 Heinrich Giebel, (1965-1951), Self Portrait, 1916 | Heinrich Giebel (1865-1951), a well-known impressionist landscape artist, painted in Büdingen in 1934. He was one of the main exponents of the artist colony of Willingshausen In the late 19th and early 20th century Germany. Giebel's paintings were inspired by impressionism and "plein air" style and devoted to living in the country and capturing rural life and landscapes. Giebel's paintings of the Büdingen seem to me to capture the essence of the village during the early time of the Gerlachs of Büdingen. |
In July 2016, Christoph Giebel, the grandson of Heinrich Giebel, and his family visited the beautiful and quaint village of Büdingen. Christoph was able to pinpoint every location of the six known motifs created by his grandfather in 1934. Christoph very generously sent images of his grandfather's paintings and his photographs for comparison of changes in the ensuing 83 years.
Several of the paintings have been incorporated on the web page on Büdingen. Below are images of Heinrich Giebel's paintings of 1934 and photographic recreations by Christoph Giebel in 2016.
The Oberhof, Painting by Heinrich Giebel, 1934
More images of Büdingen, click "Read More", below
 The Oberhof, Photographic recreation by Christoph Giebel, 2016 | The Oberhof or Upper Court, is known as the "Witwenschloss" or "widows castle", the manor where the widows of the lords resided in old age, with the next lord and his wife taking over the castle. In the 2016 photographic view, the 1934 garden is taken by newer construction and a paved roadway. |
 The Untertor or Lower Gate, Painting by Heinrich Giebel, 1934 |  The Untertor, Photographic recreation by Christoph Giebel, 2016 |
| The view of the Untertor or Lower Gate painted by Heinrich Giebel is from the inside looking out with only one of the two towers shown. On the Büdingen page, the gate is seen from the outside. Giebel painted this motif twice, once in oil and once in pastel with a winter scene. |  The Untertor or Lower Gate, studio painting in Pastel by Heinrich Giebel, 1940 |
 St. Remigius Church, Painting by Heinrich Giebel, 1934 |  St. Remigius Church, Photographic recreation by Christoph Giebel, 2016 |
| Above, looking into the sanctuary of St. Remigius Church. The church dates back to Karolingian times. In 1934 access to the sanctuary and stairs to the raised lectern on the left was denied by a latticework iron fence. The priest used a portable wooden lectern in front of he gate. On the right is an Interior view from the balcony in St. Remigius Church looking east toward the sanctuary. |  |
 The Schlosskapelle, Painting by Heinrich Giebel, 1934 |  The Schlosskapelle, Photographic recreation by Christoph Giebel, 2016 |
The Schlosskapelle or Gothic Castle Chapel, makes up a part of the Büdingen Castle "ring" architecture with its thirteen angles.
View from Am Gebück, a street north of the walled city, Painting by Heinrich Giebel, 1934
 View from Am Gebüch, Photographic recreation by Christoph Giebel, 2016 | View is toward the town and castle from a street called"Gebüch." The prom-inent gable in the middle background is of the Oberhof. The painting was from a garden vantage point two or three yards above the street that was inaccessible in 2016 for the photographic recreation. |