NEUMANN, Balthasar

Baroque architecture in Franconia is particularly associated with the city of W�rzburg and the architect Balthasar Neumann. The period in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, known as the “Sch�nborn age,” is characterized by magnificent building schemes and a brilliant artistic life. The rulers of the house of Sch�nborn in Franconia and the Rhineland were all patrons of architecture and employed famous architects like Johann Dientzenhofer, Lukas von Hildebrandt, Maximilian von Welsch, and Balthasar Neumann. The head of the family was the Elector Lothar Franz von Sch�nborn (1655-1729).

Neumann received the commission for the W�rzburg Residenz in 1719. The young architect was given the opportunity to work with famous architects such as von Welsch, Dientzenhofer, Hildebrandt, and the Frenchmen Gabriel Germain Boffrand and Robert de Cotte. Work commenced in 1720 but it was suspended in 1724. The building work was resumed in 1729, and by 1737 work was progressing so well that a start could be made on laying out the staircase hall. By 1742 the vault was in place. In the same year the great vault of the Imperial Hall and the White Room were completed, and the shell of the house was finished - after twenty-five years of construction - in 1741.

The main elevation of the building is framed by wings, each with a pair of interior courtyards. The structural plan can best be seen from a distance. From the lower end of the square, the fa�ades of the wings and the central elevation appear to lie approximately on the same plane, creating the impression of a single long palace fa�ade. But then the fa�ade begins to move: the projecting centre section with its pillared portico appears to recede, although still remaining dominant. The wings open up to reveal a depth focusing on the centre of the palace.

The picture shows the entrance fa�ade of the Residenz, the prince-bishop’s palace.

Baroque architecture in Franconia is particularly associated with the city of W�rzburg and the architect Balthasar Neumann. The period in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, known as the “Sch�nborn age,” is characterized by magnificent building schemes and a brilliant artistic life. The rulers of the house of Sch�nborn in Franconia and the Rhineland were all patrons of architecture and employed famous architects like Johann Dientzenhofer, Lukas von Hildebrandt, Maximilian von Welsch, and Balthasar Neumann. The head of the family was the Elector Lothar Franz von Sch�nborn (1655-1729).

Neumann received the commission for the W�rzburg Residenz in 1719. The young architect was given the opportunity to work with famous architects such as von Welsch, Dientzenhofer, Hildebrandt, and the Frenchmen Gabriel Germain Boffrand and Robert de Cotte. Work commenced in 1720 but it was suspended in 1724. The building work was resumed in 1729, and by 1737 work was progressing so well that a start could be made on laying out the staircase hall. By 1742 the vault was in place. In the same year the great vault of the Imperial Hall and the White Room were completed, and the shell of the house was finished - after twenty-five years of construction - in 1741.

The picture shows the garden front of the Residenz, the prince-bishop’s palace.

The picture shows the central block of the garden front of the Residenz, the prince-bishop’s palace.

While he was working on the Residenz in W�rzburg, Neumann was also engaged in various other projects such as the building of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church) in the Sch�nborn village of Gaibach.

The picture shows the exterior of the single-nave church.

During the same period that Neumann was working on the Trinity church in Gaibach, Neumann also developed a plan for the pilgrimage church at Vierzehnheiligen. The design that he had successfully introduced into the Trinity church, in particular the fusion of different sections into a dynamic and light interior layout, he brought to perfection in Vierzehnheiligen. The nave is formed by three large ovals with circular transepts; it projects into the choir and is set off only by circular side chapels or aisle chapels.

Neumann placed the spiritual focus - the pilgrim’s altar of grace - at the centre of the church, about halfway between the entrance and the altar. Thus the external basilica form is transformed into a centralized plan in the interior.

The picture shows the west front of the pilgrimage church.

View the ground plan and vault plan of the Pilgrimage church, Vierzehnheiligen.

Neumann’s attempts to create dynamic, complex spaces in his church interiors culminated at Vierzehnheiligen, near Banz, and the Benedictine abbey church at Neresheim. Vierzehnheiligen was a place of pilgrimage, commemorating the spot where in the 1440s a young shepherd had had visions of the 14 helper saints who were believed to have powers of intercession. In 1739 a new church was planned, and Neumann’s final design (1743-72) created three large ovals along the nave, with circular transepts. Three rows of windows light the spacious interior, which appears to be set in motion.

View the ground plan and vault plan of the Pilgrimage church, Vierzehnheiligen.

