Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi
The Castle of Stupinigi (Italian palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi, German hunting lodge Stupinigi ), about 10 kilometers southwest of Turin in Italy in the community Nichelino, was a hunting seat of the Dukes of Savoy. It is on the list of UNESCO world heritage.
The history of the castle
Duke Victor Amadeus II wished to have in the vicinity of the residence city of Turin, a modern cabin and instructed his court architect Filippo Juvarra to build a castle. Juvarra had previously described a brilliant career in the service of Savoy in 1729 and laid the plans for his last great work in Italy before.
The construction of Juvarra and nucleus of the future baroque castle consisted of a large, polygonal and dome- vaulted ballroom, which was framed with four wings in the shape of a St. Andrew's Cross. These four wings took on more banquet halls and private rooms of the royal couple, the construction was largely completed by 1734. Juvarra had carefully planned every detail of the palace until he left in 1735 to Spain, leaving the completed building behind. Just a few years later, the new Duke Charles Emmanuel III. this " Palazzina " called castle too small and he commissioned the architect Bernard family with the extension of the building.
Now to the central corps de logis, a number of side wings were added, forming a succession of courtyards honor together. It is noteworthy that the entire floor plan offers little right angle and the castle thus resembles a giant ornament in detail, together with the serene decorations of the facades of the building so already indicated the approaching Rococo and the move away from the strict baroque forms.
The central motif of the interior is hunting, which is shown here in numerous paintings. The dome of the castle, feeding on a powerful avenue, which has grown to the castle from the castle at the latest by the cultivation of the wings, is crowned by a copper deer, thus signaling from afar the purpose of the building.
The castle is a museum open to visitors today.
The park and the surrounding area
The Castle of Stupinigi is the center of a large castle park which, in turn, represents the center of the former hunting ground. The merging courtyards in front of the palace are decorated with beautiful boxwood parterres and flower beds, the area is divided by the great visual axis and formed by a large landscaped garden.