The Jenisch-Haus is a classicist country house in Klein Flottbek, a district in western Hamburg, which allows a wide view over a park over the Elbe near Teufelsbrück. The Museum of Art and Culture on the Elbe is run as a branch of the Altona Museum and shows representative halls on the ground floor. On the upper floors, changing exhibitions present topics from the history of art and culture, particularly from the 19th century.
The Jenisch Haus is one of the most beautiful historic buildings in Hamburg. Located within extensive parklike gardens on the banks of the Elbe, the south-facing rooms offer wonderful views of the river and passing ships. It was constructed between 1831 and 1834 in the neoclassical style according to plans by Franz Gustav Forsmann and Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
Today it is the Museum for Art and Culture on the Elbe and boasts impressive state rooms with opulent decorative plasterwork and parquet floors as well as furnishings, paintings and sculptures in the Empire and Biedermeier styles and many temporary exhibitions.
History
The house was built by Franz Forsmann and Karl Schinkel for Martin Johann Jenisch between 1831 and 1834. Jenisch used it as a country house.
Jenisch Haus is situated in the Flottbek valley on the banks of the River Elbe to the west of Hamburg. Caspar Voght (1752–1839), a successful merchant of Hamburg, purchased five separate farmsteads in 1785 and combined them to create a large manorial domain. He was inspired by The Leasowes manor in Shropshire, England, which was hailed as the ideal ornamented farm, having agricultural facilities that weren’t just practical but also designed in a harmonious and pleasant way.
After the Great Fire of Hamburg of 1842, the senator in office had to make important long-term decisions on the reconstruction of the areas affected by the fire. Thanks to his high status, illustrious guests from around the world flocked to him, including rulers and dignitaries of the first order, poets, and thinkers. The manor house served as a generously representative space.
Jenisch followed the prior owner’s advice, and the highest point in the southern part of Voght Manor Park with the best view of the Elbe was chosen for the construction. Jenisch Park is the largest part of Voght Park still mostly preserved to this day.
Franz Gustav Forsmann (1795–1878) was commissioned to design the building in 1828. The house was to feature large door and window openings so there was always a good view of the countryside. His plans were based on the country houses along the Elbchaussee, designed by Danish architect Christian Frederik Hansen.
Jenisch sent the plans for review to Prussian chief surveyor Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1782–1841) in Berlin, who was widely respected at the time.
The result was a set of counter-proposals, sent in 1829, based on his conception of Glienicke Palace on the River Havel. Ultimately, in mature classicist style, a combination of plans from both architects across an almost square ground plan was used for the house, which was built and furnished from 1831 to 1834.
Architecture
The house is designed as a large cube, with a basement, two main floors and an attic floor. The windows are in a 1-3-1 ratio and focus on the center. On the main floors the windows reach almost completely from the floor to the ceiling. The front of the house toward the park and Elbe river has a Doric portico, supporting a balcony. The large windows, the balcony, and the house opening into the park represent the relationship between architecture and nature.
The Jenisch House was built between 1831 and 1834 by the architect Franz Gustav Forsmann on behalf of Martin Johann Jenisch the Younger. Jenisch had been senator and president of the building deputation since 1827. After the Hamburg fire of 1842, he played a major role in planning the reconstruction. In 1828 he bought the Flottbek property from Baron Voght, who, due to his age, was no longer able to manage his estate in Klein Flottbek so actively and was also in financial difficulties. In 1829 he had Flottbek elevated to the status of a firm by the Danish king.
Jenisch submitted the original drafts of Forsmann, who was an employee of the building department, to the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who designed a brand new country house that was oversized for Jenisch. Forsmann then revised his design and accepted some of Schinkel’s suggestions. These designs are now in the Hamburg State Archives.
The building consists of a compact cube that is sparsely decorated with classicist elements. The most striking ornamentation is the Doric portico to the Elbe side and the delicate railing above the eave. The division of the house – although built for a citizen – is still in the tradition of the princely country castle. The large representative and social rooms are located on the ground floor, which is also the floor with the highest room height. Of particular note here are the vestibule with the staircase extending through all floors, the white dining room and the Elbe salon facing the river.
Functions
The ground floor has prestigious salons, while the first floor contained the living areas and the attics were for the servants. As of 2008, the Museum für Kunst und Kultur an der Elbe is located in Jenisch House, using it for exhibitions, marriages and other events. A terrace is occupied by a café for the museum.
