Nymphenburg palace - The Versailles in Bavaria

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The Nymphenburg Palace is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany.  The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach.







History


The palace was commissioned by the electoral couple Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to the designs of the Italian architect Agostino Barelli in 1664 after the birth of their son Maximilian II Emanuel. Starting in 1701, Maximilian Emanuel, the heir to Bavaria, a sovereign electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, undertook a systematic extension of the palace. Two pavilions were added each in the south and north of Barelli's palace by Enrico Zucalli and Giovanni Antonio Viscardi and were connected
with the centre pavilion by two gallery wings.

In 1795, Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria ordered the widening of the galleries on the park side. In 1826, under King Ludwig I of Bavaria, his architect Leo von Klenze removed the gables of the main pavilion with the Electoral coat of arms and created an attic style decoration directly under the roof instead.

With the Treaty of Nymphenburg signed in July 1741, Charles Albert allied with France and Spain against Austria. Two of his children were born here: Maria Antonia (future Electress of Saxony) in 1724 and Maria Anna Josepha (future Margravine of Baden-Baden) in 1734. 

Charles Albert lived during his time in Munich as Holy Roman Emperor at Nymphenburg Palace and died there in 1745.  In 1792, Elector Charles Theodor opened the park for the public.

For a long time, the palace was the favourite summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. King Max I Joseph died there in 1825 and his great-grandson King Ludwig II was born there in 1845. 

In 1863, the only meeting between Ludwig and Otto von Bismarck was held in Nymphenburg, although they remained connected in a lifelong friendship.







Nowadays


Today, Nymphenburg is open to the public but also continues to be a home and chancery for the head of the House of Wittelsbach, currently Franz, Duke of Bavaria. 

The main building alone has more than 300,000 visitors per year. Nymphenburg Palace has as many visitors as the Munich Residence and more than Schleissheim Palace, though the castles of King Ludwig II, especially Neuschwanstein, are more frequented.





A visit


I visited Nymphenburg Palace on a rainy day in 2014. I took the public transport and the palace is reachable in a short walk.




own pictures taken in 2014

Location: Munich, Germany

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