Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent Baroque staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann. Bruchsal Palace was constructed in 1720 as a residence for the Prince-Bishops of Speyer. The then Prince-Bishop, Damian Hugo von Schönborn, an avid art collector, played an important role in planning the complex. The three-wing palace is built of sandstone. The collection of exquisitely matched buildings, along with the carefully laid out garden, make up an extraordinarily beautiful ensemble.
Visitors entering Bruchsal Palace’s cour d'honneur (three-sided grand courtyard) are greeted with a splendid and colourful sight. The buildings are lavishly painted, decorated with gold-plated stucco, and feature golden gargoyles in the shape of dragons. Construction of the famous staircase by Balthasar Neumann began in 1728. This stunning architectural masterpiece is unsurpassed in terms of its unique style and the poetry of its design. Franz Christoph von Hutten, who resided in the palace after Schönborn, made his mark by decorating the Fürstensaal (Prince’s hall), Marmorsaal (marble hall) and the exquisite Paradezimmer (grand rooms).
The palace complex was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. Fortunately, the structure of the staircase was mostly preserved. The palace complex’s reconstruction was one of Baden-Württemberg’s most impressive projects of this kind. Today, Bruchsal Palace is more than a breathtaking example of Baroque architecture – it is also the outstanding result of carefully-planned, highly historically accurate reconstruction work.
References:Spišskà Kapitula, a unique fortified ecclesiastical ensemble, began as a small fortified settlement overlooking Spišské Podhradie in the 12th century. It was the site of the residence of the Provost of the castle, in the no longer extant St Martin"s monastery, and later became a capitulary. This was destroyed in by Tatars in 1241-1243, but the pilgrim"s chapel, in rotunda form and dedicated to the Virgin, survived until the 18th century and the monastery until the 15th century.
The complex of buildings there is based on the Cathedral of St Martin, where building began in 1285 as a three-aisled Romanesque basilica with a chancel at the west end and a double spire. It owes its present form to successive remodellings and additions in the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
The Provost's residence was completed in 1281 and further religious buildings were added. Frequent raids by marauding Bulgars and others led to its being fortified in the 14th century. The cathedral was rebuilt in the later 14th century. In 1776 it became the residence of the Bishop and four years later a seminary was established. In 1819 the first teacher training centre in Hungary was founded there.
The Bishop's Palace is largely Baroque, with some excellent interior decorations, like many of the religious buildings in the group. The oval ground plan of the centre of the town is due to its having been fortified in the 14th century. The various religious buildings had defensive functions in this early period. New monastery buildings were erected when the provost"s residence was rebuilt and the whole area fortified. The earlier central fortifications were removed in the 18th century.
Spišské Kapitula is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Levoča, Spiš Castle and the associated cultural monuments.