The motif
This scenic painter’s view in the northern part of the city is now surrounded by Nordhausen’s most beautiful villa district. Just a few steps away stands the Art Nouveau villa built in 1907, now home to the Meyenburg Art House, which has been a new cultural venue with its art exhibitions since 2002. In our painting, the building would appear in the back on the left, roughly where the sheep are grazing. Behind them, a few poplars rise in the painting and mark the Stolberger Straße, which still exists today. In the distance is the Kyffhäuser, beside it a marvellous full moon. From Nordhausen’s city centre, you can spot St. Petri, St. Blasii, and, on the far right, the Schützen Tower; the chimney in the middle of the painting belongs to the Hagen Brewery. In front of it there used to be inns, because the painter, just like we do today, stood at the edge of the so-called Gehege. It was the favourite walking spot for the people of Nordhausen. They had planted the trees as early as 1740 and made sure that no pastures would destroy the lovely grounds. Walking outside the city gates, appreciating beauty, and caring for it became a civic virtue – especially in Nordhausen, as it was an old imperial city.
