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.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Alexxx1979

Historic Site of the week

Church of the Savior on Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. The church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III, as a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics — according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world. The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day — including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel — but the church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in St. Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family). Perhaps not surprisingly, the Church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million roubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During the Second World War when many people were starving due to the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi German military forces, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died in combat and from starvation and illness. The church suffered significant damage. After the war, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Saviour on Potatoes.

In July 1970, management of the Church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral (then used as a highly profitable museum) and proceeds from the Cathedral were funneled back into restoring the Church. It was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship; it is a Museum of Mosaics. Even before the Revolution it never functioned as a public place of worship; having been dedicated exclusively to the memory of the assassinated tsar, the only services were panikhidas (memorial services). The Church is now one of the main tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Seehof Palace

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

The Beauty of Cinque Terre

Must-See Historic Places in Córdoba

Historic Site of the week

Church of the Savior on Blood

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?