Barockschloss Mannheim

Mannheim Palace was built beginning in 1720 under Elector Carl Philipp as one of the largest absolutist Baroque palaces on the Upper Rhine. The Mannheim Court of his heir Carl Theodor enjoyed an outstanding reputation as a center of culture, art and science. Construction was conducted on the enormous building complex for a total of nearly forty years with the support of important artists such as Balthasar Neumann, Nicolas de Pigage and Cosmas Damian Asam. Following Carl Theodor's move to Munich and the relocation of the royal household of the grand duke to Karlsruhe, Mannheim Palace was used as the seat of legal courts, schools and as apartments for government officials. In World War II it was almost completely destroyed. With the reconstruction beginning in 1947 only a few state-rooms were restored. But since April 2007 the Baroque palace in Mannheim has shone with a new radiance. With the restoration of the Enfilade on the Beletage (principle floor), the palace was given back its heart. Here, in the state rooms, several hundred original objects, including furniture, paintings, tapestries, china and clocks, reflect the courtly atmosphere of days gone by.