What to do and see in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany: The Best Government Buildings

Reviewed By retireeVancouver - Vancouver, Canada

To see the front (the south wing) of the pink Electoral Palace and its garden, enter the property by walking past the entrance to Constantine's Basilica to which it is attached. Although it does look odd to see the pink palace wall joined to the red Roman brick, these thoughts are immediately repressed upon seeing the impressive porch area with its white statues and gorgeous rococo decor on the central block of the palace. That section - all heavily plastered with white female figures and cherubs sculpted everywhere and framed with white pilasters - is a strong contrast to the plain pink sections on either side. Gild has been applied heavily on the top cornice but more judiciously overall for a gleaming facade of the central section. There even was the regal symbol of a red crown just over the main door. The palace faces a long rectangular green lawn that ends with a mediocre fountain in a ground level pool. This garden is enclosed with a tall clipped hedge and a surrounding pea gravel pathway. This pathway is dotted with very white Greek mythological statues on pedestals that are a strong contrast to the green lawn. Narrow flower beds between these statues are filled with plants for seasonal color. After looking at those barely clothed statues I wondered if the Archbishop-Elector had requested them, or if they were typical of garden statues for the time and no one would question their appropriateness in an Archbishop's garden. Upon seeing the beautiful exterior of this building and its extensive garden, I could understand why the next Archbishop-Elector of Trier, Prince Clemens Wenceslaus, would want a similar grand palace in Koblenz to replace the older residence there. This palace in Trier was completed in 1756 for the Archbishop-Elector John Philip, but by the early 1800s his successors no longer occupied this residence as Napoleon had confiscated it. Most people see just the front of the Electoral Palace, but the back side of this palace can be seen as well - for photos only. Walk around the apse of Constantine's Basilica to the Willy Brandt Platz. Enter the white attached building (government building) to get a view of the back of the pink palace. The back of the building doesn't have that magnificent porch, but otherwise it is a mirror image of the front. There even is a green lawn in the inner courtyard formed by the quadrangle of buildings. Note that inside the entrance to the white gov't building a small wall patch of original Roman wall mosaic will be on display. If time is limited, forget about visiting the block long garden and focus on the building itself. Time to allot for this visit may vary from 15 to 30 minutes.