Taking a tour of the Residenz in Würzburg, Germany, was definitely a highlight of the weekend that we spent in the quaint little city. You can usually count on finding a palace, castle, and a cathedral or dom in most historic European cities and Würzburg was no different. The palace, which is called the Residenz, is one of those truly beautiful places that is definitely worth visiting. We were there during the winter, so we didn’t get to enjoy the beautiful gardens, but the interior, with its Baroque/Rococo architecture and artwork more than made up for not walking through flower lined paths.
There were many Prince-Bishops who resided at the Residenz during the time that it was constructed, although the end result is not disjointed or lack cohesion. The foundation for the palace was first laid in 1720 and construction was completed around 1780. As with many cities and palaces in Germany, the Residenz suffered tremendous damage during World War II and reconstruction work continued from 1945 to 1987. Great care was taken to restore it back to as close to it’s original grandeur as possible at a great expense, but the result is magnificent. In 1981, the Residenz was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, which is richly deserved.
The grand staircase is by far the most spectacular part of the palace. With it’s Baroque artwork, amazing frescos, and 3-D reliefs, there is so much detail to enjoy. Unfortunately were not able to take any photos within the palace, but we enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful artwork. Outside of the palace, the Franconia fountain is the dominating feature. It pays homage to the artisans whose artwork adorns the palace walls and ceilings.
Würzburg may not be top on most lists of places to visit in Germany, but we found that it was definitely worth a stop. Obviously there is more to see than just the Residenz, but we would highly recommend taking a tour if you get the opportunity.
It looks very grand, but that sky is so grey.
That appears to be a common problem there. I have pics from Würzburg that come in the exact same greyish tones 🙂
We were there during the winter and had several rainy and grey days.
Winter in most of Europe is like that…
We visited Wurzburg during our Grand European River Cruise in November. It was a cold but beautiful day with blue skies and white fluffy clouds, and we got to see the gardens–just lucky I guess. The ironic story we got from the tour guide was that the grandest parts of the palace were built to show off to the emperor when he visited…but he never did. Did you walk through the village and along the river? Amazing beautiful views of hillside vineyards and a castle.
Glad you were lucky to see the gardens. Yes, we did walk through the village and along the river, definitely beautiful views.
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