GERMANY: MAULBRONN MONASTERY AND NYMPHENBURG PALACE

May 24, 2025

Maulbronn is a small town of 6,700 people in southern Germany about 12 miles north of Pforzheim. Legend has it that in the 12th century, wandering monks followed a mule looking for water into the valley. (The name Maulbronn means "mule fountain.") Finding a beautiful lake, the monks settled here and established a monastery. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the monastery draws about a quarter million tourists every year.

For being so old, it is in amazing condition and is, in fact, one of the best-preserved monastic sites in Europe. It's also surprisingly large.

Half-timbered building near the entrance

Granary building, early 13th century

The abbey itself was built in installments starting in 1147 and continuing through the 1400s. Various ornaments were added through the 1800s.

I love the late 15th century high altar in the Monk's Church that shows the deposition of Christ from the cross.

The Monk's church is an interesting blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles.

It has a distinctive two-story nave with a Gothic-style "net vaulted" ceiling that was added later.

As I walked around the grounds, I could easily imagine the monks quietly slipping in and out of the doorways or gliding down the long hallways.

More net vaulting in the cloister area:

This is a dining hall, relatively recently remodeled (15th and 16th century, then repaired in the 19th century). Isn't the ceiling magnificent?

These pictures look like they are of a different church, but they were taken from inside the abbey looking out.

So many beautiful details:

After some much needed nourishment . . . 

. . . and a celebrity sighting . . .

. . . we drove on to the ginormous Nympenburg Palace, a 17th-century Baroque palace in Munich that served as the main summer residence for the Bavarian royalty from about 1675 through the 19th century. Its frontal length is 2,073 feet, even bigger than Versailles.

Imagine picking up your date at this front door:

When I say the Baroque decor is over-the-top, I'm especially referring to the ceilings.

They must have hired someone full-time just to light the candles in the chandeliers at dusk.

One of my favorite paintings is this one of a boating expedition:

Zoom in and see that it is not a happy story after all:

As F. Scott Fitzgerald is reported to have said: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me."

The palace has a 490-acre park attached to it.

A long canal leads from the palace to a marble cascade decorated with statues of Greek and Roman gods. 

Ah, there is one of the guards on the far right wearing a purple robe: