Nymphenburg Palace
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The Nymphenburg Palace (German: Schloss Nymphenburg) is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
History
The palace was commissioned by the electoral couple Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to Agostino Barelli in 1664 after the birth of their son Maximilian II Emanuel.
Starting in 1701, the heir to the Bavarian throne, Max Emmanuel, conducted a systematic extension of the palace. Two pavilions were added each in the south and north of Barelli's palace by Enrico Zucalli and Antonio Viscardi. Later, the south section of the palace was further extended to form the court stables. As a balance, the orangerie was added to the north. Finally, a grand circle with baroque mansions (the Schlossrondell) was erected under Emperor Charles VII Albert.
For a long time, the palace was the summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. King Max I Joseph died there in 1825, and king Ludwig II was born there in 1845.
The Palace
The palace, together with its park, is now one of the most famous sights of Munich. The Steinerner Saal, with ceiling frescoes by J. B. and F. Zimmermann and decorations of François Cuvilliés, is an impressive site. Acting as the grand hall, it occupies over three floors of the central pavilion of the palace.
Some rooms still show their original baroque decoration, others were later redesigned in rococo or neoclassical style. One room today houses the "Gallery of Beauties" of King Ludwig I of Bavaria.
The court stables contain one of the most important museums of ancient carriages. The first floor houses a collection of Nymphenburg porcelain. The manufacture was founded by Maximilian III Joseph.
The Park
The 200 acre (800,000 m²) park, once arranged in French style by Dominique Girard, was redone in the English manner in early 19th century by Sckell, who preserved the main elements of the Baroque garden (such as the grand parterre).Within the park, a number of pavilions were built:
- the Pagodenburg (1716-1719) - an octagonal, two story pavilion with Delft tile decoration downstairs and Chinoiserie upstairs. It was built by Joseph Effner.
- the Badenburg (1719-1721) - a baroque pavilion also by Joseph Effner, contains a very large tiled bath
- the Magdalenenklause - a faux ruin for retreat and meditation, errected between 1725 and 1728.
- the Amalienburg - a rococo hunting lodge constructed in 1734-1739 by François de Cuvilles for Charles VII and his wife, Maria Amalia, including a hall of mirrors and a kennel room for the hunting dogs
- the Monopteros - a neoclassical temple by Leo von Klenze
Miscellaneous
The palace and its park were some of the main filming locations of Alain Resnais' 1961 movie Last Year at Marienbad.
Images
External links
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