Behind Wettingen Abbey, between old and new walls, beneath the motorway that is drowned out by the rustling of leaves and twittering of birds, a peaceful, contemplative world opens up at the water’s edge. What appears to be an idyll is actually a reservoir; the small house was once intended for construction workers; the relatively large garden was once a vegetable garden.
Now the artifacts, non functional elements made of concrete and steel, stand in the rich green ornamental lawn, in part works by the artist who lives here, in part focal points in the garden design such as the red wall or the seating beams interacting with the poured-in-place cement pathway. On top of that, there are white magnolias and red roses in a grove of Japanese maple. They evoke a longing for the land where the citrons bloom.