Palais Schrenck-Notzing

Did Dr. Albert von Schrenck-Notzing ever imagine his grand Palais would become the home of Bavarian farmers? Here we stand before Palais Schrenck-Notzing, an Italian neo-Renaissance masterpiece on Max-Joseph-Straße. It’s a fascinating blend of opulence and practicality. This palace, designed by the renowned Gabriel von Seidl, was built between 1904 and 1906. It was commissioned by Dr. Schrenck-Notzing himself, a physician with a keen interest in parapsychology. The design, a monumental cube, draws inspiration from Palazzo Caffarelli in Rome, once home to Raphael. The Doric double columns, stretching across two stories, add to its grandeur. The construction was financed by Dr. Schrenck-Notzing’s wife, Gabriele Siegle, whose father was the influential industrialist Gustav Siegle. Imagine stepping back in time to the early 1900s. Dr. Schrenck-Notzing, arriving home in his Horch 18/25 automobile, would enter through the rear, where the garage was located. His medical practice was conveniently accessible through a door on the first landing of the grand staircase. Inside, the spacious entrance hall, with its vibrant Pompeian-style stone floor and the charming Waller fountain with putti, offered a glimpse into a world of elegance. Sadly, much of the original interior is gone, but the entrance hall and fragments on the upper floor remain. Even the grand staircase leading to the former presentation and social rooms has survived. Today, Palais Schrenck-Notzing serves as the headquarters for the Bavarian Farmers’ Association. It has held this role since 1946, following renovations in the early 1980s. It’s quite a transformation for a building once buzzing with the energy of a physician exploring the mysteries of the mind.