The Glitz and Glamour of Brühl
A creamy yellow exterior and checkerboard stone walkway lead to the palace that is reminiscent of Versailles. The impressive waiting room with a ceramic room heater, where people would sometimes wait for hours to meet the Elector, leads to a resplendent ceremonial staircase with gilded balustrades, which is a showstopper. Flanked with gold leaf designs and pillars in shades of yellow and green made of stucco marble, it ascends to the domed ceiling. Painted in a classical scene by artist Carlo Carlone, the trompe-l’œil effect is used to create an optical illusion, making the ceiling look like a curved cupola but is actually flat. It is said that the dome was painted by Carlo and his two assistants in just two weeks.
The palace is a great example of German Rococo style, characterised by the rounding of angles and embellishment. The name alludes to rocaille—a French style of exuberant decoration using natural elements. Started in France around the end of King Louis XIV’s reign, the style is basically a celebration of all elements of nature.
The multicoloured ceiling fresco has human virtues as its theme along with symbols of Gods and Goddesses in pairs: peace, religion, nobility, military power, wisdom, sound advice, justice and generosity.
Walking through the stunning rooms of the palace is a sensory overload, with embossed leather wallpaper, Dutch tiles, Venetian chandeliers from Murano and gilded golden stucco and painted ceilings. The palace was designed to impress guests and to reinforce Clemens August’s courtly image. In a dining room Clemens August would arrange ‘show dinners’ for people. Landscape architect Dominique Girard designed the grounds based on French Baroque formal gardens, also epitomised by Versailles with ornamental flower beds, boxwood trees, and fountains. There are treasures from the past that are also on display, like the flea trap that was used in times when water was a luxury and people used perfumes to smell good instead of a bath. Ladies would wear them around their necks like jewellery and fleas would be attracted by the perfume inside and get trapped.
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