Schloss Weißenstein
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Schloss Weißenstein is a ''
Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogn ...
'' or palatial residence in
Pommersfelden Pommersfelden is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg in Germany. Geography The community lies north of Höchstadt an der Aisch on the river Reiche Ebrach. Constituent communities The community of Pommersfelden is subdivided ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, southern
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It was designed for
Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Emp ...
, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, to designs by
Johann Dientzenhofer Johann Dientzenhofer (25 May 1663 – 20 July 1726) was a builder and architect during the Baroque period in Germany. Life Johann was born at the family farm in St. Margarethen near Rosenheim, Bavaria, a member of the famous Dientzenhofer family ...
and
Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (14 November 1668 – 16 November 1745) was an Austrian baroque architect and military engineer who designed stately buildings and churches and whose work had a profound influence on the architecture of the Habsburg ...
. Weißenstein, built as a private summer residence, remains in the
Schönborn family Schönborn may refer to: Places * Schönborn, Brandenburg, in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg * Bad Schönborn, in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg * Schönborn, Rhein-Hunsrück, in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, Rhineland-Pa ...
. It is considered a masterwork of
Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
.


Location

''Schloss Weißenstein'' is located in the
Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, wh ...
n district of
Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...
in the village of
Pommersfelden Pommersfelden is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg in Germany. Geography The community lies north of Höchstadt an der Aisch on the river Reiche Ebrach. Constituent communities The community of Pommersfelden is subdivided ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


History

In 1710,
Lothar Franz von Schönborn Lothar Franz von Schönborn-Buchheim (4 October 1655 – 30 January 1729) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1694 to 1729 and the Bishop of Bamberg from 1693 to 1729. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was also Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Emp ...
, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg and
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, inherited the estate after the local family, the Truchsesse of Pommersfelden had died out. He ordered the construction of a palace as a private summer residence, paid for from his personal wealth. In 1711, he had helped ensure the election of Karl VI who rewarded him with a gift of 100,000 gulden. A team of architects including
Johann Dientzenhofer Johann Dientzenhofer (25 May 1663 – 20 July 1726) was a builder and architect during the Baroque period in Germany. Life Johann was born at the family farm in St. Margarethen near Rosenheim, Bavaria, a member of the famous Dientzenhofer family ...
who had previously built the
Fulda Cathedral Fulda Cathedral (, also ''Sankt Salvator'') is the former abbey church of Fulda Abbey and the burial place of Saint Boniface. Since 1752 it has also been the cathedral of the Diocese of Fulda, of which the Prince-Abbots of Fulda were created bisho ...
and the church at '' Kloster Banz'' and
Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (14 November 1668 – 16 November 1745) was an Austrian baroque architect and military engineer who designed stately buildings and churches and whose work had a profound influence on the architecture of the Habsburg ...
, the court architect of Emperor Karl VI, worked on the palace. The Marstall (stables) and park were designed by Schönborn's own court architect,
Maximilian von Welsch Johann Maximilian von Welsch (1671 – 15 October 1745) was a German architect, construction director and fortress master builder. Life Maximilian von Welsch is regarded as a prominent representative of baroque fortress building in the Holy Roman ...
.
Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn Anselm Franz Freiherr von Ritter zu Groenesteyn (also von Grünstein) (1692–1765) was a Chamberlain (office), Chamberlain of Archbishopric of Mainz, Electoral Mainz, privy counsellor, Majordomo (domestic staff), Majordomo, temporarily Vitztum (vic ...
designed many of the outbuildings. The local head of construction was the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest Nikolaus Loyson (1676–1720). The palace was built between 1711 and 1719 from local
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
materials, the colour of which gave rise to the name of the palace ("white stone"). The grand stairway was the first such structure built in the Baroque style in Germany. The interior art was finished in 1723. Contributors included
Johann Michael Rottmayr Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was an Austrian painter. Biography Rottmayr was born in Laufen an der Salzach, Bavaria. Along with his Laufen-born contemporary, Hans Adam Weissenkircher, he received his educ ...
,
Johann Rudolf Byss Johann Rudolf Byss (1660–1738) was a Switzerland, Swiss Painting, painter. Biography He was born in Solothurn and first learned painting from his father Johann Joseph Byss, and later from Johann Heinrich Roos, whose sons he would have known w ...
and . After the death of Lothar Franz in 1729, the palace passed to his nephew
Friedrich Karl von Schönborn Friedrich Karl von Schönborn (or Friedrich Carl, 1674–1746) was the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg and Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1729 to 1746. He also served as ''Reichsvizekanzler'' (Vice-Chancellor) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1705 to 17 ...
who had the park expanded. A plan by
Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; c. 27 January 1687 – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...
was however, only partially realized. In the early 19th century, the park was transformed from its original Baroque form into an
English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...
. During the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
the palace was attacked and damaged by
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n troops. Minor restoration work was done in the late 19th century. More recently, preservation work has been done between 1975 and 2003.


