In the footsteps of the painter August Kutterer, Karlsruhe

The trail begins at August Kutterer’s home and studio at Vorderstraße 14 in Karlsruhe-Daxlanden. From there, it leads through a landscape characterised by water and the vegetation of the Rhine floodplains to the places where the Karlsruhe-based painter worked, offering insights into his world and his homeland.

Kutterer lived and worked in Daxlanden and often painted by the Old Rhine, at the Saumseen lakes, and in and around Karlsruhe’s westernmost district, which still retains a village-like character to this day. The light, colours and moods of the floodplain landscape inspired him throughout his life. The trail follows these motifs and also leads to the Saumseen lakes, which are now a nature reserve. There, benches invite you to linger.

The route crosses the Federbach Bridge and passes through picturesque Altdaxlanden before returning to the starting point on Vorderstraße.

Author: Stefanie Sprenger

There are places to stop for refreshments along the way, including a pizzeria, a Greek restaurant and the ‘Künstlerkneipe’, where numerous artists and art professors from the Karlsruhe Academy used to meet in the early 20th century.

“The extensive body of work by the landscape painter August Kutterer, born near Karlsruhe in 1898, is closely linked to the artistic developments at the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts. Building on an idea of ‘pure painting’ long cultivated there by Wilhelm Trübner, an artistic tradition of developing and refining Impressionist stylistic tendencies took root in the former Baden royal capital. Kutterer’s art, too, can be classified within this distinctive Karlsruhe artistic movement.”

Edda Behringer (art historian)

You can collect the booklet accompanying the walking tour directly at the starting point at Vorderstr. 14. Here, for a nominal fee of 3.00 euros, you can take a copy from the self-service box.