Bill's Aviation Log

We drove to Nymphenburg Palace, since it is on the outskirts of Munich, northwest corner -- way too far to walk.

For 200 years, this royal retreat of palaces and gardens was the Wittelsbach rulers' summer vacation home, a getaway from the politics of court life in the city.

We started our tour in the Great Hall. Great it certainly is.

In the Karl Theodor chamber. This room shows portraits of the Elector Karl Theodor as Grand Master of the Order of St George and his first wife Elisabeth Auguste von Pfalz-Sulzbach.

Charles Theodore (German: Karl Theodor; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach from his father Johann Christian in 1733, at the age of six. With the death of his cousin, Charles III Philip, he became Prince-elector and Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1742, being eighteen. In his fifties, he became Prince-Elector of Bavaria at the death of another cousin, Maximilian III Joseph, in 1777.

Also in the Karl Theodor chamger, a portrait of the second wife of Elector Karl Theodor, Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este.

I was fascinated by the famous Gallery of Beauties of King Ludwig I of Bavaria who reigned 1825-1848.

Per Rick Steves: "Ludwig I was a consummate girl-watcher. Ludwig prided himself on his ability to appreciate beauty regardless of social rank. He enjoyed picking out the prettiest women from the general public and, with one of the most effective pickup lines of all time, inviting them to the palace for a portrait. Who could refuse? The portraits were on public display in the Residenz and catapulted their subjects to stardom. The women range from commoners to princesses, but notice that they share one physical trait: Ludwig obviously preferred brunnettes.

Ludwig I or Louis I (German: Ludwig I.; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As king, he encouraged Bavaria's industrialization, initiating the Ludwig Canal between the rivers Main and the Danube. In 1835, the first German railway was constructed in his domain, between the cities of Fürth and Nuremberg, with his Bavaria joining the Zollverein economic union in 1834. After the July Revolution of 1830 in France, Ludwig's previous liberal policy became increasingly repressive, in 1844, Ludwig was confronted during the Beer riots in Bavaria. During the revolutions of 1848 the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes. On 20 March 1848, he abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian.

Ludwig lived for another twenty years after his abdication and remained influential. An admirer of ancient Greece and the Italian Renaissance, Ludwig patronized the arts and commissioned several neoclassical buildings, especially in Munich. He was an avid collector of arts, amassing paintings from the Early German and Early Dutch periods as well as Graeco-Roman sculptures.

All living legitimate agnatic members of the House of Wittelsbach descend from him.

From 1827-1850 he produced 36 portraits, of which one (Luise Baroness von Neubeck) was lost, and in 1861 Friedrich Dürck added two more (Carlotta von Breidbach-Bürresheim and Anna Greiner).

The best known is probably the "Schöne Münchnerin" (the Beauty of Munich) Helene Sedlmayr, daughter of a shoemaker -- pictured on right. Though poor, she was considred Munich's comeliest Fraulein, and she eventually married the king's valet and had 10 children.

Another famous beauty hanging on the wall -- I didn't get a picture of it, but was able to download one from Wikipedia thanks to Joseph Karl Stieler -- was Irish dancer Lola Montez, the king's most notorious mistress, who was one of the causes of the revolution in Munich in 1848 which forced the king to abdicate in favor of his son, King Maximilian II. Despite dying at the young age of 39, Lola Montez had an amazing life that included living all over Europe, India, Europe, New York, San Francisco and Australia.

The one portrait you won't find in the Gallery of Beauties is the portrait of Ludwig's wife, Queen Therese.

Looking west out over Nymphenburg Park, filled with statues and canals. .

The park extended quite a bit to the west. You could spend all day here hiking around, enjoying the grounds.

Looking at the front entrance to the palace.

Nymphenburg Palace, around 1760, as painted by Bernardo Bellotto.

June 15, 2023 - Germany Munich: Nymphenburg Palace
We drove to Nymphenburg Palace, since it is on the outskirts of Munich, northwest corner -- way too far to walk. For 200 years, this royal retreat of palaces and gardens was the Wittelsbach rulers' summer vacation home, a getaway from the politics of court life in the city.

