The Residenz is the overwhelming reason to visit Würzburg. Built between 1720 and 1744 by the prince-bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn to the designs of Balthasar Neumann, it is widely considered the finest baroque palace in Germany and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The building's genius is in its proportions — Neumann's famous staircase rises into a vast, apparently unsupported vault, and this entire ceiling was painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in the personification of the four continents. It is the most extraordinary painted ceiling in Europe outside the Sistine Chapel.
The state rooms, especially the Imperial Hall (Kaisersaal) and the White Hall, are equally impressive. The court gardens behind the palace are pleasantly laid out in formal French style and free to enter. The Residenz is a fifteen-minute walk east of the old town centre. Allow at least two hours; guided tours of the state apartments depart regularly and are worth taking even if you usually avoid them.