Würzburg Castle Tourist Guide - Germany - Travel & Discover

Situated in the wide valley of the main river, in the centre of Bavaria's most famous wine-producing area, Würzburg is a city which is rich in history. It's a baroque city, considered to be the pearl of the romantic road. The centre of the old town was rebuilt around the St Kilian Cathedral, and it's a compromise between safeguarding the heritage of the town and meeting the needs of a modern city. Numerous churches have been built in the city. Würzburg has wonderful German food and Franconian wine. It's a university city, whose vineyards produce a fine dry white wine, sold in a uniquely shaped bottle, the Boxbeutel. The old main bridge was erected from 1473 to 1543, in place of an old Roman bridge. The characteristic statues of the saints were added around 1730. Standing on the banks of the main river, overlooking the city, is a mighty fortress, Festung Marienburg. One of the most elegant and glorious palaces in Europe is the Residenz. This is the baroque palace the prince-bishops lived in, after coming down from the hilltop fortress. This is considered the most beautiful baroque palace in Germany. The architecture of the palace, and the immense space of the square, are in many ways dynamically related. In the Cour d'Honneur is the Franconia fountain by Fernand Miller, built in 1894. The large ornamental pediment was built by Lucas von Hildebrandt, and includes two lions who support the coat of arms of the prince-bishop, surmounted by the imperial crown. From the garden, we can see the south facade of the Residenz. From the east garden, a view of the imperial hall pavilion of the Residenz. The palace garden, which has flower beds that are changed to match the seasons, was designed in the 18th century, with lovely fountains, shrubs and gravel walks. The remarkable classicistic garden statues, mostly of Savoyard boys, Chinese Moorish children, vases and cartouches of the main garden, are the work of Johann Peter Wagner and his Atelier. The dominant characteristic of this room is the contrast between its unusual breadth and the low elevation of the vaulting, which is limited by the white hall above. The vault was made with remarkable technical skill. The rather oppressively low proportions of the vestibule were no doubt intended to provide an architectural contrast to the lofty staircase. Architecture and painting have combined to make the staircase at Würzburg one of the most magnificent triumphs of secular building. The design was extended to provide for three flights of stairs, with landings similar to the staircase finally constructed. In 1737, the whole staircase was completed and by 1743 the vault was finished. It was Giovanni Battista Tiepolo who first contrived a fitting decoration for Balthasar Neumann's vault. The garden hall is a wide room based on a transverse oval ground plan. For its size, it's disproportionately low, yet it nevertheless gives an impression of graceful lightness. The vault is supported not by the walls alone, but also by a ring of fine perpendicular columns. The stucco decoration was created by Antonio Bossi. In the white hall, the stucco decorations by Antonio Bossi stand out against a pale grey background, the effect heightened by a few delicate touches of yellow and the darker grey shadows cast by the stucco reliefs. The classicist stove was made by Anton Ugg. The sculptures were made of terracotta and covered in thin gold-coloured metal. The stucco work of this brilliant artist is remarkably lively and full of movement. His Roque design seemed to blaze up, darting like flames across the vaulting. The hall was originally intended as a Salle de Gare. The audience room of the Southern Imperial Apartment is the best preserved interior. The fireplace, a violet and a gate-coloured marble, is part of the original decoration. In a corner stands a Rococo stove in white and gold. On the walls are Brussels tapestries. A secretary with rich marquetry and gilded bronze decorates the room. The Venetian wall panelling, with its inset paintings, is original. The wood is light walnut, with superimposed gilded tin ornamentation, which was evidently intended to give the impression of heavy gilded bronze. Fantastic beasts and comical dwarfs are found in the wainscot panelling, while figures in contemporary costume adorn the sides of the windows and the panels of the doors. This Venetian room was originally furnished between 1738 to 1741 from designs by the old court painter Rudolf Bis, who was also responsible for the ceiling decoration. By contrast with the other rooms, this consists of paintings in brilliant colours on a background of polished plaster. Three tapestries from the Goblin Manufactory represent scenes from the Venetian Carnival and the Commedia dell'Arte. The wall decoration of the mirror cabinet, completed between 1740 and 1745, is the most precious interior created in the Würzburg residence. Mirror cabinets are found in numerous German Baroque and Rococo palaces. Oriental porcelain figures in front of the mirrors and exotic figures and scenes could be incorporated directly into the mirror. The walls of the mirror cabinet consisted entirely of glass panels. The stuccoing of the trough vault in 1740 is one of Antonio Boss's finest achievements. The red room in the Empress's apartments was originally intended to be a grand cabinet, with silver decorations on a blue background. The highly imaginative and delicate stucco work by Antonio Bossi dates from this first planning phase. The emblems are music, war, literature, the arts, and new naturalistic motifs. This room had previously been used as the imperial bedroom. The decoration and furnishing work was interrupted by the Seven Years' War and was recommenced only in 1763. The Emperor Napoleon, who stayed in Würzburg three times during the reign of Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, spent the night in this room. The green lacquered room is a unique room, a perfect reflection of late Würzburg Rococo and early Neoclassicism. The special character of the room is created by its luminous green, applied on a silver background to give the colour depth, and an unusual translucent quality, which is vividly accented by the colours in the paintings. The overall effect is heightened by the gilded stucco decorations in late Rococo forms by Materno Bossi, and the paintings of landscapes, scenes with putty, clusters of blossom and butterflies, are executed in charming colours. Although comparatively small, the Court Chapel is nevertheless one of the most perfect 18th century religious buildings in Germany. The architectural concept, above all the highly complex structure of the building, which far exceeds anything Hildebrandt ever created, is exclusively the work of Balthasar Neumann. The Court Chapel was severely damaged by fire during the Second World War. The restoration work is an outstanding achievement. The stucco decoration and stucco figures, including Christ on the Cross with Mary Magdalene in the niche behind the main altar, and Mary on the gallery altar, are by Antonio Bossi. The pilasters extend through the entire three storeys of the southwest block, and through eight axes up to the transverse oval. Würzburg is home to the famed Vineyard Stein, which gave rise to the generic term Steinwine, formerly used to denote all Franconian wines. The winery is based in the former royal court cellars at the UNESCO-listed residence of the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg. Over the years, glamorous receptions have been held here for statesmen, emperors and kings, a tradition still upheld today. The Würzburg Residence is a model of cooperation between artists drawn from many European countries, a synthesis of the European Baroque. Its originality and ambitious construction make it unique. The Würzburg Residence was recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage in 1981.