Press information: “Culture Cues” at five- star hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme Bad Schandau 2016
Located between Dresden and Prague, the newly opened five-star hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme Bad Schandau focuses on a mixture of regional and cosmopolitan culture, to be felt and experienced by its guests
May, Wagner & Wustmann: the spirit of the Elbresidenz salons
“It is a trip down memory lane with a vision for the future”, says hotel manager Andrea Kaminski while leading through the salons of the newly-reopened Elbresidenz Bad Schandau. Big names have left their traces, all connected to the rich cultural heritage of Saxon Switzerland: Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner reverberate, Karl May and Erich Wustmann emerge. Likewise Caspar David Friedrich, who discovered the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Germany’s only national park characterized by Grand Canyon-like rocks, as a source of inspiration for his famous pictures. Also some precious etchings by artist Artur Henne can be admired in the Elbresidenz. Painter Dirk Sommer from Freiburg has just recently completed 100 large size paintings that capture his impressions of what is probably the most spectacular stopover between Dresden and Prague. In short: The Elbresidenz is alive with cosmopolitan art and culture which can be experienced throughout the premises, at the salons, the art exhibition spaces or at the time of prestigious cross-border festivals. No wonder that celebrities like Halle Berry, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Hanks and Christoph Waltz resided here before the flood of 2013. The Elbe Sandstone Mountains not only inspired romantic artists, they also drew contemporary directors who shot films here like “Pope Joan”, “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”.
Countless stories echo in the salons of the Elbresidenz which just reopened its doors after the flood of 2013: diving into these worlds is recommended! Stories, for example, of the famous, if not notorious, Karl May, the most widely read, published and translated German author. His popular “Winnetou” – a heroic Native American chief born out of May’s imagination – will be performed at the nearby Felsenbühne Rathen (open air stage). A new TV production will immortalize “Winnetou” in a three-part series on RTL network, to be broadcast later in 2016. “For me, Karl May who lived in Saxon Switzerland and for whom the Elbe Sandstone Mountains served as the inspiration for the Grand Canyon is a world citizen of the future, with a truly international mindset,” says CEO Klaus Dieter Böhm. He has arranged an exciting Karl May library for the hotel: fans can discover facsimile of the complete first edition with impressive cover pictures. Visitors may deepen their explorations of the author’s universe at the Karl-May-Museum in nearby Radebeul. Another Elbresidenz cultural highlight is the personal collection of ethnologist Erich Wustmann, an honorary citizen of the town of Bad Schandau. As an explorer and traveler, he visited, lived and learned with 36 Indian tribes in South America. He wrote 56 books, and his collection includes valuable cultural assets and ethnographic artefacts. The new bar of the Elbresidenz is called “Rio Xingu”, named after one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. As the habitat of the Kayapó people it is currently threatened by a dam project. The Toskanaworld Group, owner and operator of the hotel, has a long-term commitment with the international children’s fund Ourchild e.V. to support the preservation of the endangered cultural traditions of the Marubo in Brazil.
So far so international. But let us return to the National Park Saxon Switzerland with its extraordinary rocks and flat-top mountains: artists of the romanticist era such as Caspar David Friedrich (“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”), Ludwig Richter and even Bernardo Belotto alias Canaletto painted in Saxon Switzerland – the real inspiration for their works of art can be retraced on the Malerweg (painters’ trial). Moreover, Artur Henne (born 1963 in Liebstadt) created subtle etchings which convey his enthusiasm for the landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Some of his works are on display in the Elbresidenz.
Last but not least, Saxon Switzerland also has a (musical) ring to it, e.g. the high, glittering violins of the “Lohengrin” prelude. While composing this opera, Richard Wagner – who was Dresden’s musical director at the time – lived in a summer residence in Graupa. Today, it houses the memorial site “Lohengrinhaus” which hosts concerts and readings. Carl Maria von Weber’s wolf’s glen from his “Freischütz” opera is believed to be located in Saxon Switzerland, a museum in Dresden is dedicated to him. Another famous visitor to the region was Dmitri Shostakovich – his music is celebrated with a festival in Gohrisch. The contributors of this event, of course, reside in the Elbresidenz. Are you looking for more musical insider tips? The festival “Sandstein und Musik” (Sandstone and Music) features top-class concerts from Bach to Tango to musical cabaret in unusual locations in Saxon Switzerland. Travelling in Chopin’s footsteps, one should not miss the Czech Děčín Castle in order to visit concerts and the local museum.
The Elbresidenz and its surroundings offer a unique cultural microcosm, the diversity of which is only matched by the nearby metropolis Dresden and Prague. One of the more unusual cultural activities can be experienced in the Elbresidenz spa: the literary sauna in the “Lektarium”, invented and trademarked by the Toskanaworld group. Poetry readings in the sauna redefine the relationship between inspiration and transpiration.
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Information: five-star hotel Elbresidenz an der Therme Bad Schandau, Markt 1-11, 01814 Bad Schandau, www.elbresidenz-bad-schandau.net, +49/ (0)36461/92000 or (0)35022/9190.
Texts and pictures at www.pressegroup.com!
Media contact: Barbara Angerer-Winterstetter, Pressegroup.com / Winterstetter PR GmbH
Tel +49/89/418 518-91, , www.pressegroup.com