There are architectural gems everywhere in Bavaria. Have you already visited the world-famous Ettal Monastery or the Herrenchiemsee Palace, the “Bavarian Versailles”? The Schaezler Palace in Augsburg is one of a number of important buildings that are internationally renowned. The impressive palace is an outstanding example of southern German rococo. It is even considered the most important and best-preserved private residential and commercial building of the 18th century in Augsburg!
Famous guests in Augsburg
Today’s palace was built between 1765 and 1770 for the banker Benedikt Adam Liebert von Liebenhofen. He had previously had an older patrician house demolished. Now he wanted to build a prestigious residential and commercial building there. For him, as the highest class in Augsburg, it was allowed to be a little more ostentatious.
This was also reflected in the opening: The ceremonial inauguration of the ballroom took place in 1770 by Archduchess Maria Antonia of Habsburg-Lorraine – later to become Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France. She was on her way to Versailles for her wedding to Louis XVI and stopped off in Augsburg.
The Schaezlerpalais is an architectural wonder by several renowned artists. Gregorio Guglielmi (fresco in the ballroom), the Feichtmayr brothers (stucco), Joseph Christ (supraports) and Placidus Verhelst (carvings) all helped with the work. After the death of the banker Lieberts, the palace was taken over by his son-in-law Johann Lorenz Baron von Schaezler. The family donated the building to the city of Augsburg in 1958.
Famous architecture and international art
Probably the most beautiful room in the Schaezlerpalais is the magnificent Rococo ballroom. The famous ceiling painting by Guglielmi, which symbolically depicts trade connecting the continents, is still preserved here. This was intended to represent the power and cosmopolitanism of the house and its owner. The furnishings are largely original – experts estimate that up to 90 percent of the interior is still as it was back then.
The extraordinary details such as suite-like room sequences, stuccoed walls and historical paintings make the ballroom a unique sight. It was intended for social occasions, such as balls, receptions and visits from high-ranking guests. Marie-Antoinette even danced here on her trip to France.
The 67 supraports by Joseph Christ are also remarkable: these “over-the-door paintings” show scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses above 33 of the apartment doors. They pick up on the color of the former silk wallpaper. The rooms themselves depict signs of the zodiac, seasons and flowers. Here you can see small and large works of art down to the last detail.
You can visit various museums and collections
The Schaezlerpalais has been used as a museum since 1945, no one lives here anymore. The German Baroque Gallery moved in in 1970. Collections include works from the 15th to 18th centuries, paintings from the Karl and Magdalene Haberstock Foundation and the Steiner Collection with reverse glass paintings. A baroque garden based on a historical model is also located directly next to the palace and is open to the public.
It is well worth a visit: The Schaezlerpalais is registered as a “monument of national importance” and, with its ballroom, is considered the most important rococo hall in Germany. And it is also particularly easy to reach. You can easily travel to Augsburg by train, as you can to many other special destinations around Munich. Immersing yourself in Bavaria’s cultural heritage has never been so easy.