Neumann’s attempts to create dynamic, complex spaces in his church interiors culminated at Vierzehnheiligen, near Banz, and the Benedictine abbey church at Neresheim. Vierzehnheiligen was a place of pilgrimage, commemorating the spot where in the 1440s a young shepherd had had visions of the 14 helper saints who were believed to have powers of intercession. In 1739 a new church was planned, and Neumann’s final design (1743-72) created three large ovals along the nave, with circular transepts. Three rows of windows light the spacious interior, which appears to be set in motion.

View the ground plan and vault plan of the Pilgrimage church, Vierzehnheiligen.

Neumann’s attempts to create dynamic, complex spaces in his church interiors culminated at Vierzehnheiligen, near Banz, and the Benedictine abbey church at Neresheim. Vierzehnheiligen was a place of pilgrimage, commemorating the spot where in the 1440s a young shepherd had had visions of the 14 helper saints who were believed to have powers of intercession. In 1739 a new church was planned, and Neumann’s final design (1743-72) created three large ovals along the nave, with circular transepts. Three rows of windows light the spacious interior, which appears to be set in motion.

View the ground plan and vault plan of the Pilgrimage church, Vierzehnheiligen.

The staircase hall in the Residenz as it was finally executed was as Neumann originally conceived it. In his initial plan, he had provided for a small double staircase. It was only in 1735 that he finally decided on his “theatre of light” solution: the free-standing double staircase is set in the staircase hall, and runs straight up in a shallow rise towards the ceiling; it then turns in the opposite direction, swinging further up into the space beneath the surmounting vault.

The ceiling vault was frescoed by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1752-53, following the completion of the fresco decoration in the Imperial Hall in 1752.

The picture shows the view of the stairwell.

The picture shows the Imperial Hall. The frescoes were executed by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, completed in 1753. The pictorial scheme depicts the history of the city of W�rzburg. Scenes include the bridal journey of Beatrice of Burgundy, her betrothal to Frederick Barbarossa (1156), and the confirmation of the bishop’s power by the Emperor (1168).

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

As in every original style, the same formal intention seems in the German Rococo to model space and volume. The thre-dimensional curve is the leitmotif of the period. It pervades buildings from the main theme of their composition down to the smallest ornamental details. Nowhere else perhaps can the supreme importance of this motif, and of the perfect unity of space and decoration which it implies, be as convincingly seen as in one of Neumann’s most brilliant masterpieces, the staircase of the Bishop’s Palace at Bruchsal.

Neumann’s staircase stands in the centre of the corps de logis, and is the largest room in the whole palace - which shows how much importance was attached to the staircase in the building of German and Austrian Baroque palaces. Apart from the staircase, the palace is not by Neumann.

On March 1, 1945, only two months before the end of the Second World War, 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.

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

As in every original style, the same formal intention seems in the German Rococo to model space and volume. The thre-dimensional curve is the leitmotif of the period. It pervades buildings from the main theme of their composition down to the smallest ornamental details. Nowhere else perhaps can the supreme importance of this motif, and of the perfect unity of space and decoration which it implies, be as convincingly seen as in one of Neumann’s most brilliant masterpieces, the staircase of the Bishop’s Palace at Bruchsal.

Neumann’s staircase stands in the centre of the corps de logis, and is the largest room in the whole palace - which shows how much importance was attached to the staircase in the building of German and Austrian Baroque palaces. Apart from the staircase, the palace is not by Neumann.

On March 1, 1945, only two months before the end of the Second World War, 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.

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

Work on Schloss Bruchsal began in 1720, following the designs by Welsch. In 1727 Balthasar Neumann was summoned to Bruchsal by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Sch�nborn, prince-bishop of Speyer, to take on the construction of the palace. Neumann submitted new plans including the famous curving double flights of stairs executed in 1731 by Johann Georg Stahl (1687-1755). The staircase sweeps up to the piano nobile from a rectangular vestibule, rising around a circular space, which is surmounted by a wide dome.

The picture shows the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

View the ground plan of the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

Work on Schloss Bruchsal began in 1720, following the designs by Welsch. In 1727 Balthasar Neumann was summoned to Bruchsal by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Sch�nborn, prince-bishop of Speyer, to take on the construction of the palace. Neumann submitted new plans including the famous curving double flights of stairs executed in 1731 by Johann Georg Stahl (1687-1755). The staircase sweeps up to the piano nobile from a rectangular vestibule, rising around a circular space, which is surmounted by a wide dome.

