Paul-Schneider-Steine – Paul-Schneider Sculptures

Paul Schneider sculptures on the Bietzerberg

In 1978, the famous Saarland sculptor, Prof. Paul Schneider, and his wife Li came to live in Bietzen. Even after the death of his beloved wife, Schneider has always felt at home and accepted there. The space, the light and the vastness of the landscape inspire his work. To show his gratitude to the Bietzerberg and its inhabitants for their acceptance, the artist created five sculptures between 1984 and 1996, which were placed at various points on the Bietzerberg.

Sonnen-Lerchen-Hexen Stein – Sun-Lark-Witch Stone

The first sculpture to be placed here on the Bietzerberg can be seen from a distance. It stands on a sandstone base, reaching a height of 2.25 metres. The two main views are diamond-shaped and converge at an acute angle on one edge. Like all the other sculptures, the work was aligned with the cardinal points of the compass. The front edge points south, while 7 x 7 holes arranged in a square on the main views make up the east-west axis. At sunrise and sunset in early spring and autumn, the light shines through the holes and the beams describe an arc from one opening to the other.

14 Öffnungen für die Dunkelheit – Openings for Darkness

The granite cube with dimensions of 1 x 3.2 x 2.2 m appears to rise diagonally from the earth. It is surrounded by other, unworked stones, with the sculpture standing out as the highest in the centre of them. Along the upper edge are 14 small square openings. Light shines into the tube-shaped cavities but rather than completely illuminating them it creates shaded spaces. The hollowed out stone enables different sounds to be produced by striking the openings with the flat of the hand. Therefore, the stone is both a visual and an acoustic work of art.

Zweifel II – Doubt II

The third sculpture “Doubt II” is also a sun stone, a towering granite block with dimensions of 3.65 x 1.40 x 1.70 m. The basic shape is a rectangular cuboid, half of which protrudes upwards like a wedge. However, the lower section of the sculpture is retained, recalling the original shape of the stone and raising doubt about the decision to change the shape. In the upper third, a large smooth bowl has been incorporated, which has two circular holes to let light through. Sunlight appears to be trapped in the bowl, with two beams brought together into one, so that the light emerges at the rear, surrounded by a bowl-shaped opening, as one beam. The piece is located where two forest paths meet. The observer has to choose between two directions.

Sonnen- und Mondstein – Sun and Moon Stone

The two views of this stone measuring 3.5 x 2.9 x 0.9 m have cone-shaped hollows opposite one another. Once again, there are bowls to catch the light. The recess creates both light and dark. Sun and moon beams shine through the circular hole in the centre of the cone from the south, and the light beam falls on the shaded ground at the rear. The horizontal grooves on the sides split them into 24 sections, a reference to cosmic time. Irregularities and the slightly moving surface breathe life into the sculpture despite its stereometric shape. It is another synthesis of mathematics and organic nature.

Kosmischer Würfel – Cosmic Cube

The stone cube with dimensions of 1.60 x 1.60 x 1.60 m stands next to a group of trees and appears to be largely in a natural state. The few flat surfaces enable the basic shape, the cube, to be discerned in the block of rock. At the same time, the entire block is surrounded by a strictly linear grid based on the number five. According to Plamo, the five regular multiples are the cosmic building blocks of the world. It rests securely on one of its six sides. The cube thus has five visible phases, a physical analogy of the number five, on which the square grid is based. This can be interpreted as a symbol for the earth as the strongest aggregation of matter.