Between Capri and Rome in Branitz: Hugo Paul Harrer and Italy in the Image

Italian Highlights in Branitz: Rediscovering Hugo Paul Harrer

The special exhibition Between Capri and Rome. Hugo Paul Harrer brings a rarely displayed painter into focus and connects art history with a surprisingly personal family and collection story. In Branitz, a cultural experience unfolds that brings Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and the museum landscape of Berlin and Cottbus into a delicate dialogue. The exhibition can be seen on August 9, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Fürst Pückler Museum Park & Schloss Branitz; the regular entrance fee for adults is 11.00 Euro. ([cottbus-tourismus.de](https://cottbus-tourismus.de/de/sommer/cottbus-erleben/veranstaltungskalender/artikel-sonderausstellung_zwischen_capri_und_rom_hugo_paul_harrer-7.html))

An Artist Between Nature Studies and Italian Longing

Hugo Paul Harrer, born in 1836 in Hirschberg in Silesia, turned from an initially planned architectural career to painting and worked as an independently trained artist without academic training, according to the German Biography. His early pictures were created in Nuremberg, later Munich, Rome, and Düsseldorf shaped his work. Especially his nature studies, architectural images with figures, and smaller genre paintings show a sober observing realism aimed at the precise reproduction of what was seen. ([deutsche-biographie.de](https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz26126.html))

Rome, Capri, and the Collection as an Art Historical Key

The exhibition title refers to the Italian places of life and work of the painter. Preliminary reports from Cottbus highlight that Franziska Wickerath, Harrer’s later wife, preserved many works of her first husband, which ended up in the Carl Blechen collection of the city of Cottbus. For the first time, this collection is now made more visible, including numerous drawings, a portrait of Franziska, and a freshly restored Vesuvius. Thus, the cabinet exhibition becomes a reflection on memory, collection history, and the role of private preservation for public museums. ([cottbus-tourismus.de](https://cottbus-tourismus.de/de/sommer/cottbus-erleben/veranstaltungskalender/artikel-sonderausstellung_zwischen_capri_und_rom_hugo_paul_harrer-7.html))

Branitz as a Venue with Cultural Depth

The Fürst Pückler Museum Park & Schloss Branitz is itself a place with a strong historical aura: park, castle, visitor center, and estate economy form an ensemble that counts among the most significant garden art works in Germany. Branitz Park is open year-round; the castle and visitor center follow a seasonal rhythm. For the exhibition, this means an atmosphere in which art, landscape, and museum experience intertwine particularly closely. The castle is also not fully accessible in all areas, while the park and visitor center are barrier-free. ([parkverbund.eu](https://www.parkverbund.eu/de/die-parks/park-und-schloss-branitz.html))

Visit, Education, and Museum Experience

Visitors to the exhibition encounter a place where cultural education and aesthetic experience come together. The combination of historic architecture, collection-related research, and Harrer’s Italian-influenced imagery creates a calm, focused exhibition atmosphere. Especially for art-interested visitors, a nuanced view of 19th-century realism, travel art, and the significance of provenances and family traditions opens up here. ([cottbus-tourismus.de](https://cottbus-tourismus.de/de/sommer/cottbus-erleben/veranstaltungskalender/artikel-sonderausstellung_zwischen_capri_und_rom_hugo_paul_harrer-7.html))

Conclusion: This special exhibition is recommended for anyone who wants to not only see 19th-century art but also understand it within its historical context. Between Capri, Rome, and Branitz, a quiet, demanding art experience unfolds, inviting careful observation. A visit is definitely worthwhile. ([cottbus-tourismus.de](https://cottbus-tourismus.de/de/sommer/cottbus-erleben/veranstaltungskalender/artikel-sonderausstellung_zwischen_capri_und_rom_hugo_paul_harrer-7.html))

Official Channels of Fürst Pückler Museum Park & Schloss Branitz:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• YouTube: no official profile found
• Website: https://www.pueckler-museum.de/

Sources:

• Special Exhibition Between Capri and Rome. Hugo Paul Harrer - Cottbus Tourism
• Harrer, Hugo - German Biography
• Park and Castle Branitz - European Park Association Lusatia
• Fürst Pückler Museum Park and Castle Branitz - Official Website