Museum
In 1936 the Jenisch House became a museum. Inside, the house was converted into a museum for Hanseatic living culture in 1955. Today it is a branch of the Altona Museum, since 2007 under the direction of cultural scientist Nicole Tiedemann-Bischop. The Jenisch Haus has been part of the Hamburg Historical Museum Foundation since January 1, 2008.
The second floor once housed the private living quarters of the senator and his family. These museum-used rooms today show exhibits on the living culture of past centuries. The top floor and the floor with the lowest room height were originally reserved for the servants; today, changing exhibitions take place here.
Permanent exhibitions
The Jenisch House is the former country house of Hamburg Senator Martin Johann Jenisch (1793 – 1857). Built between 1831 and 1834 according to plans by Franz Gustav Forsmann and Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the Jenisch House is a significant monument to neo-classical architecture. It is distinguished by its villa style architecture and its location in the park as well as its wide variety of room designs boasting style elements from baroque to Biedermeier.
First floor
The Entrance Hall
The entrance hall brings together numerous sculptural works that fit well with the sleek and distinct classical architecture of the porch, vestibule, and stairwell.
This free sculpture “Der Fischer” (The Fisherman), made in 1887 from Carrara marble, comes from the Altona sculptor Johannes Uhde. Inspired by the ballad “Der Fischer” by Johann W. von Goethe in 1778, it is the sculptural embodiment of a line of verse. Originally created for Donner Castle, the sculpture was a gift from Baron Conrad Hinrich K. von Donner, first to the Altona Museum, and later to Jenisch Haus.
Uhde first created a small model which he then fleshed out into a life-sized piece. The marble block came from Italy and was worked by the artist in Dresden.
Inspired by the ballad “Der Fischer” by Johann W. von Goethe (1778), it is the sculptural embodiment of the penultimate line of verse “…halb zog sie ihn, halb sank er hin…” (“half drawn by her he glided in.”)
Highlights
Tondo plaster cast “Day” (1814)
by Bertel Thorvaldsen
In the porch of the house are “Night” and “Day”, two tondo plaster casts of the marble originals by Bertel Thorvaldsen from around 1815.
Tondo plaster cast “Night” (1814)
by Bertel Thorvaldsen
In Greek mythology, Nyx (Night) was one of the first powers of the world and together with Erebos (Darkness) gave rise to Aither (Sky/Air) and Hemera (Day).
The “Alexanderzug” (Wars of Alexander the Great)
by Bertel Thorvaldsen
The “Alexanderzug” (Wars of Alexander the Great) was created for a hall of the Quirinal Palace in preparation for a prospective visit by Napoleon I (1769–1821). However, this visit never took place and Napoleon compensated the artist by commissioning him to create the frieze in marble for Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Paris.
The fall of Napoleon prevented the marble frieze from being collected, so Count Giovanni Battista Sommariva (1762–1826) moved it to his own Villa Carlotta on Lake Como around 1826.
The original plaster model, created in 1811–1812 for Napoleon’s visit to Rome, remained in the Sala della Marchesa in the Quirinal Palace.
Many plaster casts of the original model came onto the market and even reached areas of Hamburg, such as the house of the Abendroth family.
Mirror with a console table
This mirror from around 1780, framed in white with gilded carvings, is a very special piece in Jenisch Haus. This mirror with a console table represents Polyhymnia, the muse of dance and pantomime. This console table was created at the end of the 18th century. It is painted white with gilded carvings and has a reddish marble top.
The three Panneux
The cash room, which was once the entrée room, features three paintings. The three panneaux from 1806 – out of a total of five made by Ludwig Philipp Strack (1761–1836) – are located on the north wall of the room.
They show the scenes of “Anienetal bei Tivoli” (Aniene Valley in Tivoli), “Ruinen von Taormina” (The Ruins of Taormina), and “Cascatelli bei Tivoli” (Cascatelli in Tivoli).
Highlights
Marble sculpture “Rebecca”
by Girolamo Masini
Next to the panneaux by the window is the marble sculpture “Rebecca” by the Florentine sculptor Girolamo Masini, owned by the Jenisch family.
The story of “Rebekah at the Well” comes from Genesis 24 of the Old Testament. Abraham sent for his great-niece Rebekah from the old homeland as a wife for his son Isaac, as Isaac was not to marry any of the pagan Canaanite women. The scene of Abraham’s messenger finding the chosen one at a well—it was she who led him to drink—is frequently portrayed in art history.
