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Falconry and the Bishop, castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl.

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Brühl is a small town surrounded by forests in the western part of Germany, near Cologne.

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Clemens August became Archbishop of Cologne in 1723 and loved falconry above all else,

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so much so that he built a country house at his hunting lodge.

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The Falkenlust is known for its magnificent staircase.

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The designs on the tiles depict various falconry scenes.

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The Archbishop also built a small chapel in the garden.

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Time was spent enjoying hunting in the woods, but also sharing time with God.

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These walls feature shell-covered works, the original Rococo style.

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The word Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, which denoted shell-covered rock work.

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The word began to imply decoration using shells.

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The Rococo style gradually established itself to mean a light and intimately styled form of decoration.

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French Rococo spread to Germany.

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The main castle is about two kilometers from the Falkenlust.

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It took 40 years to build and is Germany's first example of Rococo style architecture.

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The staircase was designed by the architect Johann Balthasar Neumann.

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Neumann used an engineering technique

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which reduced the number of columns and walls needed to support the dome ceiling.

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The design drew considerable attention among architects of the period.

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Archbishop Clemens August gave master craftsmen the freedom to work as they pleased.

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The German Rococo style was born.