Munich III

For our last day in Europe, we decided to visit Schleißheim Palace, a complex of three castles located in the Oberschleiße suburb of Munich.

The most elaborate palace on the site is the New Palace, built in 1704 for Maximillian Emanuel, ruler of Bavaria, Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Emperor, and ancestor of Maximillian II and Ludwig II. Much of the palace has been left in a relatively unaltered state, with most rooms retaining their original floors, stucco- and plasterwork, and decorations. Here, the immense Great Staircase.

This hall was built to entertain important guests; during celebrations, its doors would be opened, allowing visitors to spill out onto the garden terrace.

This small chapel was reserved exclusively for the Queen. The cupola, which extends into the attic, allows natural light to enter the space from above, lending it an ethereal quality.

This great hall was built to house the King's collection of Baroque paintings, which hang on a wall draped in rich red silk. It shares similarities in form and decoration with the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, which was built around the same time.

The palace gardens extend for miles, with this long canal, lined with treelined paths, connecting the New Palace to the smaller Lustheim Palace, which was built in an Italianate style.

After eating at a small Greek restaurant, we returned home and began packing for tomorrow's flight home. This trip has been unusually fast-paced; spending only three or four days in each city has allowed us to see a sizable chunk of Europe in just two weeks, but doing so has worn us down more than usual. I'll be sad to leave Germany, but it will be nice to get home and have a short break before I move to Italy in a month!

- Hayden M. Strong