Eutin stove (after 1820)
by Eutiner Werkstatt
This so-called Eutin stove consists of white glazed tiles and yellow-brown and beige-ocher ornamental tiles with motifs of mythological legends from Greek antiquity.
An ancient representation of a warrior’s departure scene was chosen as the center image. This popular theme is a symbol of glorious death, or memento mori. The scorpion, a symbol of martial power, is an attribute of the heroes Hector and Achilles, as can be seen in the departures of both heroes here. In general, the scorpion is a symbol of transience and resurrection, but also of mischief, death, and change.
Eutin stove (after 1820)
by Eutiner Werkstatt
The stove is crowned with a kylix footed bowl with ram-headed handles. The painted floral ornamentation can also be found on antique vases. The artist Tischbein was fascinated by Greek painting and especially by floral ornamentation. He adapted the tendril work for himself and made it his signature feature, known as Tischbein tendrils.
Glass Briati chandelier (1760 – 1765)
by Werkstatt Joseph Pallme
A glass Briati chandelier hangs from the ceiling, which was made in the workshop of Joseph Pallme around the middle of the 18th century. The elaborate production processes make this chandelier a special piece.
The arms of this chandelier have a unique six-part grooving. This was achieved by the glass-maker pressing the required amount of glass each arm into a cast-iron mold that contained the grooves as a negative. The glass gob was then retrieved by an assistant using pliers, stretched to the required length and hardness, and turned slightly. On a wooden board, the still-hard glass rods were bent around two nailed wooden blocks, until they formed S shapes. Meanwhile, two other assistants formed the candle covers that were then melted onto the arms using drops of very soft glass.
The White Hall
The large hall to the left of the entrance hall originally served as a grand dining room. Its walls and ceilings are decorated with ornamental plasterwork. Three full-length windows open up to the east with a view of the park. The parquet flooring is part of the original fittings as well. The chandelier was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and comes from a stately home in East Holstein. The simple stove standing in the corner of the room is also part of the original fittings.
The large hall to the left of the vestibule originally served as a banqueting room for representative purposes. To this day, it is still used for receptions. Three floor-to-ceiling windows open to the east onto the park. The two-tone diamond-pattern parquet dates back to the building’s construction. The walls and ceiling still bear the original stucco which was probably once colored.
Above a basement closed off with tall antique ornamental friezes are grand quadratic wall panels bordered with stuccoed ornamental ribbons. Putti friezes and a coffered ceiling close off the room above.
His palmette ornamentation is reminiscent of the gilded window grilles of Jenisch House. The inspiration for this was the pilaster capital of the Temple of Apollo in Didyma, or the geison of the Athena Temple in Priene.
The chandelier was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and comes from a manor house in East Holstein.
Highlights
Two semicircular gilded wall tables (1800)
by unbekannt
Two semicircular gilded wall tables with white marble tops complete the ensemble. They date back to around 1800 and have fire-gilded candelabras on top.
The Jenisch Room
This room, probably originally designed as a tea parlour or reading room, is now furnished with articles associated with Caspar Voght and Martin Johan Jenisch. It has two full length windows, one looking south towards the Elbe and the other eastwards to the park. The parquet floor was laid according to a design by the architect Franz Gustav Forsmann (1795 – 1878). Square panels of oak parquet frame the central area which is also square in shape. The inlaid circular motif with palms, wreaths and ribbons is partly formed by coloured pieces of wood and decorative nails.
The Lower Elbe Room
The three almost room-height windows in this room open out into the portico on the south side of the house. This allows people to step out onto the terrace or even down the stone steps to the park, so it is also described as the Garden Room. The fittings in the room are mainly from the time of the French Empire (around 1800) The group of seats with black lacquered and gilded wood in the middle of the room was originally in the house belonging to Georg Friedrich Baur on Palmaille in Altona. The chairs with the sphinx figures on the arm rests and curved back are based on a design by Percier & Founaine, important architects and interior designers of the Empire style in Paris.
By virtue of its location and design, the hall is what’s known as a ‘garden hall’. It was the most important room in 19th century manor house architecture. With three almost room-height French windows, it is designed as a portico on the south side of the house. The French windows allowed for both a view of the park, framed by columns, and access to the open-air terrace.
