Nymphenburg Palace, Magdaleneklause and Amalienburg.

Another exquisite example of baroque architecture, the main building of the Nymphenburg Palace is considered by many to be as spectacular as the palace and gardens of Versailles. The surrounding  park is also dotted with four smaller palaces, all in the baroque style: Amalienburg, Badenburg, Pagodenburg, and Magdaleneklause.

Kurt and Mary Ellen.

After strolling along a narrow dirt path leading from the botanical gardens, we came first to the Magdaleneklaus (Magdalene Hermitage). Constructed between 1725 and 1728, this small pavillion was built to appear aged, like a ruin, with cracks in the plaster and crumbling brick. It was supposed to resemble the living quarters of a hermit in an overgrown wood.

Magdaleneklause.

As a retreat and get-away spot for Max Emmanuel, the son of the original builders of the Nymphenburg Palace, its crumbling exterior served as a reminder of the "frailty of all things earthly". The interior "grotto" was lined with shells and corals from the sea, which might have looked intricate and amazing when it was first constructed, but because of the impossibility of cleaning all the nooks and crannies of the shells, it now appeared dusty and old. There were also a few other small rooms lined in wood paneling, like a hunting lodge.

Notice the cracks in the plaster in this photo:

Next and just across the way, we visited the Amalienburg Palace, built in 1734 by the elector Karl Albrecht for his wife, Maria Amalia. This is considered to be one of the most exquisite examples of the rococo style championed by none-other-than Francois Cuvillers, the Elder, whose name will show up again when we take our sight-seeing trip into the heart of Munich.

The first room we came to was a butter yellow bedroom. The bed was flanked by large portraits of Karl and Maria Amalia in full hunting regalia, and the walls were intricately carved.

Hall of mirrors.

In the center of this pavilion was a baby-blue and silver room (again with carved walls) called the Hall of Mirrors.

The rococo style is all about carvings and intricate decoration. A little fussy for me, but it must have been quite beautiful in its day. I could easily imagine courtiers dressed in their long, flouncy dresses with white, powdered wigs accompanied by their foppy men in nickers, long white socks, buckled shoes, and equally puffy, powdered wigs.

I found this picture of the shoes worn by European courtiers in the early 1700's. Just how I imagined them to be! Don't they look uncomfortable???

Kitchen "stove".

Kitchen, notice the tiles.

Maria Amalia's kitchen was probably quite unique in its time. (They called it her kitchen, but I doubt whether she ever lifted a finger here. I'm sure her minions did all the work). The walls were covered in blue and white, hand-crafted Dutch tiles, above which were painted scenes from China, also in blue and white. The depictions kind of ran together and at first it was difficult to tell where one culture ended and the next began. According to the plaque on the wall, the scenes of China, inspired by Chinese porcelain, were actually painted onto the tiles in the Netherlands. Then they were shipped to the location in Bavaria. The Germans must not have been fully informed about their proper placement as some of the tiles are apparently "wrongly assembled".

Check out the next post for more pictures of the Nymphenburg Palace main building, the birthplace of Ludwig II.