In 1662, Bavarian ruler Ferdinand Maria gave his wife Henrietta Adelaide of Savoy a present of land for giving him a male heir. She proceeded to build an Italian-style Baroque palace as their summer residence. Starting in 1701, their son Max Emanuel expanded the palace to its current size. Today's Wittelsbachs, who still refer to themselves as "princes" or "dukes", live in one wing of the palace. The central pavilion was completed in 1675.

We started our tour in the Great Hall. Great it certainly is.

The Great Hall occupies over three floors of the central pavilion of the palace.

The huge ceiling painting depicts the Olympian heaven, symbolizing the duty of the ruler to bring and receive peace. In the sunny center, Apollo drives his chariot to bring the dawn, while bearded Zeus (astride an eagle) and peacock-carrying Juno look on. The rainbow symbolizes the peace brought by the enlightened Wittelsbachs. The impressive ceiling frescoes were done by Johann Baptist Zimmermann and F. Zimmermann. Decorations were by François de Cuvilliés.

The Great Hall has remained unchanged since 1758. With the exception of dusting and small improvements within reach of the users, it has not been touched, so that it has been preserved as an authentic rococo room.

Ceiling fresco in one of the antechambers.

From the Great Hall, there are two wings on each side. They're mirror images of one another: antechamber, audience chamber, bedchamber, and private living quarters. We started with the north wing, or right side. First room was the North Antechamber. With his portrait as a successful general, Elector Max Emanuel created a monument to himself in this room. The painting by Joseph Vivien dating from 1711 portrays the elector in armour in front of the Namur fortifications. Maximilian II (11 July 1662 – 26 February 1726), also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last governor of the Spanish Netherlands and Duke of Luxembourg. An able soldier, his ambition led to conflicts that limited his ultimate dynastic achievements. He was born in Munich to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (d.1676).

Then we came to Elector Max Emanuel’s Great Gallery of Beauties which shows five portraits of ladies at the court of Louis XIV, painted by Pierre Gobert around 1715.

In the Karl Theodor chamber. This room shows portraits of the Elector Karl Theodor as Grand Master of the Order of St George and his first wife Elisabeth Auguste von Pfalz-Sulzbach. Charles Theodore (German: Karl Theodor; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach from his father Johann Christian in 1733, at the age of six. With the death of his cousin, Charles III Philip, he became Prince-elector and Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1742, being eighteen. In his fifties, he became Prince-Elector of Bavaria at the death of another cousin, Maximilian III Joseph, in 1777.

Also in the Karl Theodor chamger, a portrait of the second wife of Elector Karl Theodor, Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este.

We moved to the South wing and antechamber. This was the antechamber providing access to the apartment of Electress Henriette Adelaide. The room was dominated by a portrait of Elector Karl Albrecht shown as Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII with the insignia – the imperial crown, orb and sceptre. In the carved cartouche below is the Bavarian coat of arms with the double eagle of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles VII (6 August 1697 – 20 January 1745) was Prince-Elector of Bavaria from 26 February 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 to his death. He was also King of Bohemia (as Charles III) from 1741 to 1743. Charles was a member of the House of Wittelsbach, and his reign as Holy Roman Emperor thus marked the end of three centuries of uninterrupted Habsburg imperial rule, although he was related to the Habsburgs by both blood and marriage. Charles was the eldest son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, and the Polish princess Theresa Kunegunda Sobieska. He became elector following the death of his father in 1722. In 1726, Charles married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and niece of Emperor Charles VI. The couple had seven children together. After Charles VI died in 1740, Elector Charles claimed the Archduchy of Austria and briefly gained hold of the Bohemian throne. In 1742, he was elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled until his death three years later. We saw this Elector Karl Albrecht portrait in the Residenz also.