The large frieze on the walls of the salon is reminiscent of the palmette frieze from the north door of the Erechtheion of the Acropolis in Athens, first discovered in 1821.
The dark-green and gilded wooden sofa and the chairs with Sphinx figures on the armrests and curved backrests can be traced back to a design by Percier & Fontaine. Charles Percier was a French architect and decorator who was also commissioned to complete more grand projects such as furnishing the the Château de Malmaison and constructing the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris during the First French Empire.
The bronze chandelier (Paris, around 1795) above the seating is taken from the Baursche Landhaus.
Highlights
Mirror above the marble fireplace (1829)
Jenisch most likely acquired the marble fireplace and the large black-and-gold mirror above in Florence around 1829. On one hand, the mirror had an esthetic function as it brought the house exterior into the building interior by reflecting an image of the garden. It also reflected the candlelight in the evening. On the other hand, it subtly conveys the wealth of the owner as mirror glass was still very expensive in the 19th century.
Copy of the antique statue of Venus de’ Medici (ca. 1880)
by unbekannt
To the left of the fireplace is a copy of the antique statue of Venus de’ Medici, created in Italy around 1880 and owned by Adolph Godeffroy, the presiding director of Hapag.
The Venus de’ Medici is one of the most famous antiques of Rome, rediscovered there in the 1630s and named after its later owners, the Medici family. The life-sized marble sculpture, actually made in the 2nd century, is a copy of the Greek bronze sculpture which dates back as early as the 1st century BC. Originally depicted was the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who has often been associated with the Roman goddess Venus since the 4th century BC.
The youthful goddess is portrayed in a pose of movement, as if she were climbing out of the sea. The dolphin plays at her feet and would not have been just an accessory—it probably also acted as the required support for the bronze original.
The restoration of the arms was carried out by Ercole Ferrata (1610–1686) who gave the figure long, tapering, mannerist fingers.
Marble clock (1780)
by Jean Antoine Lépine
This white marble clock with bronze fittings and blue-and-white Wedgwood medallions on the mantelpiece was made by renowned watchmaker Jean Antoine Lépine in Paris.
The clock is flanked by two bronze chandeliers from the house of the functionary G. F. Baur on Palmaille in Altona.
The Bather
by Johan Nyclas Byström
On the right side of the chimney stands “Die Badende” (The Bather), also known as “Mädchen an der Quelle” (Girl at the Spring), made by Johan Nyclas Byström in Sweden in 1838 and owned by the Rücker Jenisch family.
Senator Jenisch most likely acquired her on one of his trips to Italy in 1829 to 1830, or 1838 to 1839 from Rome.
Genien der Fischerei und der Jagd
by Pietro Tenerani
On pillars between the windows are the pair Genius of Fishing and Genius of Hunting (c. 1824) by Pietro Tenerani, bought by the Jenisch couple during a trip to Italy in 1829.
Pietro Tenerani was a student of Antonio Canova and, until 1829, an assistant to Berthel Thorvaldsen. His bust can also be seen in the lower Elbe salon.
Bust of Bertel Thorvaldsen
by unbekannt
Bertel Thorvaldsen lived mainly in Rome and died in Copenhagen in 1844 after receiving royal honors from his native city in 1838. His studies at Copenhagen Academy earned him the highest honor, the gold medal, and a three-year Rome scholarship at an early age. In Italy, he became one of the greatest classicist sculptors in Europe.
Floral still life
by Johan Lauritz Jensen
A large painting hangs on the wall above a serving table. This was painted by Johan Lauritz Jensen (1800–1856) in Rome and shows a floral still life with a southern landscape backdrop.
Trumpet bushes in a terracotta-colored chalice with an antique relief can be seen, as well as an orange tree, roses, dahlias, and agaves.
The Music Room
This room is furnished with musical instruments appropriate for its original purpose. Taking pride of place is the unique Erard fortepiano from the year 1838 which was kept in excellent, playable condition by Prof. Andreas Beurmann. A music stand with an adjustable tray for sheet music is placed right next to it. Above a square piano there hangs a photograph of Candida Höfer (born 1944), mirroring the view out of the window to the Elbe. On the other wall there is a portrait of Alice Boué (nee Parish) (1766 – 1837) by Jean-Laurent Mosnier (1743 – 1808).
Second floor
In the west wing on the second floor are the former private rooms of the Jenisch family. Today, the rooms are dedicated to the life and work of the Caspar Voght (1752–1839), a figure in the philosophical and intellectual Enlightenment movement.
