Wurzburg, Germany

October 14, 2016

Wurzburg, Germany

The included morning tour was to the Wurzburg residence.  Residence is kind of a misnomer since it is a beautiful big palace.  Because it is a UNESCO site, we weren't allowed to take any pictures, but I bought a variety of postcards and I took pictures of them to include in the blog.

Driving up to the residence gives you and idea of its size

There was a huge courtyard in front of the residence

Another view of the courtyard in front

Courtyard

Statue and fountain in the courtyard

When we got into the residence, we had to lock up our purses and cameras, we weren't allowed to take anything into the residence.  They explained during the tour that people were actually chipping off pieces of stucco and gold leaf to take with them as a souvenir.  Amazing.

The entrance was actually this vast room into which people would drive their carriages so guests were never exposed to the elements.  They exited their carriages to a stairway of 94 steps.  The guide explained that the architecture of the room was such that it would withstand "anything".  This proved true during the bombings of WWII.  The room actually remained intact despite damage to other rooms.

The first two pictures are of the stair way then the painting above the vestibule and stair way. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, was summoned specially from Venice in 1752/53 to paint what is  the largest ceiling fresco ever painted. With great artistic sensitivity he depicted the exotic, magical worlds of the continents of America, Asia and Africa, personified by regal female figures. The highlight of the composition is the allegory of Europe with the Würzburg court as a centre of the arts. The painting, which measures around 600 square metres, is fused into a whole with the sky inhabited by the ancient gods in the centre.

The pictures below are from the vault ceiling.  The second picture in this set is of a female "Indian" which characterized the inhabitants of America.

 This is the "white hall" that was completed in 1744/45 and was designed to contrast with the radiant colors of the staircase fresco and the glittering gold, agate and purple color scheme of the Imperial Hall.  This room was done by Antonio Bossi.  It was also from this room that people used to break off pieces of stucco to take as souvenirs.

The Imperial Hall created by the architect, Balthasar Neumann and has twenty, almost 9-metre high half columns in reddish stucco-work marble and large oval dome.

The Imperial Hall was built 1741 then was decorated and furnished in 1749-1753 under Prince-Bishop Carl Philipp von Greiffenklau. The three ceiling frescos by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, produced in 1751/52 depict the political history of the Episcopal principality of Würzburg during the Empire at the time of Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa. The  paintings over the doors are by Tiepolo's son Giovanni Domenico and show scenes from the lives of emperors of the ancient world. Antonio Bossi created the four life-size stucco figures of Neptune, Juno, Flora and Apollo in the wall niches on the short sides of the hall.  The first picture is of the hall and the second is one of the paintings an Episcopal minister/bishop.

The next pictures are from the Imperial Apartments.  I can not even begin to imagine living in rooms like this.  They were used by the residents and also by visiting dignitaries like emperors and leaders of the church.  The rooms were decorated and furnished between 1740 and 1745.  In the first picture, the big white piece in the corner is actually a heater.  The guide told us that prior to the bombings, much of the artwork and tapestries were removed and stored thus saved from being destroyed.  She told us that it happened with help of American soldiers like those portrayed in the movie "The Monument Men"  She also told us that one set of tapestries don't fit quite right in their alcove.  Apparently when they were removed from storage someone got the bright idea to was them and they shrank.  That person was fired and none of the other tapestries were washed.

The second room is another view of the apartment.  The third room is the "Mirror Cabinet".

The wall decoration of the Mirror Cabinet was completed between 1740 and 1745 and is considered the most precious interior created in the Würzburg Residence under Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn.  It was completely destroyed in the bombing raids of 1945.  Based on a preserved mirror fragment, numerous photographs and a watercolor by Georg Dehn (c. 1870/73), the entire room shell was recreated between 1979 and 1987, using the old techniques.  When you look at the room, it is hard to imagine it is a recreation, it is simply amazing to behold close up.  Again we were not allowed to get close to the walls because of previous vandalism by visitors.  But to say this room is magnificent is an understatement.  Like all the rooms in the residence, I think you could spend an hour or more just taking in all the amazing details.

They had pictures outside of the gift shop of the residence after being bombed and it is almost incomprehensible that the roofless rooms filled with ruble are now the incredible rooms we saw during the tour.  It truly is amazing and I can't even begin to imagine what it took to restore such grandeur.  

The tour, like all tours, finished up in time for us to return to the boat for lunch.  The afternoon was an optional tour of a medieval town which I chose to skip in favor of spending some time on the boat and a quick nap.