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 (8 months ago)
Beautiful Palace and Park, very good for a nice walk and a cup of tea

Elizabeth Gaquin (10 months 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 (11 months 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 (11 months 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 (13 months 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 RoyP

Historic Site of the week

Steinvikholm Castle

Steinvikholm Castle is an island fortress built between 1525 to 1532 by Norway's last Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson. Steinvikholm castle became the most powerful fortification by the time it was built, and it is the largest construction raised in the Norwegian Middle Ages.

The castle occupies about half of the land on the rocky island. The absence of a spring meant that fresh water had to be brought from the mainland. A wooden bridge served as the only way to the island other than boat. Although the castle design was common across Europe in 1525, its medieval design was becoming obsolete because of the improved siege firepower offered by gunpowder and cannons.

The castle was constructed after Olav Engelbrektsson returned from a meeting with the Pope in Rome, presumably in anticipation of impending military-religious conflict. As Archbishop Engelbrektsson's resistance to the encroachment of Danish rule escalated, first with Frederick I of Denmark and his successor Christian III of Denmark, Steinvikholm Castle and Nidarholm Abbey became the Catholic Church's military strongholds in Norway. In April 1537, the Danish-Norwegian Reformation succeeded in driving the archbishop from the castle into exile in Lier in the Netherlands (now in Belgium), where he died on 7 February 1538. At the castle the archbishop left behind St. Olav's shrine and other treasures from Nidaros Cathedral (Trondheim). The original coffin containing St. Olav's body remained at Steinvikholm until it was returned to Nidaros Cathedral in 1564. Since 1568 St. Olav's grave in Nidaros has been unknown.

From the 17th to 19th century, the island was used as a quarry and some of its masonry was sold and removed from the site. This activity was condoned by the Danish-Norwegian authorities as a way of eliminating a monument to the opposition of the Danish–Norwegian Union.

Steinvikholm fort is owned and operated today by The society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments. The island has been the site of the midnight opera which details the life and struggles of the archbishop. The opera is held in August annually. The opera is organized by Steinvikholm Musikkteater since the beginning in 1993.

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

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg

Top historic sights of Istria

Best castles to visit in Slovakia

Historic Site of the week

Steinvikholm Castle

Looks like you are a history fan!

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