Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces, Baroque palaces in Brühl, Germany

Augustusburg and Falkenlust are two palaces in Brühl. Augustusburg, a U-shaped three-wing building with a mansard hipped roof, encloses a cour d'honneur; its stair hall by Balthasar Neumann has an oval gallery with a gilt-metal railing and white stucco. Falkenlust, about 1 mile southeast, is a two-storey hunting lodge flanked by single-storey falcon houses.

Clemens August of Bavaria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, built Augustusburg from 1725 on the foundations of a 1284 water castle blown up by the French in 1689. Johann Conrad Schlaun began the work; François de Cuvilliés added the facades and state rooms from 1728, and Balthasar Neumann built the staircase in 1740–1746. Falkenlust, a hunting lodge modelled on the Amalienburg, followed in 1729–1737.

The grand staircase in Augustusburg Palace displays intricate marble, jasper, and stucco work that reflects the finest craftsmanship of German Baroque. Visitors can see this artistry throughout the richly decorated rooms.

The palaces are open six days per week and offer guided tours in multiple languages through both buildings and surrounding gardens. Comfortable shoes are recommended since exploring involves many staircases and walking paths.

Falkenlust's plan follows the Amalienburg pavilion in Nymphenburg Park, and its roof carries an observation platform from which falconry could be watched. Two single-storey outbuildings flanking the main block housed the prince-elector's falcons, while the oval ground-floor salon served as a private retreat.