Kromsdorf Renaissance Palace

Garden of Kromsdorf Renaissance Palace in Thuringia, Germany

The excursion along the Ilm Valley Cycle Path (Ilmtal-Radweg) takes us to the garden of Kromsdorf Palace. At first, the Renaissance palace looks like many others. But his park is special. 64 stone busts adorn the garden wall. The exact assignment of the busts is controversial, which even increases the appeal of a walk. [German]

Mirabell Palace in Salzburg

Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria

Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell) is known for its marble hall as a wedding location. By the way, Mirabell Gardens was also a set in the movie “Sound of Music”. In the picture above, you see the hindquarters of the Winged Horse (Pegasus) where Maria and the children danced around.

Lower Belvedere Palace

Front view of the Lower Belvedere

Lower Belvedere Palace (Unteres Belvedere) and Upper Belvedere Palace (Oberes Belvedere) constitute an ensemble near Vienna Main Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof). Both palaces are venues of a museum and gallery named Belvedere. Next to the Lower Belvedere one also can visit art exhibitions in the former Orangery and the Palace Stables of the ensemble.

Bensberg Palace

Schloss Bensberg in Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany

At the beginning of the 18th century, Italian Baroque architect Matteo Alberti designed Bensberg Palace (Schloss Bensberg). Today the former hunting lodge for the Counts Palatine of the Rhine houses a 5-Star Grand hotel. [German]

Würzburg Residence

Frozen fountain at Residenz Würzburg, Germany

It was a cold day when I took this photo of a frozen fountain on the grounds of the Würzburg Residence (Würzburger Residenz). The Baroque palace saw its completion in 1744. Today it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.