The Wurzburg Residenz

 It's a mind blowing place.  As I said to Julia, tongue-in-cheek, part-way through the tour, "I can't figure out why the common folk revolted against the royalty!"  

Started in 1720 and finished in 1744, the palace is particularly famous for its ceiling frescoes, and amazing rooms of mirrors, gold, and baroque/rococo.  The tour doesn't include the entire palace, but quite a lot.  

As it turns out, we were the last ones in, so as we finished in rooms, they would close the doors behind us.  It felt like we were keeping them working, but the few docents we interacted with were quite nice and helpful with information.

The bummer is that photos are not allowed.  I took some prior to getting to the sign that said no photos (there may have been earlier signs, but we didn't see them).

Splendid coat of arms above the entrance.

Julia and Carol outside the entrance.

This was before our ill-fated first

attempt to tour the Residenz.

The last three are my illegally, but unknowingly,

photos of the frescos in the grand staircase.

The palace was heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1945, but the furniture and art had all been removed for safekeeping.  The restoration was quite exacting, led by an American military officer who helped save the building.

Built by the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg because his castle wasn't big enough, the palace is stunning and deserves its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It also has impressive gardens, but it being winter and dark by the time we were done, we did not wander through them.

It was a lot of hassle, but I'm glad we got the tests and went back through the Wurzburg Residenz.