I was fascinated by the famous Gallery of Beauties of King Ludwig I of Bavaria who reigned 1825-1848. Per Rick Steves: "Ludwig I was a consummate girl-watcher. Ludwig prided himself on his ability to appreciate beauty regardless of social rank. He enjoyed picking out the prettiest women from the general public and, with one of the most effective pickup lines of all time, inviting them to the palace for a portrait. Who could refuse? The portraits were on public display in the Residenz and catapulted their subjects to stardom. The women range from commoners to princesses, but notice that they share one physical trait: Ludwig obviously preferred brunnettes. Ludwig I or Louis I (German: Ludwig I.; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As king, he encouraged Bavaria's industrialization, initiating the Ludwig Canal between the rivers Main and the Danube. In 1835, the first German railway was constructed in his domain, between the cities of Fürth and Nuremberg, with his Bavaria joining the Zollverein economic union in 1834. After the July Revolution of 1830 in France, Ludwig's previous liberal policy became increasingly repressive, in 1844, Ludwig was confronted during the Beer riots in Bavaria. During the revolutions of 1848 the king faced increasing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes. On 20 March 1848, he abdicated in favour of his eldest son, Maximilian. Ludwig lived for another twenty years after his abdication and remained influential. An admirer of ancient Greece and the Italian Renaissance, Ludwig patronized the arts and commissioned several neoclassical buildings, especially in Munich. He was an avid collector of arts, amassing paintings from the Early German and Early Dutch periods as well as Graeco-Roman sculptures. All living legitimate agnatic members of the House of Wittelsbach descend from him.

Joseph Stieler was commissioned by the king to paint this famous series of beautiful women, not only ladies at the court as in Max Emanuel’s Gallery of Beauties (Room 4), but women from all classes of society.

From 1827-1850 he produced 36 portraits, of which one (Luise Baroness von Neubeck) was lost, and in 1861 Friedrich Dürck added two more (Carlotta von Breidbach-Bürresheim and Anna Greiner). The best known is probably the "Schöne Münchnerin" (the Beauty of Munich) Helene Sedlmayr, daughter of a shoemaker -- pictured on right. Though poor, she was considred Munich's comeliest Fraulein, and she eventually married the king's valet and had 10 children.

Another famous beauty hanging on the wall -- I didn't get a picture of it, but was able to download one from Wikipedia thanks to Joseph Karl Stieler -- was Irish dancer Lola Montez, the king's most notorious mistress, who was one of the causes of the revolution in Munich in 1848 which forced the king to abdicate in favor of his son, King Maximilian II. Despite dying at the young age of 39, Lola Montez had an amazing life that included living all over Europe, India, Europe, New York, San Francisco and Australia.

The one portrait you won't find in the Gallery of Beauties is the portrait of Ludwig's wife, Queen Therese.

Ludwig I of Bavaria. Wikipedia Image by Joseph Karl Stieler - Web Gallery of Art.

This was the Queen's bedchamber, and also the birthplace of King Ludwig II. Lynnette and I will learn more about Ludwig II in the days to come. The room has its original furnishings. Its mahagony furniture was made in 1815 in Munich. The rounded alcove niche contains a double bed. In the daytime it was hidden by a cover spread over a high frame. Caroline made the room look private with children’s furniture and various personal possessions. In 1842 the Bavarian Crown Prince Maximilian (II) and his wife Marie of Prussia took up residence in Nymphenburg Palace. On 25 August 1845, the name day of St Ludwig, the Crown Princess gave birth to the heir to the throne, the later kind Ludwig II, in this room. The child was named Ludwig – in honour of his grandfather Ludwig I, who was born on the same day. He was christened on the following day in the Great Hall. Crown Prince Ludwig and his brother Otto (1848–1916) are portrayed as children in the two busts dating from 1850 on the writing desk. The portrait of their mother Marie hangs in the Gallery of Beauties.

Looking east out over the entrance.

Looking west out over Nymphenburg Park, filled with statues and canals. .

Looking up at the back of the palace.

Looking at the rear of the palace from afar.

If you have a canal, you have to have a gondola, of course.

The park extended quite a bit to the west. You could spend all day here hiking around, enjoying the grounds.

German ducks!

King Neptune looks over the park.

At left is a hunting lodge which Prince-Elector Karl Albrecht had built for his wife Maria Amalia, in 1734. It is called Amalienburg. It's set off in the woods as you can see.

Looking at the front entrance to the palace.

Nymphenburg Palace was completed with a grand circle (the Schlossrondell) of Baroque mansions (the so-called Kavaliershäuschen – cavalier's lodges), around the front of the palace, erected under Maximilian Emanuel's son Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII Albert.

Aerial view of Nymphanberg Palace, courtesy of Wikipedia, by Carsten Steger. I never realized how massive the palace and grounds are. We only saw the palace's central buildings.

Nymphenburg Palace, around 1760, as painted by Bernardo Bellotto.


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June 15, 2023 - Germany Munich: Nymphenburg Palace

June 15, 2023 - Germany
Munich: Nymphenburg Palace