 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Nymphenburg Palace" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Nymphenburg Palace | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Munich,Germany |
| Coordinates | 48°09′29″N11°30′13″E / 48.158056°N 11.503611°E /48.158056; 11.503611 |
| Construction started | 1664 |
| Completed | 1675 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Agostino Barelli |
| Other designers | Enrico Zucalli,Giovanni Antonio Viscardi,Joseph Effner |
TheNymphenburg Palace (German:Schloss Nymphenburg, Palace of theNymphs) is aBaroquepalace situated inMunich's western districtNeuhausen-Nymphenburg, inBavaria, southernGermany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for theformer rulers of Bavaria of theHouse of Wittelsbach. Combined with the adjacentNymphenburg Palace Park it constitutes one of the premier royal palaces of Europe. Its frontal width of 632 m (2,073 ft) (north–south axis) even surpassesVersailles.
_020.jpg)
The palace was commissioned by theelectoral coupleFerdinand Maria andHenriette Adelaide of Savoy to the designs of the Italian architectAgostino Barelli in 1664 after the birth of their sonMaximilian II Emanuel. The central pavilion was completed in 1675. As a building material, it utilised limestone fromKelheim. The palace was gradually expanded and transformed over the years.[1] It then quickly replaced the nearbyBlutenburg Castle as major hunting lodge of the court and competed toSchleissheim Palace.
Starting in 1701, Maximilian Emanuel, the heir to Bavaria, a sovereignelectorate of the Holy Roman Empire, undertook a systematic extension of the palace. Two pavilions were added each in the south and north of Barelli's palace byEnrico Zucalli andGiovanni Antonio Viscardi and were connected with the centre pavilion by two gallery wings. In 1716,Joseph Effner redesigned the facade of the centre pavilion inFrench Baroque style withpilasters. Later, the south section of the palace was further extended to build the court stables (1719). For the sake of balance, the orangery building was added to the north which was only completed in 1758. Finally, Nymphenburg Palace was completed with a grand circle (theSchlossrondell) of Baroque mansions (the so-called Kavaliershäuschen – cavalier's lodges), erected under Maximilian Emanuel's son Holy Roman EmperorCharles VII Albert in the palace's driveway. His son Prince-ElectorMaximilian III founded theNymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in 1747, to this day housed in one of these cavalier's lodges. Its fashionable Rococo products by porcelain sculptorsFranz Anton Bustelli andDominik Auliczek made the nameNymphenburg widely known.
In 1795,Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria ordered the widening of the galleries on the park side. In 1826, under KingLudwig I of Bavaria, his architectLeo von Klenze removed the gables of the main pavilion with the Electoral coat of arms and created anattic style decoration directly under the roof instead.[1][2]
With the Treaty of Nymphenburg signed in July 1741, Charles Albert allied with France and Spain against Austria. Two of his children were born here:Maria Antonia (future Electress of Saxony) in 1724 andMaria Anna Josepha (future Margravine of Baden-Baden) in 1734. Charles Albert lived during his time in Munich as Holy Roman Emperor at Nymphenburg Palace and died there in 1745. In 1747, ElectorMax III. Joseph founded theNymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. In 1792, Elector Charles Theodor opened the park for the public.
For a long time, the palace was the favourite summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. KingMax I Joseph died there in 1825[3] and his great-grandson KingLudwig II was born there in 1845.[4] In 1863, the only meeting between Ludwig andOtto von Bismarck was held in Nymphenburg, although they remained connected in a lifelong friendship.
Today, Nymphenburg is open to the public but also continues to be a home andchancery for the head of theHouse of Wittelsbach, currentlyFranz, Duke of Bavaria.[5][6] It is managed byKempinski Hotels.[7]
The palace, together with its park, is now one of the most famous sights of Munich. The baroque facades comprise an overall width of about 700 metres. Some rooms still show their originalbaroque decoration while others were later redesigned inrococo orneoclassical style.
TheSteinerner Saal (Stone Hall) in thecentral pavilion, with ceiling frescoes byJohann Baptist Zimmermann and F. Zimmermann and decorations byFrançois de Cuvilliés, is an impressive sight. Acting as a grand hall, it occupies over three floors of the central pavilion of the palace. The central ceiling fresco isHelios in his chariot, accompanied by other gods.
