Bavaria, the state that still stands somewhere in the past – at least when it comes to the historical attractions around Munich . Hardly any other federal state has so many fairytale castles and enchanted palaces. Many of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are definitely worth a day trip! A special tip is the Würzburg Residence. It was one of the first buildings in Germany to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. It is considered the “most uniform and extraordinary of all Baroque palaces” and is a masterpiece of European Baroque.
The Würzburg Residence is considered a “palace of palaces” – according to the UNESCO jury. The building is so special because it is the result of a unique collaboration between international artists. The then young and still unknown architect Balthasar Neumann created his life’s work here. The Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo painted the largest continuous ceiling fresco in the world here, and the Italian Antonio Bossi was responsible for the incredibly lifelike stucco work.
As you can already guess from the various artists involved, the Würzburg Residence combines a lot of different styles in one. Here you will find features of French castle architecture, Viennese Baroque, and Upper Italian palace architecture. But it didn’t come cheap: the residence was so expensive that it almost ruined the diocese. Construction lasted from 1720 to 1744.
It is actually a miracle that the palace still exists today. During the devastating bombing of Würzburg in March 1945 , the Residence burned down almost completely. Incredibly, however, the massive vaults by Balthasar Neumann in the stairwell and Kaisersaal (Emperor’s Hall) withstood the attack. The architect was initially ridiculed, with people saying that his daring staircase construction without supports would collapse. He offered to fire cannons in the hall to prove its stability. Today we know that he was right.
If you want to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site today, it’s easy. Guided tours of the state rooms and the Hall of Mirrors are available. The Court Church is also worth a visit. With all its gold and stucco , it is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Germany. Admission is even free.
And finally, a little insider tip: in summer, you should definitely come to the Mozart Festival. Many concerts take place in the Kaisersaal or in the illuminated Hofgarten – an absolutely regal atmosphere.