In the Baroque era, special books were written, important discoveries were made and imposing buildings were constructed. The results of all this can still be admired in Germany today. With its own Baroque roads, Germany offers its inhabitants an entire route along which they can visit many beautiful churches, important museums and very special buildings. The Baroque Age painted many vivid pictures. The age had death right in front of its eyes and yet stood for a very special lust for life. Although people had the effects of the plague as well as the 30-year-long confessional war directly before their eyes, they still chose to live. Perhaps precisely because they were aware that life would one day be over, the people of the Baroque era wanted to enjoy it to the full.
They didn’t know when the next war would come, but they celebrated great festivals, had buildings built with elaborate architecture and many sculptures, and painted large murals and frescoes. Many a beautiful castle and many a famous garden date from this period. Germany is admired throughout the world for its many cultural monuments from the Baroque period. Hardly any other epoch has left such impressive buildings. And in music, too, the result of this epoch is decidedly opulent. Many people see the Baroque as the decisive transition to modern times. In fact, considerable research also took place here. The modern natural sciences were founded. Nevertheless, natural science had not yet been separated from cultural science. Those who researched nature at that time always had a broad cultural knowledge and comprehensive access to all the arts of their time at the same time.
There is no question of an encyclopaedic educational claim to the exploration of the world. The discovery of the laws of nature and the construction of all kinds of machines created a corresponding optimism among researchers. It was assumed that one could also achieve general access to all sciences as an individual.
For the first time, many educators ensured that people did not only acquire Latin. While Latin was the accepted language of science, just as English is today, the Baroque era also emphasised the importance of the mother tongue. It was ensured that people also spoke German. They were also taught other languages. The frescoes of the time also show the conquest of the world. Here there are ships sailing out to all the seas. There are conquerors discovering other continents. Exotic animals, foreign fruits and much more. The explorers observed it in the world.
The baroque age ensured that every person should have access to the entire world. The claim was already advocated at the time and justified pedagogically by corresponding theorists such as Johann Amos Comenius. The grandfather of today’s pedagogy was committed to teaching everyone everything about the entire world. He also wanted them to be thoroughly taught in the process. Thus he is also the forerunner of the quality of thoroughness that characterises many Germans today. In any case, one can be proud of the Baroque era.
Last updated on 6. February 2023