The picture shows the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

View the ground plan of the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

Work on Schloss Bruchsal began in 1720, following the designs by Welsch. In 1727 Balthasar Neumann was summoned to Bruchsal by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Sch�nborn, prince-bishop of Speyer, to take on the construction of the palace. Neumann submitted new plans including the famous curving double flights of stairs executed in 1731 by Johann Georg Stahl (1687-1755). The staircase sweeps up to the piano nobile from a rectangular vestibule, rising around a circular space, which is surmounted by a wide dome.

The picture shows the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

View the ground plan of the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

Bruchsal Palace (Schloss Bruchsal) is the only Prince-Bishop’s residence on the Upper Rhine. It is famous for its opulent staircase constructed by Balthasar Neumann - known as the “crown jewel of all Baroque staircases.”

Work on Schloss Bruchsal began in 1720, following the designs by Welsch. In 1727 Balthasar Neumann was summoned to Bruchsal by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Sch�nborn, prince-bishop of Speyer, to take on the construction of the palace. Neumann submitted new plans including the famous curving double flights of stairs executed in 1731 by Johann Georg Stahl (1687-1755). The staircase sweeps up to the piano nobile from a rectangular vestibule, rising around a circular space, which is surmounted by a wide dome.

The picture shows the staircase in Schloss Bruchsal.

View the ground plan of the staircase hall in Schloss Bruchsal.

The reconstructed interior decorations of the three most important rooms of the palace were created under Prince-Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten in the Rococo style between 1751 and 1754. The Domed Hall crowns the staircase, which leads to the two ceremonial halls of the palace. The Royal Hall is the ceremonial hall closest to the city. The Marble Hall lies in the direction of the garden. It is the architectural and programmatic centre of the spiritual residence.

In 1724, Johann Conrad Schlaun received possibly the most interesting project of his young career from Elector Clemens August, also archbishop of Cologne. He was asked to rebuild Schloss Br�hl, near Cologne. It was a difficult commission. On the one hand, the Elector wanted his rank as ruler enshrined in a suitable seat, but on the other, he wanted to save on building costs. He therefore ordered that the ruins of an earlier structure, a moated castle, should be thoroughly explored for materials that could be reused. Schlaun had to take over the ground plan of the medieval edifice, but was at the same time keen to introduce modern Roman ideas borrowed from Borromini and Bernini. His solution obviously did not entirely satisfy his client. The latter’s brother, the Elector Charles Frederick of Bavaria, harshly criticized the architecture, and dispatched his own court architect, Fran�ois de Cuvilli�s, from Munich to Cologne bearing new plans. In 1728 Schlaun was dismissed from the project.

Cuvilli�s transformed Schlaun’s traditional castle model with its cramped courtyard and medieval round tower into a modern palace with the character of a summer residence in the French manner. In 1741 Balthasar Neumann came to Br�hl and designed the stairwell, built three years later. Thus, after over forty years the palace was finally completed. It contained stylistic features borrowed from prominent Baroque buildings in Italy, France, and south Germany.

Clemens August was keen on things Italian, and managed to obtain the services of an important artist for the paintings, the Lombard Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, second only to Tiepolo. Carlone designed the paintings for the staircase hall, music room, dining room and guard-room, as well as the Nepomuk chapel.

The picture shows the staircase hall.

In 1724, Johann Conrad Schlaun received possibly the most interesting project of his young career from Elector Clemens August, also archbishop of Cologne. He was asked to rebuild Schloss Br�hl, near Cologne. It was a difficult commission. On the one hand, the Elector wanted his rank as ruler enshrined in a suitable seat, but on the other, he wanted to save on building costs. He therefore ordered that the ruins of an earlier structure, a moated castle, should be thoroughly explored for materials that could be reused. Schlaun had to take over the ground plan of the medieval edifice, but was at the same time keen to introduce modern Roman ideas borrowed from Borromini and Bernini. His solution obviously did not entirely satisfy his client. The latter’s brother, the Elector Charles Frederick of Bavaria, harshly criticized the architecture, and dispatched his own court architect, Fran�ois de Cuvilli�s, from Munich to Cologne bearing new plans. In 1728 Schlaun was dismissed from the project.

