Nymphenburg Palace

Nymphenburg Palace was the agenda for the day. Only 5km from Augusten Hotel It would have been much quicker to take a taxi but, then I would have missed much of the scenery and lesser seen parts of Munich. Topping the route there was a graffiti gallery under bridge. I’ll do a separate blog post about it at the end of my Munich series.

Hubertusbrunnen / Hubertus Fountain

Another interesting find along the way was the Hubertusbrunnen / Hubeertus Fountain. To be honest, I thought it was a pumphouse or something to do with the canal leading up to the palace.. A pretty one at that but without any significance. Considering I took the most direct pedestrian route from the hotel to the palace I was lucky as this gives the most grand approach to the palace. Walking either along the Northerly Auffahrtsalle or Southerly Auffahrtsalle; a 850m long canal (it’s not really a canal, just a long straight pond) culminating at the entrance of Nymphenburg Palace. From the East, at the beginning of the canal is the Hubertusbrunnen / Hubertus Fountain.

History

Hubertus Fountain looks grounded as if it has been in its current location since concept. However, it was has only been there since 1954, having been moved from its home in front of the Bavarian National Museum. Built between 1903-1907 in honour of Prince Regent Luitpold. The interior is inaccessible to visitors. Still called the Hubertus Fountain there is no fountain today. When it stood at the Bavarian National Museum, it did. The structure functioning as a well house. True to Nazi planning, it was removed in 1937 because it stood in the way of their plans to build a parade route…and the creator, Adolf von Hildebrand was of Jewish decent.

Heading up Northerly Auffahrtsalle is like a song. Starting at Hubertus Fountain is the intro, the long canal the verse, near the end the pre-chorus, then as the full view of Nymphenburg Palace comes to view, the chorus. Like the wings of an albatross the palace sprawls out wide to the periphery of your vision (632m wide). This is a stately home. The summer home of the rulers of Bavaria of the house of Wittelsbach.

History

Baraoque in style, commissioned by Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy in 1664 after the birth of their son Maximilian II Emanuel. As with many royal residences, generations added to it. Maximilian Emanuel added to an already massive palace, including a redesign of the centre pavilion in French Baroque. Finalising the add-ons and extensions was Maximilian Emanuel’s son, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII Albert, complting the palace in 1747. One of the things Nymphenburg Palace is known for is porcelain. This is because of Prince Elector Maximilian III (son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII Albert) founded the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in 1747.

Interior

Comparing Nymphenburg Palace to Munich Residence is like comparing a Learjet to an A380. One is small and luxurious, the other is a mammoth, though still luxurious (not the best of comparisons). Munich Residence though more opulent and ornate, Nymphenburg Palace is on a massive scale. It’s wider than the Palace of Versailles. Places such as Nymphenburg Palace and alike have fulltime curators, or historical experts making their life’s work to study them. A day visit is not going to do it justice as with all historical places – I’m always conscious of this. Added to the fact that I can’t use all the pictures I take nor explore/explain everything I see. This is one of the reasons I end up posting a lot more pictures on my FB page. Even then, there is no context to the pictures nor to I post all my pictures either.

Back to the interior. With many oohs and ahhs there is lots to attract your attention. From the Steinemer Sall (Marble Hall), to the thousands of exotic trinkets on display. Variously different styled or themed rooms, all briming with detail from floor to ceiling…even the floors are beautifully.

Carriages and Sleds

Not knowing anything about carriages nor sleds doesn’t mean you cannot admire them. Nymphenburg Palace, hands down has the best display I have ever seen. A spectacular exhibition of skill and ostentation. These are the equivalent of supercars of today. Like a garage filled with the best of the best personalised Rolls-Royces….painted with real gold. They are totally over the top, crass in excess, yet the craftmanship is unquestionably remarkable. I’ll included more pictures on FB.

Gardens

Nymphenburg Palace gardens is more like a huge park, easy to stroll through and get lost because of its vast size (200 hectares – Central Park is 340)! Tranquil lakes and tree lined roads. Some parts intimate, others wide open spaces. It reminded me of a combination of Sintra Palace gardens and Central Park in New York.

Dotted throughout the park are five pavilions; like little palaces. Getaways from the main palace into nature…yet keeping in tune with the palace’s luxury; think super-glamping but in your own garden. I spent as much time ambling through the gardens as I did inside the palace. Lost my bearing a few times, and lost track of time too! Brought on by the onset of looking at my watch, initiated as I noticed I was going in the opposite direction as the occasional passerby. Nearly closing time…the sun at the horizon should have been a dead giveaway too!

Garden Pavilions

Akin to the same purpose as a garden cottage except on a grand scale and super luxurious. Actually, these pavilions are like mini-palaces. Each serving a purpose with a style to match. I’m sure I visited them all, with only a select few pictures in this post (will put more in my FB post)

Pagodenburg – “Maison de plaisance”; pleasure house and tea house.
Badenburg – a private bath house baroque in style, with a banqueting hall. Decorated in the fashionable Chinese white blue tiles and wallpaper.
Magdelenenklause – A place for seclusion, solitude, meditation and prayer (made to look like ruin)
Amalienburg – A hunting lodge rococo in style.
Apollotempel – Neoclassical monopteros temple; can also be called a monopteron or cyclostyle. It’s a colonnade supporting a roof without any walls.

Nymphenburg Palace is deserving of a visit. You could easily add more in a one-day itinerary, and certainly spend more than a day visiting Nymphenburg Palace too. The garden steals the show in my opinion. It enhances the grandeur and stature of the palace like a picture frame. Except here, I think the picture frame surpasses the painting.