Garten Schaezlerpalais

The Schaezlerpalais in Augsburg is a major destination for art lovers today, housing both municipal and state art collections. The historic building stands on Herkulesbrunnen square and has a long history that reaches back to the 14th century. Originally owned by various patrician families, it was purchased in 1764 by the banker Benedikt Adam Liebert. Starting in 1765, a magnificent Rococo palace designed by the Munich court architect Karl Albert von Lespilliez replaced the earlier building. Its inauguration in 1770 was a major social event, and the young Marie Antoinette is said to have attended. The estate later passed to the Schaezler family, who lived here for four generations.

The palace came through the Second World War without major damage, and in 1958 Wolfgang Freiherr von Schaezler donated the building to the city of Augsburg, on the condition that it be used exclusively for cultural purposes and never sold. The municipal art collections have been housed here since 1951. The first floor is home to the Deutsche Barockgalerie (German Baroque Gallery), which showcases southern German painting of the 17th and 18th centuries. The second floor houses the Karl und Magdalene Haberstock Foundation, with works by artists such as Canaletto and Tiepolo, as well as rooms for special exhibitions.

Visitors can also admire the lavishly appointed interiors of the palace, including the two-story ballroom with its rich carvings, stucco work, and a ceiling painting by Gregorio Guglielmi. The Schaezlerpalais also provides direct access to the neighboring Staatsgalerie Altdeutsche Meister (State Gallery of Old German Masters), which is located in the rooms of the former St. Catherine's Convent. Here you can see paintings by Swabian and southern German masters of the 15th and 16th centuries, including a famous portrait of a Fugger by Albrecht Dürer. After extensive renovation work, the palace reopened in 2006 and is now the city's central cultural venue.