“Augustusburg & Falkenlust”: The Palaces of Brühl in the World Heritage Rhine country

Christiane Winkler came, saw and won (me over). Being the passionate art historian she is, she had me under her spell in no time. On this hot summer day in July, I came to think there was indeed no better place to be than here with my “palace queen” (Christiane doubles – triples as exhibition manager, historian and marketing expert), exploring the idyllic Palace Gardens and mighty Rokoko buildings of the former archbishops in the Rhine country. Add to this that after the official tour, she takes me on a private trip to her very own palace garden (“I live here, too!”). It actually becomes almost like time-travelling: “How about we imagine going out for a falcon hunting party with the archbishops?” Christiane laughs. “A hunting party with falcons?!” I think, rather appalled while imagining bloody bird fights which do not go down well with the peaceful atmosphere of the present-day castle buildings. “In this case, the falcons were trained to hunt herons while being made to believe they were pigeons, a food they liked. Once men found they could trick the birds into hunting the much larger herons, the falcons were separated from the herons once more so the ‘game’ could start all over again.“

Human beings have (always) behaved a bit strange, right … ? Well. Let us move on now, to a visit around the palaces & gardens on this beautiful, present-day summer walk in Brühl near Cologne. 🙂

Augustusburg & Falkenlust Palaces in Brühl: UNESCO World Heritage of a kind

“The former residence of the archbishop Clemens Augustus offers a unique masterpiece of art history: One that combines both Baroque and Rococo elements in its architecture and decorative styles.” Christiane whirls me around her passion for the palaces of Brühl and has my head spinning with all the tender details she weaves into her art love stories. And it is not only passion that shows: She also carries a set of keys that is larger than everyone else’s, opening up pretty much each and every door in the building. Find out just how intimate a look behind the scenes can be when the look ‘at the scenes’ may be just as spectacular. My personal walk and impression of the luxury palaces of Brühl summed up here for you.

Visiting Augustusburg Palace at only about half an hour’s distance from the bustling city centre of Cologne.

Right at the very beginning of our tour, we march up these famous stairs built by the archbishop Clemens Augustus in order to impress his visitors, such as myself over 300 years later!

A “laptop” of the past: Mobile desks that could be taken around on trips once looked like this.

A view of the palace from the gardens is just as magnificent: The gardens are inspired by French style gardening architecture during the 18th century.

From one palace to the next: Here at “Falkenlust” Palace, the archbishop retreated to a more private setting and chose to offer hunting parties involving falcons and countless other birds.

The archbishop Clemens Augustus all private and very laid-back in his bathrobe on a wall carpet … of course, he could not just hang a portrait photograph of himself up there, so it had to be the entire wall. 😀

Thank you, dear Christiane, for this “look behind the scenes”! It is not many guests that are offered a walk up to the roof terrace of the palace … merci!

What a beautiful atmosphere for a walk during summertime …

These (Easter) bunnies have clearly lost their way, not being shy in front of us at all … Cute!

Check out Augustusburg & Falkenlust Palaces if you, too, like to wander on the traces of impressive architecture and beautiful summer gardens … Christiane Winkler and her team are there to help you out for sure!

Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German Tourist Board in order to travel to & experience several World Heritage Sites in Germany. All opinions are my own.