Schleißheim palace complex

Schloss Schleissheim stands three kilometres north of Munich in the village of Oberschleißheim. The complex consists of three palaces set in a single Baroque park. The oldest is the Renaissance Old Palace, begun in 1598 by William V and enlarged by his son Maximilian I. Lustheim Palace, a garden villa built between 1684 and 1688, sits on a circular island at the far end of the gardens. The New Palace, over 300 metres long, was intended as a grand residence but only the main wing was completed. The palaces reflect the ambitions of the Bavarian electors. The Old Palace houses exhibitions on religious culture and Prussian history, while Lustheim displays one of the world’s finest collections of Meissen porcelain. The New Palace’s state apartments are decorated by leading artists of the late Baroque, celebrating Max Emanuel’s victories against the Turks. The gallery of Baroque paintings includes works by Rubens, van Dyck and Ribera, many acquired by Max Emanuel during his time as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Visitors walk from the Old Palace through formal gardens to Lustheim’s belvedere for wide views across the countryside. Inside Lustheim the great banqueting hall shows frescoes by Johann Anton Gumpp and Francesco Rosa. The New Palace’s Grand Hall, staircase and chapel remain largely as they were in the 18th century. The palace park still contains the pumping station for its trick fountains and the Renatus Chapel in the southern pavilion.