Cuvilli�s transformed Schlaun’s traditional castle model with its cramped courtyard and medieval round tower into a modern palace with the character of a summer residence in the French manner. In 1741 Balthasar Neumann came to Br�hl and designed the stairwell, built three years later. Thus, after over forty years the palace was finally completed. It contained stylistic features borrowed from prominent Baroque buildings in Italy, France, and south Germany.

Clemens August was keen on things Italian, and managed to obtain the services of an important artist for the paintings, the Lombard Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, second only to Tiepolo. Carlone designed the paintings for the staircase hall, music room, dining room and guard-room, as well as the Nepomuk chapel.

The picture shows the staircase hall.

While he was working on the Residenz in W�rzburg, Neumann was also engaged in various other projects such as the building of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church) in the Sch�nborn village of Gaibach. The interior of the church consists of a nearly spherical oval shape that is set crossways and therefore also functions as a crossing. Three elliptical smaller spaces adjoin it on the east side forming a choir and transept.

During the same period that Neumann was working on the Trinity church in Gaibach, Neumann also developed a plan for the pilgrimage church at Vierzehnheiligen. The design that he had successfully introduced into the Trinity church, in particular the fusion of different sections into a dynamic and light interior layout, he brought to perfection in Vierzehnheiligen. The nave is formed by three large ovals with circular transepts; it projects into the choir and is set off only by circular side chapels or aisle chapels.

Neumann placed the spiritual focus - the pilgrim’s altar of grace - at the centre of the church, about halfway between the entrance and the altar. Thus the external basilica form is transformed into a centralized plan in the interior.

The picture shows a view of the nave.

View the ground plan and vault plan of the Pilgrimage church, Vierzehnheiligen.

During the same period that Neumann was working on the Trinity church in Gaibach, Neumann also developed a plan for the pilgrimage church at Vierzehnheiligen. The design that he had successfully introduced into the Trinity church, in particular the fusion of different sections into a dynamic and light interior layout, he brought to perfection in Vierzehnheiligen. The nave is formed by three large ovals with circular transepts; it projects into the choir and is set off only by circular side chapels or aisle chapels.

Neumann placed the spiritual focus - the pilgrim’s altar of grace - at the centre of the church, about halfway between the entrance and the altar. Thus the external basilica form is transformed into a centralized plan in the interior.

The picture shows a view of the nave.

During the same period that Neumann was working on the Trinity church in Gaibach, Neumann also developed a plan for the pilgrimage church at Vierzehnheiligen. The design that he had successfully introduced into the Trinity church, in particular the fusion of different sections into a dynamic and light interior layout, he brought to perfection in Vierzehnheiligen. The nave is formed by three large ovals with circular transepts; it projects into the choir and is set off only by circular side chapels or aisle chapels.

Neumann placed the spiritual focus - the pilgrim’s altar of grace - at the centre of the church, about halfway between the entrance and the altar. Thus the external basilica form is transformed into a centralized plan in the interior.

The picture shows a view of the nave.

During the same period that Neumann was working on the Trinity church in Gaibach, Neumann also developed a plan for the pilgrimage church at Vierzehnheiligen. The design that he had successfully introduced into the Trinity church, in particular the fusion of different sections into a dynamic and light interior layout, he brought to perfection in Vierzehnheiligen. The nave is formed by three large ovals with circular transepts; it projects into the choir and is set off only by circular side chapels or aisle chapels.

Neumann placed the spiritual focus - the pilgrim’s altar of grace - at the centre of the church, about halfway between the entrance and the altar. Thus the external basilica form is transformed into a centralized plan in the interior.

The picture shows the altar of grace.

In Neresheim, Neumann was able to realize his vision of a combined longitudinal and central plan - an architectural concept that spans the transition from late Baroque to early classicism. The starting point is a cruciform ground plan: on both east and west sides a pair of crossways-set domed and vaulted oval areas run into a space marked out by four free-standing pairs of columns delineating a round temple that separates two side areas. Longitudinal and circular structures are united.

The picture shows the interior of the abbey church.

In Neresheim, Neumann was able to realize his vision of a combined longitudinal and central plan - an architectural concept that spans the transition from late Baroque to early classicism. The starting point is a cruciform ground plan: on both east and west sides a pair of crossways-set domed and vaulted oval areas run into a space marked out by four free-standing pairs of columns delineating a round temple that separates two side areas. Longitudinal and circular structures are united.

The picture shows ceiling vaults with frescoes by Martin Knoller.