The palace itself is designed in a U-Shaped plan creating a cour d’honneur with the two main wings of the palace encompassing entrance. Once past this the next most impressive feature of the Residenz is the grand staircase (Treffler). This staircase called the Treppenhaus is considered the jewel of the whole palace. The staircase itself measures a maximum height of 23 meters and spans an area of 18 X 30 meters. The foyer is taken up mainly by the staircase, basically it take sup an entire room. There are three flights of stairs and an ambulatory. The stairs ascend in a circular fashion rising from the vestibule. The upper landing has a domed ceiling and rooms are located to its side. The vault of this staircase was painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1752 and has the largest ceiling fresco painted (Treffler, 1 of 3). Battista blended magical worlds from Africa, Asia and the Americas. He also incorporated his self-portrait and a portrait of Balthasar Neumann as well.
The vestibule itself is the White Hall. This hall was done in contrast with the rest of the house. The walls are white yet with the lighting of the room they appear almost a pale blue. The molding is what stands out about the room. These moldings were made out of stucco by Antonio Bossi. The molding is very intricate and is not only white, but also a grayish color, which also gives the effect of pale blue walls instead of white. The hall was completed in 1745.
Located behind the vestibule is the Kaisersaal, or Imperial Hall. This room is the largest of all the rooms in the palace and is considered the most splendid of the rooms. It has twenty 9-meter high columns in stuccowork marble. Chandeliers hang down to give the room more opulence. The hall was completed in 1741, but was decorated under the reign of Prince Bishop Carl Philipp von Greiffenklau from 1749-1753. The ceiling frescos were once again painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and show the political history of the area at that particular time. Tiepolo’s son, Giovanni Domenico, painted the sopraportas (the paintings over the doors). There are also four niches with life size stucco figures of Neptune, Juno, Flora, and Apollo created by Antonio Bossi.
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