Damiansburg, Bruchsal, Germany
Schloss Bruchsal was built during the first half of the 18th century for Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn, Prince-Bishop of Speyer.
Damian Hugo went through a string of architects, many of whom had been employed on other Schönborn family projects, before ultimately settling on Balthasar Neumann, who had built the Würzburg Residence for Damian Hugo's older brother, Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
Schloss Bruchsal is most famous for its staircase, seen here, which was built by Neumann between 1731-1732 as an ingenious solution to a design problem created by Damian Hugo.
The original design for the staircase had been drawn up by Anselm Franz Freiherr von Ritter zu Groenesteyn and was far more conventional. However, Damian Hugo realized that Groenesteyn's design did not leave enough room for his dressing rooms, so during a period when Groenesteyn was absent from court, Damian Hugo had a mezzanine floor built between the first and second floors to make room for his dressing rooms and additional servants quarters.
The new floor made Groenesteyn's design for the staircase impossible, and when he could not devise a new plan, he resigned.
Neumann was brought in and came up with the double spiral staircase seen here, which has been widely praised since its construction.
Sadly, on March 1, 1945, only two months before the end of WWII, much of the palace was destroyed in an American air raid directed against nearby railway installations. It has since been completely rebuilt in a restoration project that lasted until 1996. The interiors have been partly restored and the palace now houses two museums.
Credit: Kevin Mu
