The History
The current Archbishiop and Cardinal of Munich-Freising lives in a listed palace in Munich’s city center. Whenever he returns home, he is reminded of the house’s scandalous history.
Above the bishop’s coat of arms, the Holnstein family crest is clearly visible. This coat of arms represents the so-called Wittelsbach bastard coat of arms. It shows the shield of the Dukes and Electors of Bavaria with a red bastard thread.
Bearing this coat of arms was a privilege. The Bavarian Elector and later Emperor Karl Abrecht (1697 – 1745) used it to recognize his illegitimate children and his mistress. He gave the stately estate, officially called Palais Holnstein, to his second family. The palace was popularly known as the Bastard House.
But things were about to get worse. His eldest natural son, Franz Ludwig, was married to his cousin Anna Maria von Löwenfeld, an illegitimate daughter of the Cologne Archbishop Clemens August I of Bavaria. He was a brother of the Bavarian ruler.
The Residence
In 1821, the Bastard House was made available to the Archbishop of the then newly formed Archdiocese of Munich as a residence and workplace – a right that remains in effect to this day. The then ultra-conservative Archbishop Lothar Karl Anselm Joseph Freiherr von Gebsattel (1761-1841) was in constant conflict with the Bavarian kings, who were predominantly married to Protestant princesses.
The gift of the Bavarian crown to the Archbishop may therefore have had a particularly strong impact. After all, this conservative archbishop and cardinal now had to sleep under a very liberally designed Greek canopy and carry out his official duties under the gaze of naked beauties.
Kontakt / Contact
Wenn Sie München einmal anders kennenlernen möchten, füllen Sie bitte das Anmeldeformular aus oder kontaktieren Sie mich.
If you would like to get to know Munich in a different way, please fill out the registration form or contact me.
Daniela Darimont
Mobil: 0170 5512380
info@muenchen-wunderschoen.com
