The final era for displays of splendorHistory of design

Lavish splendor characterized the structures and decor of the 18th century. This is also true of Meersburg New Palace, which architects, stuccoists and painters shaped into one of the most impressive royal residences in southern Germany.

Typical Baroque: pilasters spanning multiple stories.

High Baroque

The Baroque style finds expression in the magnificent New Palace. Two architects were responsible for expanding the palace: Christoph Gessinger (1670–1732) and Franz Anton Bagnato (1731–1810). Gessinger, a former Benedictine monk, segmented the facade of his “New Building”, which was constructed between 1710 and 1712, with giant sandstone columns that span all three stories and protrude from the surface of the facade. The representational single-wing building commands a seat high above the lakeshore.

Curved elements impart lightness.

Late Baroque

Franz Anton Bagnato, architect for the Altshausen Teutonic Order, began changing the layout of the interior in 1759, reshaping the windows, installing a pillared balcony in front of the main portal, and topping the facades with curved pediments. In 1762, Franz Conrad von Rodt was finally able to move into the completed residence. Although it is a monumental structure, the palace still makes a cheerful and airy impression, thanks to both architects’ use of the typical southern German Baroque architectural style.

Subtle pastel colors in Appiani's ceiling painting.

Rococo

The lightness and playful elegance continues inside the palace. Rococo, a style named after the French “rocaille”, or shellwork, focuses on interior design using mirrored surfaces, rich and varied embellishments and sculptures. Carlo Luca Pozzi created the original stucco and Giuseppe Ignazio Appiani the cheerful pastel ceiling frescoes. Filigreed and asymmetrical shapes characterize the decor, which has been preserved to this day.

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Cupid with the prince-bishop's sword.

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