Residenz Eichstätt, Baroque château in Eichstätt, Germany

Residenz Eichstätt is a three-wing baroque palace on Residenzplatz, built from around 1700 on the site of the Alte Hof. Its staircase has a wrought-iron railing and a ceiling fresco by Johann Michael Franz showing the fall of Phaethon; the Spiegelsaal, painted by the same artist, adjoins it.

Prince-Bishop Martin von Eyb commissioned the palace around 1700, replacing an older castle with a modern baroque structure. The west wing was finished by 1702, while the remaining sections were completed over the following years.

The ceiling of the Spiegelsaal carries mythological scenes painted in glue colours by Johann Michael Franz, the same artist who painted the stairwell fresco of the Fall of Phaethon. The room belongs to the Rococo interior created under Prince-Bishop Raymund Anton von Strasoldo by court architect Maurizio Pedetti. The Residenzplatz outside, with its Marian column set in a putti-rimmed fountain, also took its present form under Strasoldo.

When visiting, keep in mind that only certain rooms like the mirror hall are accessible and these are typically only viewable through guided visits. It is wise to check opening times beforehand, as they vary depending on the season.

Since 1976 the palace has housed the Landratsamt, the district administration of Eichstätt. Part of the rooms has been restored and can be visited together with a small gallery of works by the painter Carl Otto Müller. The complex is listed as a Bavarian monument under file number D-1-76-123-210.