Frothy Frippery and Four Hundred Statues!

Lots of frothy frippery and one of the over 400 statues that Ferdinand Tietz designed for the 21 hectare gardens of Schloss Seehof in Franconia! Although a hunting lodge existed in Memmelsdorf from about the 15th C the building as it looks today is from 1696 with continued building projects under various prince bishops till secularisation in the early 1800's. A jewel of a building in which money obviously was no object! 

So let’s take a closer peek, on the left top hand corner you can see a plan of the Rococo garden in 1731, with decorative gardens, a hedge theatre and labyrinth, it was in these gardens that the statues were placed. The figure featured in my sketch is Athena I believe. Although there are few of the statues left, Ferdinand Tietz' themes for the garden are known, mythological figures, allegorical themes relating to the four seasons and religion of course played a role as this was the summer residence of the Bamberg prince bishops. In the Orangerie there is a wee Ferdinand Tietz museum and parts of the garden remain but certainly not to the extent of what is shown in the plan. 

When wandering around the gardens you really get a feel for the giddy atmosphere of the Rococo, I can see light rustling silks and delicate shoes tripping through the labyrinth and shady alleys. A place to shake off the cares of the city and pass the summer in relaxed frivolity.

The exterior I've sketched here without the onion domes which are very typical for Franconia, I find them a bit too ''heavy'' for the building. Here’s the magnificent view from the palace looking down towards the Orangerie and that fabulous Memmelsdorfer Gate! Nice view out of your window on a summer's morning, isn't it?