Schleissheim Palace
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The Schleissheim Palace (German: Schloss Schleißheim) comprises actually three palaces in a grand baroque park in the village of Oberschleißheim near Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
[edit] Old Schleissheim Palace and Lustheim Palace
The history of Schleissheim Palace started with a renaissance country house founded by William V close to Dachau Palace. Under his son Maximilian I Heinrich Schön extended the buildings to the so-called Old Palace between 1617 and 1623. Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria died here in 1679.
Then Enrico Zuccalli built Lustheim Palace as a garden villa in Italian style in 1684-1688 for Maximilian II Emanuel and his first wife, the Austrian princess Maria Antonia. Today the palace houses a grand collection of Meissen porcelain.
[edit] New Schleissheim Palace
Zuccalli also finally erected the baroque New Palace between both castles in 1701-1704 as new residence, since the elector expected the imperial crown. But after Max Emanuel had lost Bavaria for some years in the War of the Spanish Succession the construction work was interrupted. Joseph Effner enlarged the building to one of the most impressive baroque palaces in 1719-1726. But only the main wing was completed. Very imposing are especially the grand hall, the grand gallery, the wide staircase and the four state apartments decorated by artists such as Johann Baptist Zimmermann, Cosmas Damian Asam and Jacopo Amigoni. Most of the rooms still show their original late baroque decoration celebrating the elector's victories against the Turks.
Max Emanuels's son Emperor Charles VII Albert preferred the more private atmosphere of Nymphenburg palace, so only one of four planned wings was completed. But Max Emanuel's grandson Maximilian III Joseph ordered to decorate some rooms in rococo style. Under King Ludwig I finally Leo von Klenze completed the grand stairway. A gallery of baroque paintings is today exhibited in several rooms.
The park is one of the rare preserved baroque gardens in Germany and was arranged by Dominique Girard, a pupil of Le Notre in 1720.
