Schloss Seehof, which roughly translates to ‘lake courtyard palace,’ is Bamberg’s local palace. It’s actually located in the town over, but you can get there on a regular city bus so it feels like a part of Bamberg.
In any case the palace was built as one of three summer residences for the prince bishops of Würzburg and Bamberg and was used as a hunting lodge. The grounds contain a hundred acres of lake and the grounds and interior are decorated with extensive hunting imagery. The palace was built by Prince Bishop Marquard Sebastian Schenk von Stauffenberg in the late 1600’s, but was greatly improved upon by several of the succeeding princes especially Price Bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim.
Von Seinsheim spent a good deal of his time at the palace, and in addition to hunting and walking, he used it to indulge his love for gardening. He is also responsible for the cascades on the lake side of the palace. After his death, however, Prince Bishop Franz Ludwig von Erthal took over and believed more in using the country’s money for social projects than spending it on his own palaces, so Schloss Seehof began to fall into disrepair and much of the furnishings and statues were sold off. Eventually the state of Bavaria bought the palace and has done much toward its restoration, including fixing the fountain which now runs every hour on the hour for about five minutes.
Memmelsdorf Gate
The Orangery
The palace was constructed as four halls making a square with a tower at each corner. In the center is this nice little courtyard.
Various statues surround the palace, but i found this one particularly entertaining. I always figured women back in the day went around in poofy dresses acting all faint and “lady like,” but apparently this young woman just cut off some poor sap’s head and is displaying it proudly. Who knew?
The River Main (the figure on the other side is the Regnitz)
Palaces are for lovers =)
The gardens are my personal favorite part. There are these amazing tree hedges and tunnels and so many beautiful meadows filled with wild flowers. It’s the perfect place to bring a picnic and just enjoy a summer afternoon.
Barefoot in the Rain 