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Landscaped scenery

            The Herzogsweiher (in English: "Ducal Pond") in the Gardens of Fantaisie Palace, Donndorf, Franconia (Bavaria), Germany

Some background information:

Fantaisie Palace and Gardens is a margravial summer residence, located in the Upper Franconian village of Donndorf, just about five kilometres to the west of the city of Bayreuth. It was the second summer residence that was built for Margrave Frederick III of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and his wife Wilhelmine (after the Hermitage in Bayreuth). Seemingly, just one summer residence wasn’t enough for them.

The site was already occupied by a castle in medieval times, but today, there is not much left from this first fortification. In the 16th century, the Lords of Luechau replaced the medieval castle by a plain Renaissance castle. But when Friedrich Ludwig von Luechau died heirless in 1757, the castle fell back to Margrave Frederick III.

In 1758, Frederick III began to build a new castle at the same location as an additional summer residence. The building was inspired from impressions of a one-year journey to Italy, which the margravial couple had accomplished from 1754 to 1755. On their trip, they had also visited the Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, by which they were deeply impressed. Hence, the architecture of Fantaisie Palace was rather affected by the mentioned Italian mansion.

Right after the construction of Fantaisie Palace had started, Margravine Wilhelmine died at the age of 49. Thereafter, the building works were stopped. Not before 1761, they were resumed. When Margrave Frederick III died in 1763, his new summer residence wasn’t finished yet and hence, he couldn’t witness its completion.

After his death, his daughter Princess Elisabeth Friederike Sophie of Brandenburg-Bayreuth inherited the estate and it was her, who named it Fantaisie. In 1765, Fantaisie Palace was finally completed. After Princess Elisabeth Friederike had died in 1780, the summer residence and its gardens were sold. In 1792, her cousin Friederike Dorothea Sophie of Brandenburg-Schwedt bought the estate, together with her husband Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. They had the gardens re-landscaped in the manner of an English landscape garden.

In the 19th century, their grandson Duke Alexander Frederick William of Württemberg, who lived there together with his second wife Emilie of Meyernberg, had the garden buildings redesigned according to the taste of the time. Just like his father, Duke Alexander Frederick Carl of Württemberg, he had served in the Russian army as a military commander, before he settled in Fantaisie Palace.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle was bought by Edmund Alexander, Prince of Wrede. Before the Nazi advent to power in 1933, he was the Gauleiter of the Upper Franconian section of the antidemocratic Stahlhelm, an association of former World War I frontline soldiers. In 1938, Fantaisie Palace became the headquarters of Karl Henlein, the later Reich Governor of the Reichsgau Sudetenland, an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. Still in the same year, the School of the Nazi association of teachers was opened in Fantaisie Palace.

As a result of the later refurbishments, just a few furnishings of the original interior decoration could be saved. But in 2000, Fantaisie Palace became the first German museum of garden art. The gardens are characterized by the four stylistic eras rococo, sentimentalism, romanticism and historism. They were restored in their original state and replanted with grapewines. The water cascades were repaired and the original maze was laid out again.

Taken in: Germany / Bavaria / Landkreis Bayreuth / Sankt Gilgenberg (show map)

Taken on: July 31, 2021

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2021 « less

Sets appears in: • Franconia, Germany 2005 - 2024 • Castles, Palaces and Mansions more » • Landscapes - Germany • Ponds, fountains and canals • Summer « less

Groups appears in: • Germany • European Vacation more » • Bayern • Germany, Deutschland • Franken / Franconia • bavaria • NaturePhotographs • Gardens To See (NO FLOWER CLOSEUPS, PLEASE!) • *RefleXionS* (Post 1-Award 3) • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • The concept is Europe « less

Camera: Canon EOS 77D, f/10.0, 1/320 sec, 24mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 77D
Lens:	TAMRON 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD B028
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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