Würzburg Residence

thumb|Aerial view of the Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square

The Würzburg Residence (German: Würzburger Residenz) is a palace in Würzburg, Germany. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch, representatives of the Austrian/Southern German Baroque style, were involved in the construction, as well as Robert de Cotte and Germain Boffrand, who were followers of the French style. Balthasar Neumann, court architect of the Bishop of Würzburg, was the principal architect of the Residence, which was commissioned by the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn and his brother Friedrich Carl von Schönborn in 1720, and completed in 1744. The Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, assisted by his son, Domenico, painted frescoes in the building.

Interiors considered masterworks of Baroque/Rococo or Neoclassical architecture and art include the grand staircase, the chapel, and the Imperial Hall. The building was reportedly called the "largest parsonage in Europe" by Napoleon.

History

18th century

The Prince-Bishops of Würzburg resided in the Marienberg Fortress on a hill west of the Main river until the early 18th century. Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn (1719–1724) moved the court to a palace erected in 1701–1704, the predecessor of the Residence. However, the rather small palace did not, in his opinion, measure up to his position as an absolute monarch – he was looking for something comparable to the Palace of Versailles or Schönbrunn Palace.

thumb|center|800px|Garden façade of the Residence, leading into the Court Gardens

thumb|center|800px|Front of the Residence and [[Cour d'honneur]]

In the year 1730, however, under Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn (1729–1746), work on the south block began once more. In 1732–33, the front of the Cour d'honneur was completed. From 1735 onwards, the work on the central building took place with the participation of Lucas von Hildebrandt. In 1737, the main staircase by Balthasar Neumann was constructed. The garden front was completed in 1740 and the whole shell in December 1744. Neumann was mostly responsible for the Residence's town front, while Hildebrandt's work dominated the garden side. The four interior courts of the side wings were an idea of von Welsch. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, assisted by his sons, decorated the Imperial Hall and the ceiling above the staircase with frescoes in the early 1750s. The enormous staircase is vaulted by the largest continuous ceiling fresco in the world (approx. 580 m<sup>2</sup>), painted between 1752 and 1753 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo as well as his sons − especially Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo − and other helpers. In 1753, Balthasar Neumann died.

19th and early 20th centuries

The episcopal principality of Würzburg was abolished with secularization in 1802/03. An eight-year interregnum by Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany (reigned 1806–1814) followed,

Description

400px|thumb|right|Map of Würzburg Residence with Court Gardens, including the Rosenbach Park (left)

Architectural plan

WurzburgResidenzSidePlan.jpg|Sectional drawing

NeuResidenzPlan1.jpg|Ground floor

NeuResidenzPlan2.jpg|Main floor

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Exterior

The Residence was constructed on a base plate of 92 × 167 meters. The main structure consists of a central wing with two side wings, the north and south blocks, each with two interior courts. On the town side the side wings extend 55 m from the main structure, partially enclosing the Cour d'honneur. Beneath the mansard roof there is a cornice, decorated with vases and trophies. The façade around the main portal in the Cour d'honneur is particularly richly decorated. It lacks the lower mezzanine floor (see below) but sports a large balcony above the three portals accessible from the Weisser Saal (White Hall). Above the entrance a large coat-of-arms of Friedrich Carl von Schönborn is located. The Hofkirche (court chapel) is completely integrated into the western part of the southern wing and barely distinguishable from the outside. There is also a picture of the Prince-Bishop with Mercury approaching from Olympus while Apollo launches the sun horses, surrounded by incarnations of the stars. The fresco also shows Tiepolo himself (in the southwest corner) and Neumann, in the center of the southern front, leaning on a cannon.

Court architect Balthasar Neumann had to fight concerns about the dangers of such an enormous vault. Contrary to the vault with its colors, the stairs and the walls have hardly any decoration at all. While the vault is decorated in the Baroque style, the rest of the staircase is already decorated in the following Neoclassical style.

Neumann originally wanted to add a second staircase on the other side of the White Hall, but this was vetoed by the Prince-Bishop's advisers due to the costs involved.

Today

The gardens and representative rooms described above are open to the public. A memorial room is dedicated to the Residence's destruction in March 1945. It also honours Major John Davis Skilton, a "Monuments man" of the U.S. Army who was instrumental in preserving many of the art treasures after his arrival at Würzburg in June 1945.

Most of the rest of the residence is occupied by the Martin von Wagner Museum (moved here in 1963) and organizations of the University of Würzburg.

Some scenes of the 2011 film The Three Musketeers were filmed at Würzburg Residence.

Gallery

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File:Orangerie Hofgarten Wuerzburg-1.jpg|The orangery