The oldest ecclesiastical Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine
Bruchsal Palace
Schloss Bruchsal, Beletage, Winterspeisezimmer

For retreat and retirementThe prince-bishop's private rooms

The less representational private rooms on the southern side of the main courtyard made retreat from the public eye possible. For the last Prince-Bishop of Speyer, the modest apartment was also his retirement residence until his death.

Schloss Bruchsal, Beletage, Winterspeisezimmer

Still life of fruit as a symbol of the vanities.

The winter dining room

Whether a room was open to the public or reserved for the prince-bishop can also be determined based on the painting above the door. Overdoors with mythological and biblical scenes hang in the representational apartments. In the private rooms, still lifes, genre, or landscape pictures can be found. In the winter dining room, two still lifes of fruit by the court painter Lothar Schweickart have been preserved. The ripe fruit can be understood as a symbol of transience, while the animals are a depiction of virtues and sins.

Schloss Bruchsal, Beletage, Galeriezimmer

Furniture and paintings from the holdings of Bruchsal.

The Gallery Room

When some paintings from the collection were moved from the chamber wing to the central building in the 19th century, the Gallery Room received its name. The collection consists of several hundred pictures by well-known European painters. Some were the works of great masters and secured the prince-bishop's reputation as a connoisseur of art. The paintings displayed today have been preserved in the palace. The furniture—a writing desk with a walnut veneer and two gaming tables with chairs—are from the original collection.

Schloss Bruchsal, Detail Tapisserie „Europa auf dem Stier“

Ornate tapestries from the mid-17th century decorate the Blue Room.

The Blue Room

In 1810, the Blue Room was decorated with blue silk and likely served Queen Friederike of Sweden as a drawing room. Today, the walls display two tapestries from the "The Transformations of Jupiter" series. The five parts of the cycle depicts scenes from the Metamorphoses of Ovid, in which Jupiter takes on different forms to pursue young women. Here, "Leda With the Swan" and "Europa on the Bull" are depicted.

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