North of the Stone Hall, there is the wood-panelled antechamber, the audience chamber decorated with Brussels tapestries and the former bedroom with the so-calledLittle Beauty Gallery with the ladies ofVersailles, all rooms were remodelled under Maximilian II Emanuel in thestyle of the Régence but retain their original Baroque ceilings. Here are on display portraits of the elector and his wifeTheresa Kunegunda Sobieska. The bedroom closes the park side, next to it is theDrechsel Cabinet (turnery cabinet) ofMaximilian III Joseph, designed by François de Cuvilliés. Three rooms further to the north were created underCharles Theodore with the widening of the gallery wing. In the first room there are now more portraits of ladies from theGreat Gallery of Beauties of Max Emanuel, the second one is decorated with a pile rug with the coats of arms of Bavaria and the Palatinate (known as "coat of arms room"), while the third room contains portraits of Charles Theodore and both his consortsElisabeth Auguste andMaria Leopoldine.[1]
South of the Stone Hall are inversely to the northern rooms of the main building, the hall with the portrait ofCharles Albert, the audience room with the portrait of the founding couple Ferdinand Maria and his consort Henriette Adelaide and the Former Bedroom with portraits of Max Emanuel and his consort Theresa Kunegunda. Here too, the original Baroque ceilings have survived. The walls of the so-calledlacquer cabinet that adjoins the bedroom are almost completely covered with Chinese panels showing scenes from a Chinese novel. The stucco was done byFranz Xaver Feuchtmayer the Younger. Behind the south gallery are theWriting Cabinet andAntechamber of Elector Charles Theodore, which were created with the widening of the gallery wings.
In both theNorth and South Galleries next to theCentral Pavilion arevedutes of Bavarian castles. These galleries connect the central pavilion with the southern and northern pavilions.
TheInner southern Pavilion housed the apartments of the Electress during the period of its origin. The former small dining room of the Inner Southern Pavilion today houses the famous attractionGallery of Beauties of KingLudwig I of Bavaria. On behalf of the king the court painterJoseph Karl Stieler has portrayed 36 beautiful women from all social classes of Munich, the best known of these are the shoemaker's daughter Helene Sedlmayr and Ludwig's infamous mistressLola Montez. In the nearbyQueen's bedroom one can see where KingLudwig II of Bavaria was born on 25 August 1845. Its mahogany furniture was made in 1815 in Munich, unlike the mahogany furniture for QueenCaroline'saudience room which was made in Paris, as was the furniture in theQueen's Study.
TheOuter Southern Pavilion is generally inaccessible. It served as a kitchen building at Max Emanuel's time and was then reconstructed like the inner pavilion in neo-classical times. Further south, the third pavilion was built as acomedihaus and then served from 1750 as a new kitchen house. Thesouthern corridor built in 1747 connects this building with the stables in the south wing.
In the former royal stables in theSouth Wing is theMarstallmuseum (carriage museum), with one of the greatest coach collections in Europe. They also played a part in historical events - the Paris Coronation Coach for example was used for the coronation of Emperor Charles VII in 1742. Among the main attractions of the museum are the magnificent carriages and sleighs of King Ludwig II.
The first floor of the former court stables houses a collection ofNymphenburg porcelain by theNymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory which, also located in the palace complex, was founded by Maximilian III Joseph. Its handcrafted products are of legendary kind and quality, nowadays said to be comparable only to Augarten and Sèvres. Over 1,000 exhibits, beginning in 1747, are on display. The Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory itself is located in one of the houses of the northern roundabouts and can be visited only by written appointment. In the adjoiningOuter South Wing of the castle is a restaurant with beer garden.
TheInner Northern Pavilion, the later so-calledCrown Prince Building, is generally inaccessible. Here was Max Emanuel'sappartement de parade and its representative rooms are today used by theWittelsbach Compensation Fund. The upper floors serve as living quarters for the respective head of the House ofWittelsbach. TheOuter Northern Pavilion houses the chapel, whose ceiling painting by Joseph Adam von Mölk deals with the life of St Mary Magdalene. It was already begun in 1702 by Antonio Viscardi from the design by Enrico Zuccalli. Further north is the third pavilion, theGardemeublebau from 1723, an elongated building which served during the period of its origin for theCue sports and theJeu de Passe, a ball game inspired byPall-mall, which was invented by Max Emanuel himself and was played indoors and outdoors. Today the Duke of Bavaria's administration is located here. It is connected to the north wing by thenorthern corridor of 1739.
