memories from würzburg, germany

4 years ago on this day our unit set foot in the German city of Würzburg for the first time, knowing nothing about it. We had selected the location randomly, because it seemed suitable for an overnight stop during our long European road trip. A cosy town, neat and tidy just like many other across Bavarian lands.

The river, the streets, the castle, the whole landscape were beautiful but the Würzburg Residence Palace and its gardens was what grabbed our attention the most. We are terrible tourists with an obscene habit of wandering insignificant streets instead of visiting important museums and monuments, but when this building materialised out of the summerish rainy fog, we abandoned all plans and went straight to it.

There is something about symmetrically pruned trees that makes me feel happy (I think it is the earthly role of humans to tame chaos into geometrical forms) and I often find myself worrying whether there will be anyone capable of properly growing a rosarium tomorrow. Gardening doesn’t seem to be a popular choice of young people nowadays and it’s understandable, with influencers being on such a high demand.

Walking along paved alleys and centenarian boxwood fascinates me deeply which in turn can only mean one thing –  I must have been a queen in past lives, for nothing else explains the fling I have with statues, arches, fountains and ornamental ceilings.

 

The Würzburg Residence was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 for being one of the “most homogeneous and the most extraordinary of the Baroque palaces” and it is indeed a celebration of the glory days of style and architecture.

The structure was commissioned in 1720 by prince-bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn and took almost 60 years to complete. Today the 360 rooms are home to government institutions, university faculties and a museum, but the grandest 40 have been restored for visitors to admire.

What I find particularly interesting about it though, is a fact not known by many:

The weather was not the best during our visit but the atmosphere was magically peaceful. It was during those early September days right before the school year starts, when the air is still fragrant and warm, and the streets are lazy.

We spent only 2 days in Würzburg but the city gave us its best – lovely walks along the river, heavy Bavarian food, magnificent architecture and charming little markets and shops. Not sure if we’ll get the chance to visit again but we happily added the place to our collection of colorful memories.