According to an inventory list from 1859, the bedroom of Senator Jenisch’s wife contained “one bedstead, eight chairs, one armchair, one chiffonier, one bathroom mirror, one commode with toilet, two tables, one washbasin, one towel rail, one bedside table, one étagère, one clock, one fire basket, one grate with tongs and shovel, curtains, and a mat; in the bathroom there are one linen closet, one wardrobe, four chairs, one washbasin, two tables, one towel rail, one bedside table, one toilet with mirror, one grate with tongs and shovel, curtains, and a bath mat. In the corner room is a sofa.”
Jenisch’s wife also had a bathtub; the house had been fitted with a plumbing system.
These rooms are now home to a permanent exhibition on the previous landowner, Baron Voght.
Caspar Voght Exhibition
The west wing of the second floor is dedicated to a permanent exhibition about the life and work of Caspar Voght. This Hamburg merchant, together with his friend and business partner Georg Sieveking (1751-1799) controlled one of the largest trading companies in Hamburg in the second half of the 18th century. Voght was also a key figure as society developed in the Hansa town around 1800. His commitment to social, cultural and scientific projects saw him taking a pioneering role which, so far, has received too little recognition in research into the enlightenment and the history of this city. One of his most significant reform projects was to set up a model farm based on English examples. This model farm formed the core for the English landscape garden that has been kept to this day, now known as the “Jenisch Park”, named after the Hamburg Senator Martin Johan Jenisch (1793-1857), who bought the land from Voght in 1828. Jenisch built his summer house there between 1831-1834 – the Jenisch Haus.
The reform of the Hamburg poor relief and prison system in the year 1788 was also due to Voght’s great efforts, which brought him recognition throughout Europe and included praise from the Prussian King and Emperor Franz II, who awarded him the title of Reichsfreiherr (imperial baron) for his services.
In Hamburg he was a dedicated supporter of the theatre – something which is hardly known today – he was also enthusiastic about literature and art and was a keen supporter of developing the education system.
The Upper Elbe Room
The room above the Lower Elbe Room was the former study or smoking room of Marin Johan Jenisch the Younger. This is where he withdrew when he wanted to escape from his visitors. The fittings are not actually original. The large group of furniture in the middle consists of an extendable table with sturdy lion’s feet, ten chairs and two armchairs. The table, which came from a Schleswig-Holstein stately home, dates from 1830 to 1840 and can be extended from its original 128 cm circumference to a length of approx. 470 cm by adding its eight leaves. The leaves – like the chairs and armchairs – are made of mahogany with light decorative marquetry work.
The hall directly above the lower Elbe salon was the “Lord’s room.” It was a completely private space and originally had a bathroom in the western part.
The large mahogany furniture collection consists of an extending table, ten chairs, and two armchairs.
Highlights
Furniture collection (1800)
by unbekannt
This table from around 1830–1840 owned by Schleswig-Holstein nobility can be extended from its original size (128 cm diameter) to a length of approximately 470 cm using its eight extendable leafs.
Parts of a centerpiece (1811)
by Pierre-Philippe Thomire
On the table is part of a Pierre-Philippe Thomire centerpiece that belonged to Jenisch the Elder. Some of a total of 29 items are on permanent loan to Jenisch House. Composed of fire-gilt bronze, the centerpiece was most likely presented to Senator Jenisch the Elder in 1811 during Hamburg’s French era.
Tile stove (1774)
by unbekannt
This tiled stove is made of whitewashed clay. The finely cut reliefs of the cylinder form an ogee above and a lidded vase to crown the piece, and an antique-style scene can be seen below.
Depicted is a seated Athena/Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, craft, and war. On her head is a helmet, in her left hand an olive branch, and in her right hand she holds a shield bearing the head of Medusa, the most famous of the Gorgons.
Next to her are two winged putti with a wreath of olive or laurel leaves over their arms. A helm and bow lie in front of the rocks on which the figures stand. The scene is bordered on the left by a palm, the symbol of victory.
Antenor-tapestry
by Joseph Dufour, Manufaktur Dufour & Leroy, Paris
Twenty of a total of twenty-five sections of a panorama wallpaper hang on the north wall. This was hand-printed from 1820–25 by manufacturer Joseph Dufour in Paris using wooden molds on paper. The motifs of the wallpaper show scenes from Étienne-François Lantier’s 1798 fictitious travel novel “The Travels of Antenor in Greece and Asia.”
