Schloss Bruchsal
| Schloss Bruchsal | |
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Rear of Schloss Bruchsal with the tower of the Hofkirche also visible
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| General information | |
| Status | Museum |
| Location | Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Coordinates | 49°07′43″N 8°35′55″E / 49.128702°N 8.598744°ECoordinates: 49°07′43″N 8°35′55″E / 49.128702°N 8.598744°E |
| Construction started | 1720 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Anselm von Grünstein Balthasar Neumann Maximilian von Welsch |
Schloss Bruchsal is a palace complex built in the Baroque style in the town of Bruchsal, Baden-Württemberg. It was built in the first half of the 18th century to serve as the lavishly decorated official residence of the Prince-Bishops of Speyer, though they occupied it for less than a century. Bruchsal was only a hamlet when construction began but grew to be a substantial town that now surrounds the complex. A three-winged palace decorated by some of the leading artists of the 18th century stands at the heart of the complex, alongside over fifty other buildings.
On March 1, 1945, only two months before the end of the Second World War, much of the palace was destroyed in an American air raid directed against nearby railway installations. It has since been completely rebuilt in a restoration project that lasted until 1996. Its interiors have been partly restored and the palace now houses two museums. It is noted for its fine Roccoco decoration and in particular its grand Baroque entrance staircase, which is regarded as one of the finest examples of its genre.
Schloss Bruchsal is dominated by a large three-winged building standing at the heart of a complex of over fifty buildings. Painted in a yellow, red and white colour scheme reflecting the state colours of the then Margraviate of Baden, the main building or Mittelbau comprises a central corps de logis flanked by residential and church wings. Around it and along the adjoining Schönbornstrasse are a series of administrative quarters for the Prince-Bishop's staff, the Damianstor, a triumphal arch leading to the main courtyard, the Hofkirche and the Kammerflügel, now used as a concert hall. A formal garden, the Hofgarten, is situated to the west and was designed by Johann Scheer in an austere French style.
The corps de logis has been called "the high water mark of the Baroque style" with its "perfect unity of space and decoration". It is entered via a two-storey Baroque staircase which is considered to be one of the most important Baroque architectural features in Europe. Described as "ingenious and ravishing", it gives access to the upper floors and both wings. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described how the staircase appeared before the Second World War:
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