Schleissheim: 3 Stately Residences in 1

A view of the imposing exterior façade of the new Schleissheim palace from the main garden square. Max Emanuel’s single-winged palace is a great example of 17th-century European court architecture. Andrey Shcherbukhin/Shutterstock

What’s better than one palace? Three, of course. North of Munich, Germany, one can visit the sumptuous Schleissheim Palace complex, a former summer residence of the Wittelsbach dynasty. The estate hosts three individual royal residences: the Old Palace, the New Palace, and the Lustheim Palace. As one of Bavaria’s largest and most impressive palace estates, it was first meant to be the residence of a potential emperor.

Around 1598, the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V, commissioned a country house and hermitage in Schleissheim. His son, Maximilian I, replaced the building with a late Renaissance-style palace: Alte Schloss Schleissheim, the Old Palace.

A new chapter for Schleissheim began in the late 17th century with Max Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, who hoped to become the next emperor. He began asserting his power by building Lustheim and its two pavilions: a pleasure palace and a hunting lodge designed in the style of an Italian villa. The Lustheim’s interiors are in the late-Baroque style, as illustrated by the large ceiling frescoes and the extensive stucco decorations.

The elector didn’t stop there and commissioned court architect Henrico Zuccalli with the new palace. The palace’s layout is one of the best examples of a European residential palace after 1700. The palace has typical Baroque features such as vivid ceiling frescoes, stucco work, carved paneling, and gilded furniture by Bavarian, French, and Italian artists. Some of the palace’s highlights include the grand baroque staircase, the Victory Hall, and the large gallery.

Max Emanuel never became emperor and died before he could enjoy the New Palace, but his beautiful legacy continues to live on.

Max Emanuel’s single-winged palace is smaller than originally planned, yet it is still over 984 feet long. (imagoDens/Shutterstock)

A wide view of Schleissheim’s vast garden. Practically unchanged in the past 300 years, it's one of the few places in Europe where visitors can still admire an authentic Baroque garden. Designed by Dominique Girard, the garden is in a French garden style with parterres (formal plant beds), plantings in symmetrical designs, and extensive water features. (Fotos593/Shutterstock)

This magnificent staircase hall is one of the most impressive features in the New Palace. Covered in marble and stucco work by Bavarian artist Cosmas Damian Asam, it's a marvel of Baroque architecture. Henrico Zuccalli’s arrangement of the flight of stairs within a wide hall became standard in Germany from then on. (Andrey Shcherbukhi/Shutterstock)

Victory Hall, a majestic room fit for a potential emperor in the New Palace, celebrates the military efforts of Max Emanuel. The room also served as a dining hall and was decorated with Regency-style gilded wall panels. (Andrey Shcherbukhi/Shutterstock)

The great hall in the New Palace is decorated with impressive Baroque stucco work. This two-story-high room has a ceiling fresco depicting Trojan hero Aeneas fighting Turnus for Lavinia’s hand. This fresco was once the world’s largest ceiling fresco. (Andrey Shcherbukhi/Shutterstock)

The apartment of the electress was designed by Joseph Effner. In contrast with gold in other rooms in the New Palace, the ornamentation here is silvered. The room’s yellow wall coverings and blue-gray panels complement the silver motif. (Andrey Shcherbukhin/Shutterstock)

At the far end of the staterooms is the private chapel of Max Emanuel. It's covered with scagliola panels, a technique using stucco inlays to imitate marble, emphasizing the wealth of the prince-elector. (Andrey Shcherbukhi/Shutterstock)

The Lustheim Baroque palace sits on an artificial island, at the end of the Schleissheim garden complex. Constructed of brick and designed to resemble an Italian villa, the palace occupies two floors, with the apartments of the elector and the electress on each side. (imagoDens/Shutterstock)

On a far end of the estate opposite the New Palace is the single-story Old Palace in a late-Renaissance style. First meant as a quiet place for prayer and contemplation, it evolved over the years into a residence. The central gate and clock tower originate from the first building period, but the rest dates from the 18th century. It was reconstructed in 1970.(Borisb17/Shutterstock)