Chiemseehof: A Baroque City Palace and Seat of Salzburg’s Regional Parliament
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Austria
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Habsburg, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Civic
- Remains
- Palace
On this page8 sections
History
Chiemseehof is a Baroque city palace in Salzburg, Austria, whose origins are connected with the medieval Diocese of Chiemsee. Archbishop Eberhard von Regensberg established the diocese around 1215–1216, and Chiemseehof is first mentioned in 1216. The complex later became the Salzburg residence of the Chiemsee bishops and now serves as the seat of the Salzburg Landtag, the elected regional parliament of the state of Salzburg, and the Salzburg state government.
Medieval episcopal residence
The bishop of Chiemsee remained closely subordinate to the archbishop of Salzburg. The archbishop appointed, confirmed, consecrated, and invested him, while the Chiemsee bishop also served as the archbishop’s auxiliary bishop, an assistant to a diocesan bishop. Although he governed the Diocese of Chiemsee, he lived mainly in Salzburg. Chiemseehof served as his residence from the fourteenth century and had been enlarged into a residential complex around 1300.
The court chapel was enlarged in 1497, reaching a size that could be described as church-like. A fire at the end of the sixteenth century led to a major rebuilding campaign. From 1694 onward, the complex was reconstructed, enlarged, and altered, creating the Baroque palace that forms its principal historical character.
From episcopal residence to government complex
Chiemseehof remained the residence of the bishops of Chiemsee until 1812. The last bishop, Sigmund Christoph von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg, relinquished his episcopal office in 1808 after secularization in Bavaria. In 1812, he became the recognized administrator of the Archdiocese of Salzburg.
Several Salzburg archbishops continued to live at Chiemseehof. Augustin Johann Joseph Gruber, Friedrich Joseph von Schwarzenberg, and Maximilian Joseph von Tarnóczy resided there until 1861. Between 1833 and 1835, Gruber created apartments for Charles of Bourbon, a member of the Bourbon royal dynasty.
Since 1866, Chiemseehof has been the seat of the Salzburg Landtag and the Salzburg state government. Adaptation works in 1873 removed the Kumpfmüller Gate, its extensions, and the court chapel. The complex underwent major renovations in 1967 and 1977, followed by further renovation and remodeling between 2017 and 2019. Parliamentary meetings were temporarily held elsewhere during the latter work, and the renovated complex hosted its first parliamentary sessions on 20 February 2019. Chiemseehof forms part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Remains
Palace complex and surviving buildings
Chiemseehof is arranged as a block of five buildings between Pfeifergasse and Krotachgasse. The buildings form an interior courtyard that opens toward Krotachgasse. The complex incorporates a predecessor structure dating from before 1216, while its principal rebuilding and enlargement phase began in 1694 after the late-sixteenth-century fire. Its present form combines the earlier episcopal foundation with the architecture of a Baroque city palace and later governmental alterations.
Salzburg Landtag assembly hall
The present Salzburg Landtag assembly hall occupies a building originally erected as a grain store during the episcopate of Bishop Silvester Pflieger, from 1438 to 1451. Its earlier storage function and present parliamentary use reflect the changing purposes accommodated within the wider complex.
Former court chapel
The court chapel, enlarged in 1497 to a church-like scale, formed part of the episcopal residence before its demolition during the adaptation works of 1873. Its enlargement belonged to the medieval development of Chiemseehof, while its later removal contributed to the complex’s transformation into a modern administrative and parliamentary site.
Kumpfmüller Gate
The Kumpfmüller Gate and its associated extensions were formerly incorporated into the Chiemseehof complex. They were demolished in 1873 during the same adaptation works that removed the court chapel.
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