Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-23
TEGEL CASTLE.
HOME OF WILLIAM AND ALEXANDER
Won HUMBOLDT.
The Little Castle-strange Rooms
Family Burial-Place.
Correspondence of the RECORD. Usros.l

BERLIN, August 20, 1882.
To visitor at the great metropolis OF
Germany one of the most delightful ey.
cursions is trip to the little village OF
Tegel. This village is situated at a dis.
tance of about an hours ride by the street
car but this mode of travel robs the ex.
cursionist of much that is enjoyable by the
way. Far better is it for him to walk and
enjoy in fullest measure the interesting
stretch of land, which is thickly peopled
from Berlin to Tegel.
The varied life which presents itself to
his view, furnishes him with abundant
food for reflection. He passes barracks
teeming with soldier life iron works, with
their grimy, iDcessant toilers palatial
residences and humble homes. Here and
there he sees "white lowered city of the
sleepers," toward which
A SOLEMN PROCESSION
Is slowly moving; while on the opposite
side of the street body of red-capped
soldiers are marching as though the chief
business of life were to learn the art of war.
Following perhaps is clumsy little cart
drawn by bony little dog assisted by a
weary little woman while by her side
trudges her sister of toll bowed beneath
the weight of the loaded basket, which is
strapped upon her much enduring should
ers. In Germany you do not know which
to pity most, dogs or peasant women. But
the puff of the sturdy little locomotive
breaks in upon his reflections and, 10, he is
just outside of the village, before black
pond ont which arises hundreds of snow
white lilies. This vision of loneliness dis
pels his meditations, and suggests the lines
of the poet:
o star on the breast of the river!
marvel of beauty and grace
Did you fail straight down from heaven,
Out Of the sunniest place?
The broad branches meet over the narrow
road, as he winds his way past the modest
dwellings, the little church around the
corner, the shady beer garden, up the hill
and through the quiet grove to the quaint
old Schloss, or castle-once the home of
the celebrated brothers William and Alex.
ander Won Humboldt. The former, as
everyone knows, one of the noblest and
most talented State Ministers OF Germany !:
the latter so well-known throughout the
world as the learned traveller and explorer.
THE sCHLosSCHEN
(Littel castle), as the old home is often de.
nominated, is plain and unpretendipg
stone building. 1t belonged originally to
the great Elector, and was used by him as
hunting castle later it fell into the
hands of the Humboldt family, and at
the death of their parents the brothers,
William and Alexander, fell heirs to the
property. Alexander, whose work called
him out into the "wide, wide world, i"
lived very little at Tegel but William
spent there the last fifteen years of his life
between 1920 and 1885. At his death
his son inherited the premises, while his
daughters fell Eeirs to Schloss Tegel. It is
now in the possession of the widow of
Minister Won Bulow, lady upwards of
so years of age, the third and only
living daughter of William Won Humboldt.
This good lady spends portion of every
summer at the old homestead, and when
visitors appear, she kindly withdraWs to a
private room and opens the little castle for
their inspection. Everything in aud about
the home is carefully preserved, and re-
mains exactly as in the time of the ilIustri-
GUS brothers. As you pass through the
front hall adorned with statusry you enter
large reception room. This is low, and
supported by columns of the Doric order.
The walls are blue, the floor stone mosaic,
and standing around in inches are beautiful
marbles statues, which were brought by
the brothers at different times from foreign
lands. In the center of the room is
LARGE ANTIQUE MARBLE VASE
Which ia most deliberately decorated with
bacchanalian reliefs. This curious vase
formerly stood in the Church of st. Ca
lixtus at Trastevere It is said in it the
holy Calix was drowned, and that The
water, which was dipped out sparingly to
believers, was supposed to possess miracu-
lous qualities. This may account for the
grace and beauty OF the geraniums and for
get. me.nots which it now contains, lending
their cheer to the quaint old room. In the
several apartments which are shown to
visitors the furniture, pictures, statues and
ornaments are said to occupy the exact
spots in which Humboldt had them placed.
One large awkward mahogany table is
pointed cut, on which William Won Hum.
boldt is said TO have written his most valu-
able books. The big book. case of the
Humboldt library, although not ga thing
Of beauty" is a wonderful attraction. Be-
sides the innumerable volumes of German
lore which it contains, there are Byron's
life and works, Cooks travels around the
world, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Bulwers
I" Eugene Arsm and "Rienzi." Then
down in a modest corner, on the
bottom shelf, near the floor, stand
the thick leather bound volumes,
containing the most valuable
efforts of William Won Humboldt. Beside
the odd construction of the rooms and the
quaint furniture, which are both exceed
ingly interesting, you are surprised TO find,
upon inspection, that this unpretendiDg
little castle is a perfect storehouse of art
treasure. But however attractive relics
and heirlooms may prove to the beholder,
description of them generally proves dry
reading. So we will mention only few
of the gems. In one room are admirable
copies of the two famous statues. the
Venus of Milo and the Capitolne Venus !;
panorama Of Rome, painting of the
Battle of Constantine, after Raphael and
from the immortal hand of Thor 8aldsen
graceful marble group in which Bacchus
gives a drink to Amour. In another are
two feminine torsoa, which were brought
from Athens to Rome in 1893 by French
officer, and purchased later by William
Won Humboldt. These are said to be the
most beautiful bodies of Grecian art and
Professor Wagner thinks that they belong
to group of Grsces the third
one of which is IN the possession
CT Mr.. Blundell Weld, near Liverpool.
IN THE SECOND STORY
The rooms are small and low some of the
ingeniously- arched ceilings, however, which
are painted blue and finished with stars,
present such shining armament to your
astonished eyes, that you are almost
cheated into the belief that you are gazing
into boundless space. These rooms, which