Little Versailles or Love Castle are only two nick names of Schloss Schleißheim. The castle and its surrounding complex tell about dreams of power and political failure, of passion for Italian baroque and a tendency to French style.
The remain is an amazing residence with a baroque park which is unique in Germany.
 
Duke Wilhelm V. of Bavaria was the founder of the castle complex. In 1597, being rather tired of reigning, the duke bought moor meadows in Schleißheim from the Freising chapter. He constructed an estate with a mansion, had beer and cheese being produced and provided the royal stud with horses. On top, he added five chapels to the four existing ones and spent his sunset years in peace. The mansion was replaced by the noble castle complex in the north Italian villa style by Wilhelms Sohn Maximilian I. After its destruction during World War II. the old castle was partly reconstructed in 1972.
 
When elector Max Emanuel won Maria Antonia as his wife he decided to build a baroque gem. His wife wasn't really beautiful, but yet she was the Austrian emperor's daughter. In 1685 the blue emperor (for he loved blue armors) commissioned the architect Enrico Zuccalli with the construction of the hunting  and garden lodge Lustheim. In 1719 it was completed under Joseph Effner. The love castle was equipped with frescos from the Diana myth. The marriage with Maria Antonia wasn' t really prosperous. And then she died in childbed. Today the Lustheim castle hosts the world-famous and most important collection of early Meissener porcelain. 

Elector Max Emanuel wanted an adequate residence for his imperial dreams. The new castle was started under Enrico Zuccalli in 1701. From 1719 to 1726 it was continued under Joseph Effner and finalised by Leo von Klenze. The result was a wonderful treasure of late baroque and rococo. The long interruption was due to the military defeat of King Ludwig XIV. and his Bavarian ally. The blue elector had to bury his dreams of great power and went into exile for 10 years.
 
French elegance marks the impressive windows' arrangement of the new castle. The giant windows turn to the old castle in the west, to the park in the east and the Lustschloss. The pompous interior design was entrusted to artists like Johann Zimmermann and Cosmas Asam. The latter designed Asam church in Munich with his brother. In the gallery rooms masterpieces of European baroque painting are presented by the Bavarian State collection.
 
The charming park complex is one of the greatest European baroque gardens. The new castle's breadth intentionally corresponds to the side canals whichform a half-circle behind the Lustheim. If you walk along the middle canal you will always have an amazing building in sight. The adjacent restaurant with a beer garden is worth a stop for a rest.

by Karin Nagl