Germany Guide
Munich
Nymphenburg
Address: West of the centre; tram #12 or #16 to Romanplatz or #17 to Schloss Nymphenburg
Opening time: Daily: April to mid-Oct 9am–6pm; mid-Oct to March 10am–4pm
Price: €5 for the Schloss, €10 combined ticket for all Nymphenburg attractions
Munich's western suburbs are the setting for Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace of the Bavarian electors. It has its origins in the simple cube-shaped building commissioned by the Elector Ferdinand Maria and his consort Henrietta Adelaide to celebrate the birth of their son, designed by Agostino Barelli and begun in 1664. The building was subsequently enlarged by that son – Max Emanuel – to plans by Enrico Zuccalli and Joseph Effner to create the substantial palace you see today.
The massive Steinerner Saal, or Great Hall, in the central pavilion is a riot of Rococo stucco work by Johann Baptist Zimmermann, created under the aegis of François Cuvilliés in 1755 and producing an effect that is at once festive and monumental. The room preserves its original Rococo form – since it was completed in 1758, work has been limited to dusting, filling cracks and light retouching. As for the rest of the Schloss, the most famous room is the Schönheitsgalerie, or gallery of beauties, lined with portraits of famous beauties of the day painted for Ludwig I in the 1830s by Joseph Stieler. Among the women portrayed is the dancer Lola Montez – the Elector's infatuation with her pushed Munich to the brink of rebellion, and Ludwig abdicated shortly afterwards.
The decorative highlight of Nymphenburg is not in the main palace at all, but in the English-style park at the back of the Schloss, which is where you'll find the graceful little Amalienburg (€2), a hunting lodge created between 1734 and 1739 for the Electress Amalia by François Cuvilliés. Its ethereal Spiegelsaal is one of the pinnacles of the Rococo style: silver, not gold, is the dominant colour, the delicate stucco work is again the work of Johann Baptist Zimmermann, with themes relating to Diana, Amphitrite, Ceres and Bacchus. The room was used for banquets, balls, concerts and relaxation after the hunt, and it's hard to imagine a more ravishing setting for a party. Three other charming eighteenth-century pavilions in the Schlosspark – the Badenburg, Pagodenburg and Magdalenenklause – can also be visited (daily: April to mid-Oct 9am–6pm; €2 each).