NYMPHENBURG CASTLE

Nymphenburg Palace is a baroque palace in the district of the same name in western Munich. It was built on the initiative of Prince-Elector Ferdinand-Marie between 1664 and 1674 to celebrate the long-awaited birth of his son, Max-Emmanuel, after ten years of marriage to Henrietta Adelaide of Savoy. This magnificent white building was, until its removal in 1918, the summer residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty at a time when this part of Munich was still in the countryside. Around the castle, semi-circular buildings were used as residences for horsemen. Among the various sights of Nymphenburg Palace are the Steiner Saal (stone room) with its unforgettable frescoes and stucco work by Johann Baptist Zimmermann. A room that has hardly changed since 1758. Look at the huge fresco on the ceiling, it represents an Olympian paradise. Next, the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties) was designed by King Ludwig I to immortalize the beauty of the most attractive women of his time. These 36 portraits of women were painted by the court painter Joseph Karl Stieler. Among them is Lola Montez. For two years, this Irish dancer was the king's mistress. Their scandalous relationship was partly responsible for the riots that led to the revolution of 1848, which cost the king his throne. The apartments of Queen Caroline(Appartement der Königin), with their original furniture, are emblematic of the taste for the Empire style, very much in vogue at the beginning of the 19th century. In the bedroom, the future Ludwig II was born in 1845. The visit ends with the Schlosskapelle, a chapel built from 1702 in a baroque style that contrasts with the rather austere lines of the building.

Park Nymphenburg. After visiting the castle, don't miss a tour and detours in the garden. It alone is worth a thorough visit with its fabulous waterfalls, ponds and archetypal Bavarian Rococo fountains. A pure wonder! The park as we know it today was conceived and redesigned in the early 19th century after several changes of face. Elector Max IV Joseph (the future King Max I) commissioned his landscape architect to transform the park into a landscape garden. He retained baroque elements (the central canal, the pavilions) and mixed in elements of the English garden: groves and paths with a more natural course.