Dachau Palace, Dachau, Germany

The Dachau Palace is a former residence of the rulers of Bavaria. The castle was constructed around 1100 as a castle by the cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. In 1182, the last Count of Dachau, Konrad III, died without issue and Duke Otto I of Bavaria took possession of it shortly thereafter. The original castle was demolished between 1398 and 1403. In 1467 Sigismund, Duke of Bavaria resigned and then kept only Bavaria-Dachau as his domain until his death in 1501.

William IV of Bavaria and his son Albert V ordered the construction of a Renaissance style four-wing palace with a court garden on the site of the old castle. The new building was designed by Heinrich Schöttl; construction began in 1546 and was completed in 1577. It later became the favoured residence of the rulers of Bavaria. Also the history of Schleissheim Palace started with a renaissance country house (1598) and hermitage founded by William V close to Dachau Palace.

In 1715, Maximilian II Emanuel commissioned a redesign in Baroque style by Joseph Effner. Only the south-west wing is extant; King Maximilian I ordered the other 3 wings to be demolished in the early 19th century. They had suffered extensive damage at the hands of Napoleonic troops.

The Palace is managed by the Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, an administrative department of the Free State of Bavaria. It is open to visitors and the Banqueting Hall can be booked for special events. It is also used as a venue for classical concerts.

The main sight of the palace is the banqueting hall with its coffered Renaissance ceiling, designed and created between 1564 and 1566 by Hans Wisreutter, which was restored to the palace in 1977. The view from the top of the Schlossberg overlooks Munich and extends to the Bavarian Alps.

The court garden was created from the 1572 in order to enjoy the remarkable view from the Schlossberg, several pavilions were built, of which three are still preserved. Comparable with the vineyard and famous Sanssouci Palace, were the 'hanging gardens' of the Schlossberg: terraces with precious espalier fruits. For the upper part of the parterres a still existing balcony of lime trees was created. Joseph Effner re-designed together with his brother Johann Christoph Effner also the garden in Baroque style in 1717. As a representative of an enlightened absolutism, Elector Max III. Joseph ordered already in 1765 to develop an English landscape garden. Today, the lower part of the garden has been abandoned and is awaiting resurrection.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jeff (2 years ago)
Must see,great history lesson,terrific insight into Dachaus past through the war

Anna S (2 years ago)
The palace itself was closed an is only one small wing that appears to be open for banquets. The gardens however are open and beautiful! There is an amazing view of Dachau from the back terrace. Loved walking around the garden. Whole area is free to stroll.

david antoun (2 years ago)
it is a restaurant that opens from 2.PM. surrounded by trees and a beautiful garden in the back.the panoramic view from this hill it's whats worth the visit. u reach the castle from the s-bahn station with the 719 Bus through the old city streets.

ExCon 94 (3 years ago)
A very sobering experience. There is a warning when entering that it's not recommended for 12 and under. I had my 14 year old granddaughter with me and wished that we skipped the last two rooms. Otherwise a great learning experience I'm glad we did. The entry is free of charge, but there are opportunities to donate some cash along the way.

David S. K. Muessle (4 years ago)
Beautiful palace in Dachau located up on the mountain with beautiful views over the city of Dachau and towards Munich. One can easily spot the O2-Tower as well as the Allianz Arena on clear days you'll see the alpine range in the background. Worth a visit during the whole year. Especially also the gardens where a wide range of flowers and different sorts of apple trees are cultivated.

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