Since 1990, theMuseum of Man and Nature has been housed in theNorth Wing. TheHubertus Hall upstairs served for concerts. Today the Hubertus Hall, the Orangery Hall, and the Johannis Hall in the North Wing as well as the Iron House in the park can be booked for parties, concerts, conferences and other functions. From 1835 the Mary Ward Elementary School was in the adjoiningOuter North Wing of the castle. Founded byMary Ward, it paved the way for a better education for girls. Mary Ward came after travelling from Rome to Munich in 1627 and was sponsored by ElectorMaximilian I. King Ludwig I finally invited the girls' school to the Nymphenburg Palace in 1835.[5]
| Nymphenburg Palace Park | |
|---|---|
 Nymphenburg Durchblick Grosse Kaskade in Munich | |
 | |
| Location | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Area | 229 km2 (88 sq mi) |
| Created | 1701 (1701) |
| Operated by | Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes |
| Status | Open year round |
The 200-hectare (490-acre) park, once anItalian garden (1671), which was enlarged and rearranged inFrench style byDominique Girard, a pupil ofLe Notre, was finally redone in theEnglish manner during the early 19th century byFriedrich Ludwig von Sckell, on behalf of prince-electorCharles Theodore. Von Sckell was also the creator of theEnglish Garden in Munich. He preserved the main elements of the Baroque garden (such as the "Grand Parterre"). The park is bisected by the long western canal along the principal axis which leads from the palace to the marble cascade (decorated with stone figures of Greek and Roman gods) in the west. The iron greenhouse north of the Grand Parterre was completed in 1807, the adjacent geranium house in 1816.
The gardenparterre is still a visible feature of the French garden. As part of the transformation of the entire castle grounds by Sckell it was simplified, but retained its original size. The "Grand Cascade" was built by Joseph Effner in 1717. He was referring to a concept of François Roëttiers. The water falls in the middle of a two-part water staircase, the first stage being half round to the west, the second, deeper, is formed to the east. The cascade consists of symmetry which continues through the centre channel. The right side of the cataract was covered with pink marble in 1770. Originally a supporting architecture was to be provided, which was never executed. Instead, from 1775 to 1785, sculptures were added. Many were the work ofDominik Auliczek andRoman Anton Boos, who later added twelve decorative marble vases with mythological themes.
The fountains in front of the palace and in the gardenparterre continue to be operated by the water poweredPumping Stations built between 1803 and 1808.
The Northern Cabinet Garden is small garden that borders directly the garden side of the north wing of the main palace. It is also calledKaisergarten, because it is in the immediate vicinity of the rooms where Charles Albert lived during his time in Munich as Emperor Charles VII. It has its counterpart in the Southern Cabinet Garden where François de Cuvilliés built an octagonal bird house in 1757.
Two lakes are situated on both sides of the canal. The "Dörfchen" was created under Maximilian III Joseph asPetit hameau. The "Salettl" (1799), a cottage with its little garden nearby close to the former menagerie served as attraction for the children of Maximilian IV Joseph.
The garden wall (1730–1735) preserves severalHa-ha effects. A passage close to the oldarboretum in the north of the Grand Parterre leads to the largeBotanical Garden of Munich. Originally there was also a visual axis, theDurchblick, to the north-west-locatedBlutenburg Castle.
The canals of Nymphenburg are part of the northern Munich channel system, a system of waterways that connected also to the complex ofSchleissheim Palace. The endpoint of the eastern canal leading from the city to the palace forms theCour d'honneur, the centre was designed by Effner as a water parterre with a fountain, cascade and branching canals on both sides. The driveway ("Auffahrtsallee") from the city on both sides of the eastern canal is framed by a semicircle of smaller baroque buildings ("Kavalierhäuser") at the Cour d'honneur. The eastern endpoint of the canal is theHubertusbrunnen (1903, a fountain building byAdolf von Hildebrand).[8]
Within the park, a number of pavilions - palaces en miniature - were built:
The architecture of the garden pavilions was influential for other architecture in Germany. So the WittelsbachFalkenlust Palace was built in the style of the Amalienburg while the Pagodenburg served as prototype for the building of the same name inRastatt.
.jpg)
The main building alone has more than 300,000 visitors per year. Nymphenburg Palace has as many visitors as theMunich Residence and more thanSchleissheim Palace, though the castles of King Ludwig II, especiallyNeuschwanstein, are more frequented.
Museums:
Schloss Nymphenburg is accessible by Munich public transport's tram number 17. This line passes through the city centre, includingStachus and the main train station.
Between 1936 and 1939 open air events called "Nacht der Amazonen" (Night of the Amazons) were performed. These shows in the park comprised 2000 players with international stars, bare-breasted girls and included also members of the SS Cavalry underHermann Fegelein.[citation needed]
The palace and its park were some of the main filming locations ofAlain Resnais's 1961movieLast Year at Marienbad.[citation needed]Ludwig, a 1972 film directed by Italian directorLuchino Visconti about the life and death of King Ludwig II, was partly filmed in Nymphenburg.[citation needed]
The Dressage Facility for theequestrian events of the1972 Summer Olympics was created in the Nymphenburg park.[13]
The palace serves also as headquarters of theBavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes.
| Olympiapark |  | |
|---|---|---|
| GreaterMunich | ||
| Football venues | ||
| Handball venues | ||
| Other venues | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| People | |
| Other | |
