The Bishop's Residence

My third and final day trip from Frankfurt was a visit to the city of Würzburg.  Würzburg is in Bavaria, about an hour from Frankfurt by train.  The city is much less touristy than Heidelberg.  However, it does receive a fair share of foreign visitors because it is the site of UNESCO World Heritage Site, the "Residenz".  It was modeled after the Palace of Versailles, and it is considered to be one the finest baroque buildings in Europe.  It was built in the first half of the 18th century to serve as the home of the Prince-Bishops who ruled the city until 1803.  It is quite hard to fathom that clergy should be living in such opulence.

The exterior of the palace and the gardens behind it and to the side...

 

The grand staircase leads up to the rooms of the palace.  Above it is an enormous ceiling painting done by the Venetian artist Giovanni Tiepolo.  It is the largest fresco in the world.

You pass through a series of luxurious rooms, and you keep asking yourself... "This was the home of a man of the cloth?"

Within the palace complex is a royal chapel that is also decorated in an extravagantly baroque style.

After visiting the "Residenz", I had several hours to explore the city of Würzburg.