Les Palais Des Thes

[Rubi Strycker]

Nowfirmly into the 21st century, the good news is that one no longer needs to order his or her Palais des Ths teas from France. You may order them stateside and, if you live in New York City, you can go up to 194 Columbus Avenue (between 68th and 69th Streets) or down to SoHo (156 Prince Street between West Broadway and Thompson Street) to taste and purchase these teas! The Upper West Side shop offers around 80 tea blends and the downtown location has over 100 tea blends and tea classes! Wander into either store to sniff around, taste some tea, and chat with knowledgeable staff. I have, and it is a real treat.

Hi Kirsten, I would love to take one of their classes. It seems there is so much to learn in order to taste, not to mention blend the teas! Have a wonderful new year, filled with rewarding adventures!

Enjoyed this, LOVED the photography. Makes me wish I hadn't given up caffeine (except it made me so shaky, I'd knock over furniture, not the best scenario when working in a museum). For me it's just rooibos, now; thank heavens it has the gorgeous color that I've long associated with a comforting cup. Beautiful collection of porcelain you have!

Nymphenburg Palace owes its foundation as a summer residence to the birth of the long-awaited heir to the throne, Max Emanuel, who was born in 1662 to the Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, after some ten years of marriage.

Initially, the Italianate "Nymphenburg summer residence" was a mighty cubic pavilion, flanked by the court church, several outbuildings and a small, walled, geometrical garden. By 1679 the palace complex, in its first incarnation, had nearly been finished.

Nymphenburg Palace acquired its present-day dimensions under the elector Max Emanuel (reigned 1680-1726). Supervised by the court architect Henrico Zuccalli, two off-set pavilions were built on each side of the existing structure, to the north and south. Begun in 1701, the pavilions were linked with the central edifice by galleries.

When the Elector returned to Munich in 1715, he was accompanied by numerous French, or French-trained, artists. As his palace complexes, such as those in Dachau, Frstenried, Nymphenburg and Schleiheim, were further enlarged, these artists supplied works conforming to the latest French fashions.

About 1715, the court architect Joseph Effner, together with the French landscape architect Dominique Girard, designed an overall plan for Nymphenburg and the subsequent extension was carried out in accordance with this plan.

Of the measures that were implemented then, the following are the most notable: the central pavilion as the focal point of the ensemble was redesigned, the royal apartments were furnished and decorated, the annexes, situated in front of the main palace, were rebuilt as residences for court officials and the crescent was constructed with a circular wall and five pairs of pavilions. Radiating out from the centre, the perspectively off-set structures fused to form a completely symmetrical "ideal town" which could accommodate the royal household.

Under Elector Maximilian III Joseph (reigned 1745-77), the Great Hall at Nymphenburg Palace acquired the opulent decoration that can be admired today. Here Johann Baptist Zimmermann, together with Franois Cuvillis the Elder, created a major work of Munich court Rococo. The vaulted ceiling of the Palace Chapel was also painted. Finally, under Max III Joseph, the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory moved into its present quarters at the front of the palace.

At this time the park, too, was given a new look. The Grand Parterre was remodelled and adorned with statues of the most important gods of Olympus. The exterior flights of steps, also date from this period and form a suitably representative entrance to the main building and Great Hall.

Elector Karl Theodor, who ruled in Bavaria and the Palatinate from 1777 to 1799, changed little at Nymphenburg. He had the galleries widened to create new rooms which were furnished in the style of the day. In 1792 Karl Theodor opened the Nymphenburg palace park to the public.

King Maximilian I Joseph died at Nymphenburg in 1825. In subsequent years the palace remained a favourite residence of the Bavarian royal family. King Ludwig II of Bavaria (reigned 1864-1886) was born here on 25 August 1845.

Designed as the crowning element of the Great Parterre, and sited at the foot of the hill behind the palace is the Neptune Fountain, which was conceived as part of the overall design of the gardens and park commissioned by Maria Theresa in the 1770s.

Situated in the middle of the wooded hillside on the eastern side of the park is the Small Gloriette, a tower-like, two-story pavilion built between 1755 and 1772 and probably based on a design by court architect Nikolaus Pacassi.

Also situated at the foot of Schnbrunn Hill, the Obelisk Fountain constitutes the visual focus at the end of the eastern diagonal avenue, and together with the Gloriette and the Zoo is one of the most important focal points in the gardens.

