This week consisted of exploring most of what Aschaffenburg and the city of Wurzburg had to offer. Gaby’s sister Susanna graciously volunteered to be my tour guide and take me around the sites of Aschaffenburg for a couple days early in the week.
First stop was the Schloss Johannisburg, the Renaissance castle built from 1605-1614. Once the summer home of the Mainz Archbishops, it now houses the Schlossmuseum, which consists of many oil paintings (many by Cranach, and his students), furniture of the period, and an impressive collection of cork models depicting landmarks from Rome (created by an Aschaffenburg resident).
First stop was the Schloss Johannisburg, the Renaissance castle built from 1605-1614. Once the summer home of the Mainz Archbishops, it now houses the Schlossmuseum, which consists of many oil paintings (many by Cranach, and his students), furniture of the period, and an impressive collection of cork models depicting landmarks from Rome (created by an Aschaffenburg resident).
Next to the Schloss Johanissburg and the palace gardens is the Pompejanum, built by King Ludwig I as a replica of a Pompeii Villa. Inside there are many frescos, sculptures, and some artifacts from Crete. Both the Schloss Johanissburg and the Pompejanum overlook the Main (pro: “mine”) River.
The actual town of Aschaffenburg is very nice, and contains numerous shops, restaurants, and hotels, all in a very typical German setting. In the main shop and restaurant area there are pedestrian only zones where one can walk around and peruse the shops with out fear of being hit by the notoriously aggressive German drivers (still not as bad as Jersey though).
The next day Susanna and I took the 10 min. drive to the Park Schonbusch, “a shady 18th century expanse scattered with ornamental ponds and follies, and the Schlosschen, a country retreat of the Mainz Archbishops.”
More Photos can be found by clicking the Link on the top right of the blog.
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