We’d now docked in Wurzburg, Franconia (Population approx 144,000). We’d sailed from Miltenberg the previous evening and then travelled on down the Main River through the night. Today we’d moved into the Northern Barvarian Region of Germany.

We were preparing ourselves for another enjoyable morning of sightseeing when over the longship’s speaker system came the call we’d all been waiting for:

“A very, very, lovely good morning to you all my wonderful ladies and gentlemen. This is your first call for this morning. Would those of you wishing to join our morning’s sightseeing in Wurzburg to visit the Residenz Palace, please start to make their way to the departure area.”

We were in the habit of dressing early, then waiting for these ‘always on time’ and ‘always oh so polite’ announcements to come from our absolutely wonderful and extremely well organized, travel-hostess, Valerie.

Today the announcement procedures were no different…..yet I found myself becoming more excited as our departure drew nearer. Afterall, today we would soon be heading off to see one of the most ornate, most spectacular residences in Germany, a residence with some real “WOW” factor –“The Wurzburg Residenz.”

Architect, Balthaser Neumann designed and co-ordinated the building of this extraordinarily, beautiful baroque palace back in the early 1700s. It was built for Prince-Bishop Johann Phillipp Franz von Shonborn and the Counts of Shonborn. It encapsulated the work of many of the very finest artists and craftsmen of the day, including the ornamentation genius, Antonio Bossi and ceiling painter extraordinaire, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

On viewing the residence Dearly Beloved (D.B.) and I were naturally awestruck. Afterall, we’d never seen a structure of such ornate magnificence. It captured so many different historical styles of interior décor of the time. I believe it could be described as similar to, yet different from the Palace of Versailles in France. Having not seen Versailles myself I can’t really comment.

As we followed our “Residenz Tour Guide” from one highly decorative area of the palace to another exploring each  the individual rooms,  the whole splendor of place just seemed to envelope us in its history and grandeur.

It seemed to become more and more ornate as we moved further into the building.

We saw so much; first there was the large entry vestibule, then we moved on to the enormous grand staircase room with its extremely high painted ceilings, then there was the absolute beauty of the neoclassical White Room, the marble and stucco work of the Imperial Hall, the dazzling Room of Mirrors, the Residenz Chapel and so so much more.

Lost for words for most of the time, all I seemed to be able to say as one door closed and another opened was………

Wow, Wow, Wow and Wow or else lots of O.M.G’s which for me is Oh My Goodness or Oh My Golly Goloshes!

Related articles

• 13th September- Wurzburg (laurencewesley55.wordpress.com)
• Rococo: The Art of 18th Century (ipseand.wordpress.com)
• Day 5 – Miltenberg on the Main River in Lower Franconia, Barvaria (kidazzleink.com)