One of the most enchanting sights in Munich, Germany is
Nymphenburg Palace. It certainly is attractive enough for Canaletto to paint it
in the 18th century. The swans on the man-made lake are sure to charm, no
matter what time of year you visit here.
The land on which the palace was built was given to Henrietta
Adelaide of Savoy, the wife of Elector Ferdinand Marie of Bavaria as a
thank-you gift from her husband on the birth of an heir after 10 years of
marriage and several daughters. Eleven years later, in 1675, the palace was
completed and became for generations the summer palace of the rulers of
Bavaria. Extensive additions were made by the succeeding generations of
Wittelsbach rulers to create the palace that exists today.
The Festival Hall is the first room you visit. The ceiling is
worth taking a long look at. It is decorated with frescoes done by Johann
Baptiste Zimmermann, who was the most important Rococo fresco artist working in
Munich during this period. The rooms to the right side of the hall are the
Electors, the north wing, set up in the typical Baroque fashion and to the
left, the south wing, the Electress. These include bedrooms, formal rooms and
sitting rooms. In the hallway on both sides are studies of different
Wittelsbach castles.
In the north wing is the famous Gallery of Beauties.This
collection of 36 portraits was the brainchild of Ludwig I who had all the most
beautiful women of his time painted and hung in his gallery. These are not all
women of the court; one is the daughter of a Greek freedom fighter, one a
cobbler’s daughter. Among the court ladies is his daughter-in-law and his
mistress, Lola Montez.
The Amilienberg located in the park is a little jewel box of a
hunting lodge. It was the retreat of the Electress Amalia. She was known to
have hunted from the roof and the kennel room has beautiful tiles and cages for
lots of dogs. It is only about six rooms but every one of them is a gem. It is
the only one of the houses in the park that is open in the winter.
In the summer you can visit the Podenburg a retreat in the Chinese
style, the Badenburg an early heated bath house and Magdaleneklause built as a
retreat for Max Emmanuel. None of these were open when we visited in January.
The Stable Museum has a collection of carriages and sleighs. In
the collection can be found two carriages that belonged to the son of the
Empress Josephine, Eugene Beauharnais. He was the husband of Princess Augusta
daughter of Maximilian I of Bavaria which explains how these carriages came
into the collection. Of particular beauty was a carriage that could be turned
into a sleigh that belonging to Ludwig II. Upstairs there is a particularly
fine collection of Nymphenburg porcelain.
If you want to purchase some modern Nymphenburg porcelain, there
is a store right alongside the front park. You had better have a huge credit
line though the prices are quite shocking. This writer didn’t see any pieces
under 100 euros, but did see a 700-Euro teapot.
The easiest way to reach the Palace is to take the S-Bahn 16 from
the Haupbahnhof toward Amelianburgstrasse. Get off at the Schloss Nymphenburg
stop not the Romanplatz as the tourist brochure directs.
looks like an incredible place to visit!
ReplyDeleteIt was, it is magnificent in a way we as Americans have a hard time imagining.
Delete