Description


Main building

The main building (''corps de logis'') is flanked by two wings that open towards the inner courtyard by way of arcades. In the direction of this ''
cour d'honneur A court of honor ( ; ) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes with a fourth side, co ...
'' the central part of the main building extends quite noticeably, to accommodate the large central staircase. The middle pavilion of the main wing sits on a pedestal-like ground floor and features two full upper floors with high windows. The other parts of the building have only one main floor and one mezzanine floor, with the exception of the pavilions sitting at the end of the two wings, which have two main floors and one mezzanine floor (the latter housing the guest rooms). All the facades are covered by light gray sandstone, sculptures and window frames are made from yellow-greenish sandstone. The triangular gable of the main building on the garden front with its coat of arms of the Schönborns has been carved from the same material. Colossal statues of
Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Ra ...
and
Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
flank the gable. It is ornamented by two figures, one holding a sheaf, the other a horn of plenty. All of these were likely made by Nikolaus Rösch. The gable is topped by a statue of
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
holding up the sky. The gable facing the cour d'honneur also has the family coat of arms, flanked by lions and crowned by Mercury. To the left is a figure of
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
, a symbol of peace and science, to the right is a warrior with spear and torch, symbolizing the just-ended
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
. The gable also shows a lute player and a figure holding another Schönborn coat of arms. There are four sculpture groups (sandstone) in front of the ground floor of the main pavilion, two each on the garden and the courtyard side. They were likely made by Burkard Zammels, who worked here in 1718–20. On the garden front, the statues show
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...
and
Proserpina Proserpina ( ; ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whos ...
on the left and
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
and
Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...
on the right. On the cour d'honneur side, the figures are somewhat obscure and have been interpreted as allegories of Justice & Victory and Vigilance & Truth. A carved dog wears a collar with the initials "LFC", referring to the builder, ''Lothar Franz Churfürst''. The grand staircase extends through all three floors of the main pavilion. As suggested by Hildebrandt, galleries overlook the stairwell on both upper floors. The large ceiling fresco by Johann Rudolf Byss (1713), who later became the director of the palace gallery of paintings, shows the four then known continents, around a central sun wagon of Phoebus Apollo. Sculptures (
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
,
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
,
Urania Urania ( ; ; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy and astrology. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, her attributes being the globe and compass. T ...
and Cosmos) were made by Zammels. The vases,
putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...
and pair of children are by P. Benkert and his workshop. Stucco work was done by Daniel Schenk. Painted railings that extend the real architectural features are by Marchini. He also was responsible for
Trompe-l'œil ; ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional surface. , which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving p ...
work in the ''Gartensaal'' flight of rooms on the ground floor, accessed between the two flights of stairs. His work is in evidence in both side halls. To the west he created an image of Ionic columns flanking views of an ideal Italian landscape under a sky populated by
Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
and Pomona floating on clouds. To the east, painted columns give views of angels who face a "collapsing" entryway. The central hall has a ceiling fresco showing the allegorical "times of the day" by Johann Jakob Gerbhardt. The room had been turned into a grotto by Georg Hennicke, who applied semi-precious stones and seashells to the walls. He also added various animal and putti figures. The four larger-than-life stucco statues of the four elements were made by Zammels. On the first floor is the main hall of the palace, the ''Marmorsaal'' (marble hall), also facing the garden.
Pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s and columns of red stucco marble are set off from green walls. Situated on sills are stucco figurines by Zammels, showing allegories of the Turkish and Persian monarchies on the inner wall and of the Roman and Greek monarchies on the outer wall. In the corners, the Four Ages are depicted. The ceiling fresco by Franz Michael Rottmayr shows
Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
greeted by Juno,
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
and
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
. In the center of each wall a virtue is shown: Justice, Strength, Industry and Wisdom. Stucco work by Daniel Schenk shows putti, vases and eagles.


