Leutkirch - Schloss Zeil - Fountain Garden beneath St. Maria Church

An ornamental fountain forms the centrepiece of the Schloss Zeil garden, with the former collegiate church of St. Maria rising beyond the clipped tree line.

The gardens of Schloss Zeil near Leutkirch im Allgäu form part of a historic ensemble developed around the Renaissance residence of the House of Waldburg-Zeil. This photograph places an ornamental fountain in the foreground, framed by broad lawns and a carefully maintained line of pollarded trees, while the former collegiate church of St. Maria rises prominently in the background with its slender tower and pale façade. The church was founded as part of the collegiate complex created under Froben von Waldburg-Zeil and was consecrated in 1612, shortly before the completion of the main palace. The collegiate foundation itself dated from 1608 and remained in existence until 1806. Its close physical relationship with the residence reflected both the religious convictions and aristocratic status of the Waldburg-Zeil family. Today, the church, garden, palace buildings and historic subsidiary structures together create a remarkably coherent cultural landscape, with views such as this showing how architecture, religion and formal garden design were integrated within the Schloss Zeil estate.