FALKENLUST PALACE

Clemens August was a passionate falconer – at the time, it was believed that only those who had mastered falconry could be good statesmen. 

The small palace was built by Cuvilliés between 1729 and 1737. It is located in the forest – at the point where grey herons used to cross it on their way from their nests to the feeding grounds on the Rhine. The herons were hunted with trained falcons, i.e. they were wrestled to the ground, ringed and released back into the wild. 

After the hunt, the court retired to the intimate palace, whose interiors are among the most precious creations of the German Rococo period. A chapel dedicated to St Maria Aegyptiaca was built close to the palace in 1730. It was designed by Pierre Laporterie in the form of a hermit’s grotto with shells and crystals. 

Do not miss this marvellous ensemble with its fine stucco work, the Chinese lacquer cabinet, the gilded mirror cabinet and the staircase decorated with Dutch
tiles.