On the left is the “Boat Trip,” depicting when the Greek sculptor Antenor (active around 510–480 B.C.) visited the poet Sappho. In the center is the “Scene in the Park,” showing Spartan women in a footrace. The “Departure for the Hunt,” which shows the Amazons ready for battle, is displayed in the right part of the wallpaper.
Pair of mirrors (1800)
by unbekannt
On the south wall between the windows is a pair of light-green and dark-green framed mirrors, with carved ledges decorated with rosette friezes and beading. These are finished with an acanthus cornice. The reliefs on both show a character scene with mythological themes.
The Altonaer Room
This room was also originally one of the Jenisch family’s private rooms. One of its windows looks out onto the south side of the park. The room has now been fully furnished with so-called Altonaer furniture. This can be identified by means of the customs duty exemption stamps (Altonaer Fabrik Waren Stempel) made of sealing wax which are to be found on the back or underside of the furniture. Between 1766 and 1839, under Danish King Christian VII and Friedrich VI, this stamp permitted duty free exports to the Duchies of Holstein and Schleswig and to Denmark.
The Jenisch Gallery
This space, used by the Jenisch family as their private appartment, now contains one of the few private upper middle-class collections of paintings in Germany, which has been kept together unchanged. From 1831, Jenisch was the Director of the Hamburg Kunstverein selection committee. Exhibited here you will find typical paintings in line with upper middle-class tastes of the 19th century. The genres range from landscapes to historic and religious paintings.
The Biedermeier Room
Originally used as a guest room for the Jenisch family’s visitors, this room has two windows to the north and the east. Today it is furnished as a late Biedermeier drawing room with furniture of the time, which were almost all manufactured in Altona using mahogany veneer, a typical material in this coastal region at the time.
Palmette ornaments collection
The young Hamburg resident Franz Gustav Forsmann and the older Karl Friedrich Schinkel from Berlin, who was well-known at the time, were not the only architects who used the palmette style. During this period, the sensational archeological excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum were fascinating citizens and, as a result, many stylistic elements being were taken from Greco-Roman antiquity.
The palmette was distributed as an ancient motif in the sample collection “Vorbilder für Fabrikanten und Handwerker” (Templates for Manufacturers and Handworkers), compiled from 1821 to 1837 by different architects and artists, including Schinkel.
The palmette resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. In general, the upper part of the motif consists of five or more leaves or petals. The fanning moves upward in a rhythmic pattern from a single, almost triangular base.
The palmette has a long history, most likely originating in ancient Egypt and later being developed through art in Europe, especially in Greece. It is known in most artistic media, but primarily as architectural ornamentation, or a decorative furniture element as can be seen here.
Whether carved or painted, it is a very common construction feature of gravestone friezes, columns, cornices, and ceilings.
The chandelier was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and comes from a manor house in East Holstein. His palmette ornamentation is reminiscent of the gilded window grilles of Jenisch House. The inspiration for this was the pilaster capital of the Temple of Apollo in Didyma, or the geison of the Athena Temple in Priene.
Jenischpark
The surrounding park had been created by Caspar Voght as a rural farm around 1800; today’s 42 hectare Jenischpark formed its parc du midi and was redesigned in 1828 after the purchase by Jenisch from Johann Heinrich Ohlendorff. From the Elbchaussee the neo-baroque Kaisertor (built in 1906, restored in 2005) leads into the park, in which, in addition to the Ernst Barlach House (built in 1961 according to plans by Werner Kallmorgen ), the “Eierhütte” (replica of the “Mooshütte” of approx. 1790 with Voght’s gable inscription Amicis et quieti, German for friends and leisure [dedicated]) can be found. Parts of the park, particularly the wetlands of Flottbek, stand as since 1982 the nature reserve Flottbektal under conservation. The private park was leased by the city of Altona in 1927, acquired in 1939 and thus made accessible to the public.
Neighborhood
Jenisch House is located on the parks west-side at Baron-Voght-Straße, a small residential street and off Elbchaussee. The park itself reaches all the way down to the right bank of the Elbe river, at the other end somewhere near the Botanischer Garten Hamburg. The Elbchaussee has many listed buildings; Jenisch House and Park are listed as well. The Ernst Barlach House, located in the park, is a museum for the work of the expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer Ernst Barlach (1870–1938).