Dachau Palace

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Dachau Palace

The Palace of Dachau in Bavaria was constructed around 1100 as a medieval castle by the cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. In 1182 the last Count of Dachau, Konrad III died without issue and Duke Otto I of Bavaria took possession of it shortly after. The original Castle was demolished between 1398 and 1403.

William IV. and his son Albert V. ordered the construction of a Renaissance style four wing Palace with a court garden on the site of the old castle. The new Palace was designed by Heinrich Schöttl, construction was begun in 1546 and completed in 1577. It later became the favoured residence of the rulers of Bavaria. In 1715 Max Emanuel II commissioned a redesign in baroque style by Joseph Effner.

Only the south-west wing is extant, King Maximillian I ordered the other 3 wings to be demolished in the early 19th century. They had suffered extensive damage at the hand of napoleonic Soldiers.

[edit] Present Day

The Palace is managed by the Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, an administrative department of the Free State of Bavaria. It is open to visitors and the Banqueting Hall can be booked for special events. It is also used as a venue for classical concerts.

The main sight of the palace is the banqueting hall with its coffered renaissance ceiling, designed and created between 1564 - 1566 by Hans Wisreutter, which was restored to the palace in 1977. The view from the top of the Schlossberg is also remarkable, it overlooks Munich and extends to the Alps.