"Bruchsal: Baroque Residence Town" a Bruchsal Travel Page by Kathrin_E

It all started with a vision...
Damian Hugo von Schönborn, Prince Bishop of Speyer, founded the residence in Bruchsal in 1720. After quarrels with the imperial city of Speyer, which was protestant and didn't want a catholic bishop to live inside its walls, he went looking for a place to build a new palace. Here he found the most beautiful location in his territory.

The palace originally consisted of more than 50 separate buildings. Damian Hugo was well aware that, as he wrote to a relative, he was building his new home "in a country were war takes place every day and hour. All buildings have to be separated, so if a fire occurs, the rest can be saved."

Most of these buildings are still there. The residence covers a whole quarter of the town. All the many different functions that belonged to the court of an absolutist prince show up in these buildings.
I'm presenting several of these court buildings in my Things to do tips.

The town of Bruchsal is much older than the baroque palace. It was first mentioned in 976 A.D. In its history it has suffered two almost complete destructions. In 1689 it shared the fate of most towns in this area and was burnt to ashes by French troups. On March 1, 1945 allied bombs shattered 80% of the town and also the palace to rubble. Bruchsal's centre is a modern post-war town. Some side streets, however, have maintained their baroque appearance - one has to know where to look. See my Off the beaten path tips to find them.