Brühl Byways and Palaces

Pig in a kilt

So my burning question is what’s the difference between a palace and a castle? In my mind, a castle has to have turrets, lots of different levels, parapets, balconies, bridges, terraces and even a moat! A palace is nothing more than a really big mansion. And I’m sort of right. It’s a castle if it has fortifications; otherwise it’s only a palace. Since we had a chance to see some palaces, off we went. The Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces are in North Rhine-Westphalia rather than right down on the river. It was a nice drive and the weather sort of cooperated – it didn’t rain, sleet or hail.




The Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces have been a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site since 1984. They are connected by the lovely

Left: Exterior of Augustusburg Palace
Right T to B: Statue, Gardens

gardens and trees of the Schlosspark. Augustusburg Palace. It would have been a chilly, but lovely walk from one to the other, but we didn’t have time to stroll and see the inside of these edifices. They were built early in the 1700s by Clemens August of Bavaria, the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne using architects Johann Conrad Schlaun and François de Cuvilliés who used Bacerian Rococo in the architecture. The Augustusburg Palace is basically U-shaped with three main stories and two attics. The gardens were designed by Dominique Girard and while they were pretty, not many things were in bloom. Although it was used as a residence, from shortly after World War II until 1994, Augustusburg has been a reception hall for guests of state by the German President. I was disappointed that we were not allowed to take pictures inside; think of a well-appointed mansion from the 18^th century, and you have an idea of the furnishings that are in the palace.

Of more interest to me was the Falkenlust hunting lodge (palace). It was,

L to R: Hunting lodge, Gate decoration

once again, designed by François de Cuvilliés, in Bavarian Rococo style and built between 1729 and 1740. This is substantially smaller than the Augustusburg Palace; it’s shaped like a brick and only two stories tall. I’m guessing that there is an attic, but we didn’t get up that high. Everything in the palace is related to hunting, in particular hunting herons with falcons. I found the Falkenlust even more beautiful inside than the larger palace; again, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the interior. However, clicking on this link to the palaces till take you to a site that has a few interior photos of both places.

Not far from the hunting lodge sits a tiny gem. A chapel dedicated to Saint

Top L to R: Chapel, Interior
Bottom L to R: Shells, Lapis Lazuli

Mary of Egypt was constructed in about 1730. It was designed by Pierre Laporterie as a grotto-style hermitage. Set into the walls are sea shells and lapis lazuli. Looking in from the windows you can see the mosaic floors throughout the chapel. It’s going to be an amazing place once it is completely restored.

Egyptian Geese

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