In 1719 Johann Philipp Franz von Schonborn was elected the
new prince-bishop of Wurzburg .
Shorty after he decided to move out of town and he contracted Balthasar Neumann
to be the lead architect during the construction of his palace. Neumann was a
Bohemian born architect with training in surveying, geometry, mathematics and
architecture. The Prince-Bishop wanted his palace to resemble a French garden
palace. He paid for Neumann to travel to Paris
in order to familiarize him with the style.
Neumann took the characteristics
he learned in Paris
and applied that to his design. The building has a strong longitudinal axis,
and the large U shaped courtyard with flanking wings, similar to Versailles . Other details
such as the corner pavilions and balconies that are supported on columns are
influenced heavily by the French.
In the interior you will find the Treppenbaus
(stair hall). As you ascend the stairs it is as if you are emerging from the
dark because as you look up all you see if the light-filled upper stair and the
Weissersaal (white hall) topped with a magnificent ceiling fresco by painter
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
For a closer look at the palace click the link below
Sources.
"baroque and rococo art and architecture" by Robert Neuman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%BCrzburg_Residence
I visited there a few months back, and it is still one of the best palace I have visited! I have some nice exterior shots in my blog if you are interested:
ReplyDeleteDrafts From My Coffee Table - Würzburg Residenz