Schloss Nymphenburg: Printzgarten

This building goes by many names. On google maps and the sign in front it’s called the Prinzengarten. Sometimes it is called the Kronprinzengarten, or Ludwigsgarten. It was built for Ludwig I, very near to the Amalienburg, a home which had been built years before for a wife of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Although it is not directly stated, it is inferred that the Prinzengarten is a child’s playhouse. It is the Princes’ Garden, if translated literally. You cannot go inside from my knowledge, but from the outside it can be observed that the two story building with a patio at the back is made up of wood, though has been painted to look like a stone building, complete with both false windows and working ones. It is surrounded by open fields in which a child could play, as well as a little brook and bridge at the back of the house.

It’s of little significance in terms of historical value, it’s merely a playhouse built for the children of Nymphenburg. So why include something so small and unknown in the posts about November in Nymphenburg?

Upon seeing this building my immediate thought was that if one were to add a fireplace and some insulation this child’s plaything could easily be, not just habitable, but thrivable. The grounds around it are spacious enough for a significant vegetable patch, a chicken coop, and maybe even some grazing room for a goat. The pond, which is fed by the nearby canal, might even be used to raise small fish.

How can a leader be trusted if they liken the lives of their countrymen to childsplay?