Nymphenburg Palace

The beautiful baroque palace in the west part of Munich was the former summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria. Five generations of Wittelsbach rulers were involved in the construction of Nymphenburg Palace (German: Schloss Nymphenburg).


Picture by Richard Bartz

Nymphenburg was originally Ferdinand Maria's present to his wife Henriette Adelaide on the birth of his heir, in 1675. This was the beginning of a splendid baroque creation. The same heir, Maximilian Emanuel, commissioned the construction of symmetrical buildings, that were connected to the central section by galleries. From 1715 on, fired by their monarch's enthusiasm, the craftsmen, hired for the most part from France or Flanders, worked wonders in the expansion of Nymphenburg and the building of Schleißheim Palace.
(Source: muenchen.de)

The palace, and the 200 acre (800,000 qm) Nymphenburg Palace Park, is today one of the most famous sights of Munich. Among the highlights is the Steinerner Saal (Stone Hall), with ceiling frescoes by J.B. and F. Zimmermann and decorations by François de Cuvilliés.