SAXONY. STATE OF THE ARTS

GERMANY'S FINEST TRAVEL DESTINATION

Royally bred

Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel was born on December 18, 1865 in Lohmen, just 25 kilometers away from the Saxon capital of Dresden. He was trained as a gardener in the royal gardens of Pillnitz, the summer palace of the Saxon kings. Specializing in tropical plants, he moved on to India via Hamburg and London. On the occasion of his 150th birthday, he was honored with an exhibition at Pillnitz Palace. Palace and gardens are open to the public today. The nearby pier is the starting point for the most popular ride on the historic steamboats of the Saxon Steamboat Company, taking passengers back to Dresden’s city centre in an hour through the Dresden Elbe Valley which was once declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its perfect harmony of architecture and nature.

Man of many talents

In 1884, Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel was appointed Consulting Architect by HRS Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. He shaped the Maharaja’s gardens, among them the famous Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. And he turned Bangalore into a green city. Krumbiegel also promoted gardening as a way to a healthier lifestyle and supported measures to improve health and education standards. He retired with great fanfare in the 1930s and died at the age of 1991. His grave is still a pilgrimage site for Indian gardeners and his legacy is highly treasured.