On our last day in Wurzburg, we visited the former residence of the prince-bishops who occupied this palace in the 18th century.
In those days, the Holy Roman Emperor and later the Habsburgs allowed for the office of prince-bishop to rule the area – a nice way to double-dip and to consolidate power. Napoleon thought otherwise and the then prince-bishop was relegated to a mere bishop, and moved to much more humble quarters near the cathedral.
But while they reigned, the PB’s had incredible wealth at their disposal, and the mandate to their architect was to copy Versailles – only do it better and bigger. Tiepolo was brought in to do ceiling frescoes including the magnificent main hall, and no expense was spare in decorating the major rooms.
Much was destroyed during the bombing of 1945, so much has been restored and recreated. While no photos are allowed inside, I am sharing Internet images to show the richness of the interior, and the exterior during the summer season.
Nothing shabby about this place, though what you can’t see is how freezing cold it was on our tour. Why oh why did I leave my hat and gloves in the locker with my camera? It is always good to be reminded that all the gilding and tapestries in the world don’t compensate for central heating on a cold day in February.
The rest of our time was spent meandering through the town, rather quiet on a Sunday – though the old bridge was still packed with wine lovers. It’s a lovely setting and yet another remarkably resilient corner of Germany.
