State Library and the National Gallery of Bamberg
ResidenceBamberg
New Residence Bamberg
The New Residence is a multi-winged, listed building on Domplatz in Bamberg, Upper Franconia. It was the former seat of the Prince-Bishops of Bamberg. Today, the sandstone complex houses the State Library and the State Gallery of Bamberg.
From the Rose Garden of the New Residence, one has a view of St. Michael's Church and the roofs of the Bürgerstadt.
The New Residence, with its four-winged layout, was built in two construction phases.
First, under Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Gebsattel, the rear two-winged part was built in Renaissance style starting in 1602, and between 1697 and 1703, under Prince-Bishop Lothar Franz von Schönborn with the help of Leonhard Dientzenhofer, the front Baroque part was constructed. From 1803, it served as a royal residence.
On June 1, 1815, the Bamberg Residence became the scene of one of the last episodes of the Napoleonic era: Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a Marshal of Napoleon, died there by falling from one of the upper windows. He chose suicide because he did not want to fall into the hands of the approaching Russian army. A memorial plaque in the middle of Residenzstraße commemorates the event.
The Residence served the abdicated Greek royal couple Otto I and Amalie as an exile from 1862 to 1867 and 1875 respectively.
Once again, the New Residence was briefly the scene of Bavarian history when the elected government under Minister-President Hoffmann and the Landtag relocated to Bamberg in 1919. The first democratic Bavarian constitution was adopted in the Spiegelsaal der Harmonie on Schillerplatz.
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Showrooms
There are over 40 magnificent rooms, such as the Marble Hall, the Mirror Room (each with stucco work by Antonio Bossi), and the Imperial Hall. The Imperial Hall is located on the second floor of the central wing. It is adorned with ceiling and wall paintings by Melchior Steidl. Motifs include medallions with Roman emperors, the ancient four world empires, a central ceiling depiction of Good Government, the sciences (represented by putti), and 16 larger-than-life portraits of emperors. The ceiling is executed as a trompe-l’œil.
State Library
The Bamberg State Library is located in the east wing of the New Residence.
State Gallery
The State Gallery in the New Residence is a branch gallery of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. Among the most famous paintings in the collection is Hans Baldung Grien's painting The Deluge.
Rose Garden
The Rose Garden between the wings of the Residence is a place of recreation for locals and visitors to the city. To the east, it offers a view over the city landscape and to the Jura heights.
Before the creation of the Rose Garden, there was a Renaissance garden on the site in the 16th century, which was transformed into a Baroque garden in 1733 under Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn. The planning of the garden was entrusted to the renowned master builder Balthasar Neumann. The garden pavilion in Rococo style was designed by the master builder Johann Jakob Michael Küchel. The sculptures from the theme of ancient mythology (created in 1760 and 1761) are by Ferdinand Tietz.
4500 roses bloom in the beds bordered by boxwood hedges.
A memorial for Otto I and his consort Amalie with an inscription in Greek and German is located in a blind arch of the wall.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Rudolf Henkel
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 49.8917, 10.8825