place for self

Schloss Freudenberg – unfurling the mind and senses

Pass more often
through woods
than through books,
trees and stones
teach you what masters cannot.

-Bernard von Clairvaix,1090-1153

The path to Schloss Freudenberg is unexpectedly modest; patchy asphalt is bordered by wooden stakes and exposed wiring. Narrow wooden plank stairs rest on what were once steps, stretching almost across the entire width of the building, but are now covered with tar sheeting. Uneven parquet floors creak underfoot.Unknowingly, visitors have already begun their journey through Schloss Freudenberg's "Field of Experience towards the Unfurling of the Senses and Thoughts". Here you can explore "how the eye sees, the ear hears, the nose smells, the skin senses, the fingers touch, the feet (under)stand, the hands (be)hold, the brain thinks, the lungs breathe, the blood pulsates, [and] the body vibrates".
Huge black and white and colorful discs rotate on the walls, creating dynamic images; a maze in the complete darkness rises and falls; steel bells are suspended from a ceiling, their clappers almost reaching the floor; metal plates on thin stems emerging out of a sand floor can be played with cello bows, creating music and tone paintings. Outdoors on the 16 hectare grounds, an Aeolian harp (named after the Greek god of wind, these harps are 'played' by the wind) graces a hillside next to a stone labyrinth; a barefoot-path made of smooth pebbles, bricks, stones, wood, and other materials snakes through a section of forest past a humming hole; the playground is flanked by mounds of carefully assembled logs and ropes; there are stilts, balancing discs, and a giant set of duet swings.
Schloss Freudenberg's cafe offers a range of refreshments and desserts made at Mechtildehausen's bakery, a local organic and communal farm. Perhaps the most unusual eating experience, however, is at 'The Dark Bar' (Der Dunkelbar). Through heavy black floor-to-ceiling curtains, visitors enter complete darkness. Friendly bartenders put nervous customers at ease by asking them to follow the sounds of their voices, left, right, feel for the barstools. Orders are filled and customers reach hands out towards glasses or plates that are gently tapped on the counter. Food and drink is savored while bodies finally begin to relax after repeatedly straining to see. Ears perk up to identify the multitude of sounds, clinking forks, giggling, footsteps, and throats cleared, which would normally be perceived as white noise. In recent years, Schloss Freudenberg's success has inspired others to create Dark Bars in Berlin, Koeln, Hamburg, Nürnberg, and Zurich.