des arts et de la paix" (To the gods, friends of nature, art and peace). Today this altar is made of wood. Through its opening, light falls into the Proserpina Grotto.