Lecture: "The Schwetzingen Meadows and Their Small Monuments"

Lecture by Dr. Volker Kronemayer and Karl-Heinz Monshausen The Schwetzinger Wiesen are a large area of land between the outskirts of Brühl and the Rhine. Far away from downtown Schwetzingen, this part of the district is perhaps no longer familiar to all Schwetzingen residents. This is because only a small portion of this district is still owned by Schwetzingen farmers. The state of Baden-Württemberg now owns most of the land and represents its interests in the Schwetzinger Wiesen Water and Soil Association. The area, which is now partly farmed, partly a landscape conservation area, and partly a nature reserve, took on its current form in 1760/1761. At that time, an extensive irrigation and drainage system was installed, which remained in place until the 1960s. The canal system is still clearly visible. The Brühl Local History Association has been studying this hydraulic engineering system since 2022. The Leimbach stream was also of far-reaching importance, as described in a further report the following year. The project, which was not planned to be so extensive, came to a provisional conclusion with the recording of small monuments, which was initiated by the Rhine-Neckar district in 2022. The results of the project will be published this summer. The speakers, Dr. Volker Kronemayer and Karl-Heinz Monshausen, recorded, described, and published their findings and conclusions. They are available as printed brochures and/or can be viewed on the homepage of the Verein für Heimat- und Brauchtumspflege Brühl/Rohrhof e.V. (Brühl/Rohrhof Local History and Customs Association). A lecture with a slide presentation is now a welcome opportunity to bring the topic to a wider audience. Following the lecture, Dr. Volker Kronemayer will be awarded the Schwetzingen History Prize in recognition of his outstanding services to the city and regional history ("Luise von Degenfeld Prize"). The Friends of the Schwetzingen Museum cordially invite the interested public to attend. The lecture will take place on Thursday, June 11, at 6:00 p.m. at the Palais Hirsch. Admission is free.