Bruchsal Palace

Schloss Bruchsal is a Baroque palace complex in Bruchsal, Germany. It contains more than fifty buildings, including a three-winged residence with a chapel, four pavilions, smaller service buildings and a garden. The palace is best known for its Rococo decoration and the grand staircase regarded as one of the finest in any Baroque palace. The complex stands on the northern edge of the town, where Prince-Bishops once kept a modest family residence. After Speyer’s refusal to rebuild the Episcopal Palace, Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn chose Bruchsal for his new seat. The palace was begun in 1722 by Schönborn, who drew on family connections to bring in architects and craftsmen. Balthasar Neumann, already working for Schönborn’s uncle, later took charge of the staircase and other key parts of the design. The building survived for less than a century as a Prince-Bishop’s home before war damage in 1945 left much of it in ruins. A full restoration returned the complex to use and it now contains two museums. Visitors enter through the impressive staircase that Neumann created between 1731 and 1732. The Hofkirche chapel was completed in 1739, its interior enriched with frescoes by Cosmas Damian Asam. Later, in the 1750s, Johannes Zick painted the dome above the staircase and Johann Michael Feuchtmayer added delicate Rococo stuccowork. The Marble Hall and other state rooms show the refined style of the mid-18th century. Outside, the garden and surrounding pavilions complete the ensemble of a once royal residence.