From the beaches of Hawaii to the colors of India: Hartmut Schulz has gathered countless impressions on his travels around the globe. What once began with pencil sketches has grown into an impressive collection of oil paintings and drawings, which can now be viewed in the lobby of the Idar-Oberstein City Hall.
The amateur artist from Birkenfeld focuses primarily on landscapes, nature scenes, and striking architectural structures. His works are based on his own memories, photographs, and slides, which he took during his numerous stays abroad and travels. His aim is not to reproduce reality as accurately as possible, but rather to connect memory and emotion. “The difference from a photograph is that one’s own emotions and impressions are incorporated into the painted image. And if I succeed in conveying this to the viewer, then that is also part of art,” says Hartmut Schulz, describing his artistic motivation.
Schulz discovered his passion for drawing when he was just ten years old. During his school years, however, he lacked the opportunities to develop his talent in a focused way. Even during his career as a soldier and later in the diplomatic service, he had little time for art. Nevertheless, he produced numerous pencil drawings during those years—and, above all, unforgettable impressions of distant lands that, decades later, became a source of inspiration for his paintings.
It was only after his retirement that Hartmut Schulz found the time to artistically process the experiences he had gathered over some forty years of travel and stays abroad. Since then, he has created numerous oil paintings, and his collection has continued to grow. As early as 2010, he presented a selection of his works at the Birkenfeld branch of the Kreissparkasse. Since then, his collection has more than doubled. A large portion of these works is on display in the foyer of the Idar-Oberstein City Hall through September 8, 2026.
- The exhibition is open Monday through Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 7 a.m. to noon in the lobby of the Idar-Oberstein City Hall, located at Georg-Maus-Straße 1.