Hofgarten (Court Garden), Wurzburg

The Court Garden of the Würzburg Residence is situated at the edge of the city's baroque fortifications, with the imposing eastern retaining walls still marking the boundary. In the late 18th century, court gardener Johann Prokop Mayer (1735-1804) was tasked with designing the garden. Mayer adeptly divided the complex terrain, which steeply ascended towards the bastions, into distinct, symmetrical sections. Embracing the Rococo style, he adorned these garden areas with an array of trimmed fruit trees, potted plants, flower beds, hedges, espaliers, and pergolas.

The East Garden, an extension of the residence’s main axis, climbs over three terraces to the top of the bordering bastion. In contrast, the South Garden is flat and rectangular, featuring a central round water basin with a large tuff stone monolith, from which a small spring flows even in winter. In recent years, the flower beds in the parterres of both gardens have been replanted based on historical designs. The restored kitchen garden below the orangery now showcases fruit trees pruned using traditional methods.

Towards the city, a small landscaped area from the early 19th century lies in front of the more formal, geometric parts of the garden. The classicist sculptures, originally crafted by court sculptor Johann Peter Wagner, have been replaced by casts, and the intricate wrought iron gates were produced by court locksmith Johann Georg Oegg. In 2002, the kitchen garden was re-established, using the original path and flowerbed layout, and was planted with a mix of historical and modern fruit and vegetable varieties.