Seehof Palace, Memmelsdorf, Germany

Seehof Palace was built from 1686 as a summer residence for the Bamberg Prince-Bishops from plans by Antonio Petrini. After secularization it fell into disrepair under private ownership, and by the end of the 20th century extensive renovation work was necessary.

Most of the palace is today used by the Bavarian State Conservation Office.

The nine state rooms of the restored Prince-Bishops' apartment, including the 'White Hall' with its magnificent ceiling painting by Guiseppe Appiani, are open to the public.

Among the features reflecting the splendour of the former Rococo garden are the restored cascade with its waterworks and some of the original sandstone sculptures by Ferdinand Tietz.

References:

Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung

User Reviews

Luca Amatemaggio (2 years ago)
Beautiful Palace and Park, very good for a nice walk and a cup of tea

Elizabeth Gaquin (2 years ago)
Stunning summer residence of the Prince Bishop. Walk the grounds and take in the beauty. Lovely Cafe to enjoy lunch or coffee.

Colleen O'Connor (2 years ago)
What a beautiful castle! My dad had lived in the smaller building not too far from the schloss back in the 70s/80s so I mostly went to see that, but of course one cannot skip seeing a palace. The schloss and neighboring town of Memmelsdorf are not major tourist attractions so the visit was a little more peaceful than some other schloss visits. The grounds are free to see, and the interior is only able to be seen by a guided tour. These are only offered in German, but we were provided with cards with English explanations. Our guide also tried to explain a bit in English and we had some very kind tour guests who interpreted the important/funny/interesting bits. Ultimately, if you find yourself in Bamberg, memmelsdorf and the Seehof are worth a trip over. You can take a bus from Bamberg or get a cab for the 15 minute ride (ours was about €18) if you opt for a cab, one of the hotels will gladly call a cab for your return trip).

L.K. Britton (2 years ago)
This was a beautiful detour and the grounds weren’t too busy. It would have been better if you could actually go inside the palace and surrounding buildings, but we still enjoyed walking through the gardens

Matt Shively (2 years ago)
Nice place. Unfortunately the tour is only in German. They do have a handout in English, and the guide can answer questions in English. Most sinage is only in German. Very nice gardens to stroll through.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Lundberg

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Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

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