Würzburg!

This morning’s walking tour took us to the Bishops’ Residenz.

For centuries the prince- bishops of Würburg yielded enormous wealth and power, and the city grew in opulence under its rule. Their crowning glory is this UNESCO-listed palace, one of Germany’s baroque treasures, built between 1720 and 1744. The palace was designed and built by architect Balthasar Neumann. The famous grand staircase features the largest ceiling fresco in the world, the four continents. This massive work by Venetian Giovanni Tiepolo shows the world as it was in his time.

The simplicity of the white room is deceiving once the visitor examines the detailled scroll work. This room evokes an air of quiet elegance, unlike the other rooms which can be classified as over the top.

This is classified as an office, but there’s no desk or much furniture of note in the room. Its purpose is to impress the visitor, and it does. There’s another Tiepolo ceiling here too.

Each room along the corridor was an example of opulence and power. Some were used as bedrooms. Others were used as public rooms.

Awe-struck!

Much of Würzburg was destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II, but the city was rebuilt and the palace gradually restored to its former glory.

The residenz is located in the middle of the historical center, so it was very easy to visit the neighborhood and check out shops in this charming university city. Our guide also showed us some of the important churches. She also told us where to find the best Apple strudel, and we stopped by Kohler’s for our treat in lieu of lunch.

After strolling through the city, our last stop was having a glass of white wine at the “wine bridge,” overlooking the Marienberg Fortress. It was a very popular pastime and the bridge was a great people watching location.

We extended the experience by strolling down the promenade to our waiting ship. A shipmate took this photo. There was even enough glare to necessitate my use of sun glasses.

We had a lovely day!