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Meeting An Interview with Dr. Johannes Erichsen, President, Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes

EDITORS’ NOTE From 1976 to 2001, Dr. because these buildings are sometimes rather dif- Johannes Erichsen worked for Haus der fi cult to host events in. There are also other dif- Bayerischen Geschichte (House of Bavarian ferences. For some rooms, use is only consented History) in Munich and Augsburg. From 1994 to by the ministry; other rooms are reserved for the 1997, he worked in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Minister President, but we usually have a room where he was responsible for the state exhibition in every facility which can be utilized. “1000 years of Mecklenburg” in Güstrow. He As an art historian, you must have both also was in charge of the Project Peenemünde challenging and rewarding moments in on the island of Usedom. In 2001, he became dealing with the treasures you manage? Head of the Museum department of the Bavarian When we discover beetles below our car- Administration of State-owned Palaces, Gardens pets, or hear of buildings crumbling and have and Lakes (Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung) in to repair them right away, our task can be Munich. He was appointed Vice President in rather diffi cult, because we normally don’t have 2005. In 2008, Erichsen was appointed President enough money to care for this. On the other of the Bavarian Administration of State-owned hand, when we get an idea about how to dem- Palaces, Gardens and Lakes, situated in the onstrate a certain thing or how to restore a room palace of Nymphenburg in Munich. He stud- or how to reinvent a situation, this can be a ied History of Art, History and Archeology in rather nice job. And if somebody calls and tells Bonn and Cologne, and received his Ph.D. at us that, if we do the job right, they will give us the University of Cologne in 1975. Johannes Erichsen money or a collection of things, those are star hours, as we say. ADMINISTRATION BRIEF Also known as the goes to Neuschwanstein and most people are Are the lakes and parks equally as Palace Department, the Bavarian Administration astonished when they learn the castle dates popular? of State-owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes from the 19th century. There are enormous public and famous (www.schloesser.bayern.de) is one of the most So most tourists from overseas don’t objects which nobody realizes are our property. traditional administrative departments in the know about the treasures and where the For instance, the English Garden in Munich, Free State of Bavaria, and is today the largest castles are? which was built as a great public park at the public authority responsible for museums in They don’t know, but we have so many, end of the 18th century. If you were to go to the Germany, managing 45 palaces, castles, and and they are so different because they refl ect English Garden one day, you would fi nd a park residences. It evolved from the court adminis- the total of Bavarian history. You cannot expect as overcrowded as Central Park in New York, tration of Bavaria, and is also responsible for a that anybody knows all of our castles. but nobody realizes this is a park that belongs very special historical heritage: the many mag- Is it possible for a corporation or an to our organization. nifi cent court gardens, palace parks, gardens, organization to rent a portion of a castle for This park also has a famous wave for surf- and lakes. The ensembles of European architec- meetings, dinners, or galas? ing. There is a small river that runs very fast ture and artistic interiors attract over fi ve mil- Yes, they can, and we hope they would, through the park with a standing wave which lion visitors annually from all over the world. because we earn a lot of money from those doesn’t move, brought in by a subterranean activities. We are a state-dependent organiza- channel. Surfers from all over the world come You’re in charge of all of the castles in tion that depends on funding from the Ministry to surf this because there is nothing comparable Bavaria that are owned by the government. of Finance. They expect us to fi nance a lot of to it. How many are there? things ourselves, so we are very anxious for all What is it that you would like our au- We have 40 castles and some monuments, revenues. We actually cover about 95 percent dience to remember about your Bavarian as well as two artist houses, for a total of 45. of our regular expenses through our own rev- treasures? Are Neuschwanstein and Linderhof the enues. Still there is investment for upkeep of We have lots of wonderful old-world trea- two most famous? the buildings. But even if you take this upkeep sures. In our castles, you can admire splendid They are at least the most visited. Disney’s money into account, we still cover more than 50 works of art. But you can also learn a lot about castles looks like Neuschwanstein because percent ourselves. With a budget of about $130 bygone days and princely court life, and the his- Disney’s artists knew Neuschwanstein. But we million a year, we could not get all that from tory of Germany, and you can realize the cul- have other important palaces like the Würzburg entrance fees. tural exchange so characteristic for the middle of Residenz, which display some of the most beau- What kind of facility can a company Europe. Our castles are mirrors of the past – a tiful frescoes by the Venetian Giovanni Battista or organization rent, and can the events be splendid past, indeed, which still is an integral Tiepolo, or Munich Residenz with its splendid catered? part of our culture. • objects from the Bavarian court. Public interest We have a whole list, which you can fi nd is not always congruent with the real historical on the Internet, whether you need a room for Linderhof Palace (left); Neuschwanstein Castle (center); or artistic importance of an object. So everybody 1,500 or for 15. We have some appointed caterers Würzburg Residenz stairway (right)