Day 7 of 18: Würzburg

Today is day seven of our Viking Grand European Tour (Sunday 7/23). Würzburg is a university town in northern Bavaria and a jewel of baroque architecture. It is home to the former residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops, who wielded great power and wealth. The UNESCO-listed Bishops' Residenz is one of largest and most ornate palaces in Germany.

The Würzburg Residence and Court Gardens

Before visiting the sites, I enjoyed a 10k run through the Würzburg Ring Park, a 19th-century ring-shaped greenway featuring fountains, monuments and 220 species of trees. It spans the baroque old town, starting and ending at two historic bridges on the river Main.

Würzburg Ring Park

Keith and I walked to the Würzburg Residenz to tour the Bishops' Residence and Court Garden. Würzburg Residenz was constructed over a 25-year period, beginning in 1719, with interior decoration finishing in 1780. Near the end of World War II, Würzburg was subject to a massive 17-minute allied bombing campaign that razed the city center to the ground in a gigantic fire storm, similar to that experienced in Dresden. The entire Würzburg Residenz complex was meticulously reconstructed over the following several decades. 

We started with the grand staircase, featuring the largest ceiling fresco in the world. Amazingly, this vaulted ceiling and its fresco The Four Continents, by Venetian painter Giovanni Tiepolo, survived the the otherwise extensive WWII damage. 

We then toured many of the ornate rooms of the Bishops' Residence, only a few of which are highlighted here:

Imperial Hall: the largest and most representative room in the Residence,
used as a banqueting and reception hall

Antechamber: leading to the Imperial Hall, with three Brussels tapestries
dating from 1700, depicting the life of Alexander the Great

Mirror Cabinet: perhaps the most decorated room in the Residence, with restoration not completed until 1987, the Mirror Cabinet features extensive ornamentation using reverse glass painting. The room is so ornate that it is hard on the eyes.

Napolean Room: a guest room where Napolean stayed with his wife Marie-Louise in 1812

Finally, we walked through the baroque and English-style Court Gardens, lined with ornate statues. 

On the way back to our ship, we viewed the statue-lined Old Main Bridge.

Old Main Bridge

Tonight we continue down the river Main to reach tomorrow's destination, Bamberg, Germany. Founded in 902, Bamberg is known for its symphony orchestra and rauchbier (a specialty smoked beer).