Wings

The right wing contains the palace gallery of paintings and its library, with stucco work by D. Schenk and G. Hennicke after 1713. Schönborn had collected a large number of paintings by contemporary artists, many of them Dutch, that were hung in up to four vertical rows, completely covering the gallery walls. He especially treasured painting of members of his family, of the Habsburgs and other rulers and rare animal motives. Schönborn also collected East Asian porcelain delivered to him en masse by members of the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
whom he supported. Other collections include
Faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...
s made in Delft, glass and sea shells. The palace chapel features three important works of art: an Italian
Lamentation of Christ The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Crucifixion of Jesus, Jesus was crucified, his Descent from the Cross, body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over ...
(17th century), a
Man of Sorrows Man of Sorrows, a biblical term, is paramount among the prefigurations of the Messiah identified by the Bible in the passages of Isaiah 53 ('' Servant songs'') in the Hebrew Bible. It is also an iconic devotional image that shows Christ, usual ...
from Spain (ca. 1730) and a late-Gothic
Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer ...
.


Marstall

The Marstall (stables building) is located to the south of the cour d'honneur and is connected to the wings of the palace by wrought-iron railings. Built by Johann Dientzendorffer based on plans by Maximilian von Welsch 1714—17, it has a concave front facing the courtyard. It was constructed with one floor fewer than originally intended. The Marstall features double columns adorning the central part, which is topped by a clock tower. Below this is an oval hall. Its ceiling has a fresco of
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
and Andromeda by G.F. Marchini.


Garden

Construction of the formal garden was begun by von Welsch in 1715. After 1722, on the suggestion of his nephew Friedrich Carl, Schönborn summoned Abraham Huber from Salzburg, who by 1723 had the fountains running. The statuary was added only after Lothar Franz' death in 1741. The linden avenue was planted in 1768 with 200 linden trees from the Aischer Wald. Transformation of the formal Baroque garden into an English landscape garden began as early as 1786 under Hugo Damian Erwein von Schönborn-Wiesentheid and was completed in the 19th century.


Today

The ''Schloss'' remains the property of
Schönborn family Schönborn may refer to: Places * Schönborn, Brandenburg, in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg * Bad Schönborn, in the district of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg * Schönborn, Rhein-Hunsrück, in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, Rhineland-Pa ...
. It is considered a Baroque masterwork and the combination of exterior and well-preserved interiors gives it European importance. The palace and its park are open to the public. The Marstall and Orangerie today house a hotel (currently closed). The palace contains the largest private
Baroque art The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (in ...
collection in Germany, containing over 600 pictures. Baroque and Renaissance artists represented include
Artemisia Gentileschi Artemisia Lomi Gentileschi ( ; ; 8 July 1593) was an Italian Baroque painter. Gentileschi is considered among the most accomplished 17th century, 17th-century artists, initially working in the style of Caravaggio. She was producing professional ...
,
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
,
Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
,
Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...
,
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
and
Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...
.


See also

*
List of Baroque residences This is a list of Baroque architecture, Baroque palaces and Residenz, residences built in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Baroque architecture is a building style of the Baroque, Baroque era, begun in late 16th-century Italy and spread in Europe ...
*
Favorite Palace The Favorite Palace () (often simply called the Favorite) on the banks of the Rhine in Mainz was a significant Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music ...


References


External links


Official website Schloss Weissenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weissenstein, Schloss Palaces in Bavaria Museums in Bavaria Baroque architecture in Bavaria Historic house museums in Germany Art museums and galleries in Germany Buildings and structures completed in 1718 1718 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Buildings and structures in Bamberg (district)