Veranda van het Hotel Fürstenberg te Remagen, Duitsland 1889

Captured by Anselm Schmitz, this photograph shows the veranda of the Hotel Fürstenberg in Remagen, Germany. Note how the veranda is overgrown with vegetation, the green life force acting almost as a protective canopy, and how the ordered, geometric ironwork contrasts with the unruly vines. This evokes a sense of nature reclaiming man-made structures. Throughout time, this motif appears in varying forms. Take, for example, the medieval tapestries of the 'hortus conclusus,' or enclosed garden, symbolizing paradise or the Virgin Mary's purity. In contrast, consider the 'wilderness' paintings of the Romantic era, embodying the sublime power of untamed nature. The veranda, a space between inside and out, represents a threshold, a transition. In our collective memory, such spaces often hold an emotional charge, a place of meeting, farewell, or quiet contemplation. This image captures a moment in time, yet its symbols resonate with deeper, timeless themes of nature, culture, and the human experience.