Schleissheim is a palace complex at Oberschleissheim, 18 km north of Munich, consisting of three palaces: the Altes Schloss, Lustheim and the Neues Schloss.
Schleissheim Palace History
William V, Duke of Bavaria, had a simple mansion built here in the late 16th century. His son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, had a large new structure, the Altes Schloss, built there. A single main story is articulated by disproportionately broad pilasters above a high half-basement.
A steeply pitched roof crowns the scheme. An external staircase in symmetrically paired flights leads to a porch, the pediment of which rests on rusticated piers; its pitch differs from that of the gable of the raised central bay behind.
Elector Maximilian II Emanuel had a banqueting house called Lustheim erected to the east, between 1684 and 1688. Designed by Enrico Zuccalli, it is a garden palace and a hunting lodge as well as being a Baroque interpretation of a moated castle. Its models were the Villa Borghese in Rome and Hellbrunn.
The plan is H-shaped: a central section in three bays and a belvedere floor link two four-bay side wings in the style of French corner pavilions. The simple façade, with flat pilaster strips and segmental and triangular pediments above the windows, is in the late Renaissance style.
The Neues Schloss was built for Maximilian II Emanuel as his third large and imposing palace, in addition to the Residenz and Schloss Nymphenburg. It was begun after he became Stadholder of the Netherlands (1691) with an expectation of the Spanish succession. Zuccalli submitted plans in 1693, but the foundation stone was laid only in 1701.
A four-winged structure incorporating the Altes Schloss was initially planned, with staircases in the corners of the courtyard on the model of Gianlorenzo Bernini’s third scheme for the Louvre, Paris. A three-winged layout was, however, the basis of the building as executed, although only the main section was constructed. The collapse in 1702 of a wall on the garden side led to a terrace being built instead of a third floor on the park side.
By 1704 the shell of the east section had been erected under Philipp Jakob Zwerger (1685–1758). Work was interrupted by the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) and recommenced only after the Elector’s return from exile (1715), continuing from 1719. The building was largely complete by 1726. Leo von Klenze’s 19th-century simplification of the façade was partly reversed by the restoration of 1959–1962.
The plan of the Neues Schloss is elongated, with a central portion of eleven bays and two corner projections connected by ranges of eight bays; side pavilions are linked to the structure by arcaded wings. The overall length is almost 335 m.
In the taut, unified articulation of the garden façade only the central section, raised by one story, is emphasized by colossal pilasters and large round-arched windows. Inside, a symmetrical staircase with three flights leads on the south side of the vestibule to the two-story Grosser Saal, articulated by an order of pilasters. The Viktoriensaal is symmetrical with the Treppenhaus.
Schleissheim Complex – Visitor Info
Opening times
Old and New Palaces (Neues & Altes Schloss); Lustheim Palace
April to September: 9,00 – 18,00
October to March: 10,00 – 16,00
Closed on Mondays
Lustheim Pavilions
April to September: 9,00 – 18,00
Closed on Mondays
October to March: closed
The Schleissheim Complex is closed on the following days: 1st of January, Shrove Tuesday, 24th – 25th and 31 December
Water Play
The water fountains are available daily from April to mid of September between 10,00 – 16,00
Ticket Info:
Combined ticket: Old and New Palaces (Neues & Altes Schloss); Lustheim Palace
8,00 € full price / 6, – € reduced
Old Palace – Altes Schloss: 3,00 € full price / 2,00 € reduced
New Palace – Neues Schloss: € 4.50 full price / 3.50 €
Lustheim Palace Lustheim Schloss: € 3.50 full price / reduced € 2.50
Pavilions at Lustheim – Admission free
For more info visit the official website.
Schleissheim Palace Location
Schloss Schleissheim Address: Max-Emanuel-Platz 1, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany. Get directions using this map: