The Residence, built from 1720-1744 according to plans of the genius Balthasar Neumann, is the main work of south German Baroque and one of the most important castles in Europe.

 
Würzburg experienced its most prosperous period during the rule of the art-loving prince-bishops of the Schönborn family, for whom Balthasar Neumann built the "palace of palaces," the Würzburg Residence, from 1719 to 1744. Balthasar Neumann from Eger (16871753) was in great demand as an architect throughout southern and western Germany in the mid-18th century. Finally, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, the well-known Venetian, came to Würzburg to embellish Neumann's great staircase and the Imperial Hall with gleaming gold. Tiepolo painted the vast fresco on the ceiling above the famous staircase, thereby creating the largest painting in the world.

 
In 1982, on account of its outstanding architectural significance, the Residence was placed on the UNESCO list of cultural treasures of the world. The center entryway is big enough for a stagecoach to turn around and leads to a massive grand staircase. Half-way up the stairs, eyes are drawn upward and overhead to "The Four Continents" (only Europe, America, Asia and Africa were known at the time), considered the world's largest fresco. The brilliantly colored painting fills a vast, unsupported vaulted ceiling, which critics of the time said would surely collapse. Not only did it outlast the critics, but it was the only part of the Residenz left standing after the 1945 bombing.

 
Tours show off just a fraction of the more than 300 Baroque and Rococo rooms (many of them are still under restoration). The White Hall, immediately off the staircase, has plain white stucco, all the more to amaze and startle guests when they enter the next chamber, the opulent Imperial Hall. With its marble floors, shimmering chandeliers, gold leaf detail, and detailed frescos, it's almost too much for the eyes to absorb. Painter and architect toiled together so that stucco, frescoes and architecture blend so seamlessly that it's hard to tell where one stops and the other starts.

 
Behind the Residenz, the terraced Hofgarten features English- and French-styled gardens, carefully manicured and filled with whimsical Rococo sculptures (mostly plaster copies).

 
Guided tours in the Residence
April through October: Daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
November through March: Daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Guided tours in English
Daily 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing time

Entrance fee (guided tour included):
Adults € 5

 
Address:
Residenzplatz 2,
D-97070 Würzburg'
Tel. +49 (0)931/355 170
Fax |+49 (0)931/355 1725

www.schloesser.bayern.de
sgvwuerzburg@bsv.bayern.de