AROUND THE MOATED CASTLE
AROUND THE MOATED CASTLE
Paradise – in development
For 17 years, a sculptural project has been unfolding around Bad Vilbel’s moated castle: Paradise. What began with 44 figures grew into an ensemble of 69 sculptures that completely encircles the castle—rich in detail, lively, mysterious.
In 2016 and 2020, five new figures were added: finely modelled and at eye level—no longer distant, but approachable. The gaze is returned, even though the eyes are still closed.
In 2023, for the first time, two open eyes welcomed visitors at the side entrance—a sign of change: from the dreamlike to a conscious counterpart.
In 2025, the gateway to the new Paradise was created: a 3.30-metre-high artwork in which “awakened” individuals join together into a new form of community—an invitation to cross the threshold into a more conscious world together.
The artist
Stephan Guber, born in 1965 in Bad Nauheim, lives and works as a freelance sculptor in Nidda. After leaving a design degree unfinished, he found his way to art as a self-taught artist—and to his own distinctive visual language.
Guber’s sculptures, mostly made of wood and often larger than life, revolve around the themes of people, transition and inner movement. His figures feel archaic and at the same time timeless—quiet, searching, moving.
His works can be found in churches, sculpture parks and public spaces—in Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Australia. Guber has received several awards for his work, including the Nassauer Kulturpreis.