Built at some time between 1750 and 1776, the Columbary or dovecote is a tall, circular aviary constructed of wire mesh with a dome-like copper roof crowned by a lantern-like structure. Four walled alcoves were added to provide the doves with roosting space.

Tucked into the corner of a hedged walk on the Meidling (east) side of the park is the Fair Spring. The first well house on this site is thought to have been built by the court gardener Adrian van Steckhoven, but this was replaced by a new structure designed by court architect Isidor Canevale in 1771.

At the intersection of each of the two stelliform systems of avenues on either side of the park at Schnbrunn is a rondeau or circular open space containing at its centre a pool with sculptural figures known as the Naiad Fountain.

Meidling Privy Gardens: Crown Prince Garden and the Garden on the Cellar - Dating to around 1745/50, the plans for the laying out of the Meidling Privy Gardens were probably drawn up by the Lotharingian garden designer Louis Gervais.

As far back as the time of the dowager empress Wilhelmine Amalie an orangery garden was established at Schnbrunn which included a hothouse for overwintering the tender citrus trees. In 1754 Franz I Stephan instigated the building of the Orangery by Nikolaus Pacassi, probably to designs by Nicolas Jadot.

The Lindt Matres Chocolatiers will spoil you with refined chocolate specialties in the Lindt Boutique. The finest praline compositions, classic and unusual bar recipes and a large selection of Lindt chocolate gifts await you. Choose your favorite mix from a diverse Pick & Mix range and enjoy freshly prepared coffee creations and drinking chocolates.

Take a seat in the apartment of the Crown Prince at Schnbrunn Palace and immerse yourself in the world of the Habsburgs. With the latest VR technology, you will be taken on a journey back to the time of the Austrian Empire, where you will experience up-close many historical moments and witness the incredible history of Schnbrunn Palace.

The Gerstner K. u. K. Hofzuckerbcker caf-restaurant in the Kavalierstrakt invites you to round off your visit to Schnbrunn Palace in a cozy coffee house atmosphere. Enjoy exquisite coffee, homemade pastries and hearty specialties indoors or in the spacious guest garden.

From April the Caf Pavillon in Schnbrunn Palace Park invites visitors to enjoy a summer retreat. A popular meeting place for families, it offers relaxation in a historic atmosphere. With pastries from the Gerstner K. u. K. Hofzuckerbcker as well as breakfast, classic Viennese delicacies and local specialties, the Caf Pavillon offers a varied selection. Coffee specialties, refreshments and the legendary Kaiserschmarrn complete the offer.

Located in a side wing of Schnbrunn Palace, the Heuriger "Joseph II" invites you to enjoy delicious Viennese Heurigen delicacies and a variety of Viennese wines. In the midst of one of the most popular cultural sites in the world, you can enjoy a hearty piece of Viennese Heurigen culture.

As she grew older, Maria Theresa increasingly suffered from the heat during the summer months. In the last decade of her life she therefore had a suite furnished for herself on the ground floor of the palace.

The palace chapel at Schnbrunn today still bears witness to the location, spatial structure and architectural articulation of the original palace designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach around 1700.

Find out the difference between imperial children and children from ordinary families by using our time wheel. You can play with toys that were used in those days, learn the fascinating secret language of fans, and set the table for an imperial dinner!

The Blue Staircase is the grandest stairway in the palace. Providing the highest-ranking access to the state rooms and residential apartments of the imperial family, it leads only to the principal floor of the palace.

Franz Joseph saw himself first and foremost as an officer of his army. Appropriately, the subject of the large-format paintings in this room is the Military Order of Maria Theresa, the highest military order of merit of the Habsburg Monarchy.

Here the emperor received individuals who had been granted a private audience with the monarch. Members of the government, high-ranking military officers and court officials were also summoned here several times a week to deliver their reports.

A host of personal pictures and photographs bear witness to the style of interior favoured by the emperor in his private quarters. Over the course of his long life he amassed in this room a wealth of mementos of his wife Elisabeth, their four children and thirteen grandchildren.

During the time when Elisabeth occupied these apartments, the Marie Antoinette Room was the family dining room, used for small dinners in the immediate family circle and attended by the imperial couple and their children, and later on their daughter and sons-in law and grandchildren.

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