Tucked away on the grounds of the Heidelberg Castle, this handsome stone bench is where I said “yes” one June evening. Shawn knew it was one of my favorite spots in Heidelberg, so he suggested we have a picnic there. As the lights on the castle grounds were illuminated, he surprised me by proposing.
Back then, I didn’t know much about the bench’s symbolism or history. I was simply drawn to its elegant lines, the unusual bird perched on a gingko branch on its backrest, and its tranquil views. I’ve since learned a bit more.
Back in 1919, the bench was placed in a leafy spot in the castle gardens, between the Scheffelterrasse and a fountain (of Neptune or Father Rhine).
Just footsteps away from the bench, there’s a bust of German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This is fitting, since Goethe and the bench are linked. Goethe made many visits to Heidelberg, a city with which he was apparently smitten.
The bird carved into the back of the bench is a Hoopoe. This bird is considered a messenger of love in the Orient, which references Goethe’s poetry collection, West-Eastern Divan, which was inspired by Persian culture.
The gingko branch motif on the bench pays homage to Goethe’s poem, Ginkgo biloba. He wrote this in 1815 for Marianne, a friend, or perhaps a love interest:
In my garden’s care and favor
From the East this tree’s leaf shows
Secret sense for us to savor
And uplifts the one who knows.
Is it but one being single
Which as same itself divides?
Are there two which choose to mingle
So that each as one now hides?
As the answer to such question
I have found a sense that’s true:
Is it not my songs’ suggestion
That I’m one and also two?
Where in the World?
Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.
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