A New Visit to the German House

On one of our first visits to Info Island International, I took you to the German House, in the extreme southwestern corner of the island. We didn't spend much time, though, so I've been meaning to go back again and give you another chance to see what's there.

You can tell we have arrived because the flags of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland -- the three main German-speaking countries -- are flying out front. This is an interesting building, combining elements of late 20th century architecture with some traditional beam and stucco features.

Let's go inside.

The theme in the German House is art, literature, and music of the German-speaking world. It was designed as a place to learn about the place of the creative arts in cultural history, either by individual exploration or as part of an organized class or seminar.

The first floor is a reception area, suitable for a gathering over cocktails or wine and cheese.

The emphasis on this floor is on the visual arts, but this poster offers an overview of writers who have shaped literature in the German-speaking world and beyond. Let's see, I can recognize Anne Franck and Hermann Hesse ... Karl Marx ... Berthold Brecht ... Johanna Spiri .... hmmmmm.... If you get tired of guessing, you can click the bookcase here and get a list of all of them. You can get the poster too.

I have always enjoyed paintings by Gustav Klimt. This one, a portrait of Emile Flöge, is one of my favorites. She looks very elegant indeed. Do you think there is a resemblance ..... ?

Other artwork here by Dürer, Klee, and Kollwitz, for example, may be familiar to you. Here's one that you may not know, though.

It's a very nice late Renaissance painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Rest on the Flight to Egypt." I had never heard of Cranach, but I discovered that I could get a lengthy biography on him by just clicking on the painting. That's true of any painting on this floor, by the way.

I truly love the second floor, which is where you find the Musik Salon. There is comfortable seating here for a seminar or a small performance, and the walls are lined with portraits of composers and performers. As with the paintings downstairs, each portrait is designed to offer a long biographical sketch of the person.

This is an impressive collection of men and women. Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms are here, of course, and so are Strauss, Schubert, and Handel. The 20th century is represented by Schonberg, Berg, Klemperer, and Weil, among others. One of my favorites, and the only woman among the crowd, is Clara Wieck Schumann. She was not only an accomplished composer, but a highly regarded performing pianist.

Speaking of performance, this is also a place to do a little performing of your own. I do not have Clara Schumann's talent, of course, but in SL anything is possible. All I have to do is sit on the piano bench, touch the keys gently, and ....

it's amazing! I can play Für Elise almost effortlessly! Oh, I knew all those piano lessons would come in handy some day.

I hope you enjoyed this visit. Please come back again, and bring a friend, or maybe a whole group of friends.