The Imperial Palace of Goslar (Kaiserpfalz
Goslar) is situated in Lower Saxony, Germany, around 40 km south of Brunswick. Goslar,
an Imperial Diet town whose wealth was derived from the lead- and silver-mines of the Harz
Mountains, was the favourite residence of the Salian emperors (1024–1125).
Imperial Palace of Goslar History
The imperial hall was originally built under Henry III, but it had to
be repaired after a fire in 1065 and a partial collapse in 1132. The palace received much
attention from late 19th-century patriots and revivalists: in its present form it mostly dates
from a restoration dated 1873–1879, which gave it a 12th-century character. A vast cycle of
frescoes by Hermann Wislicenus, celebrating its days as an imperial residence, was added to the
upper hall between 1879 and 1897.
The imperial hall at the Goslar Palace stands at the
top of an eastward-facing slope, which was used for large official assemblies, and at the
bottom of which the royal chapel (was built by Henry III. The elongated plan of the palace,
with the hall flanked to north and south by residential blocks with chapels, is similar to the
Bishop’s Palace at Bamberg in Bavaria, where royalty also stayed, although it is uncertain
which building is the earlier.
The hall itself (47×15 m) has two storeys: the enclosed ground floor
could be heated by a hypocaust, while central piers support the vast upper storey, which has
two aisles and a wooden roof and was originally open to the assembly area below through windows
with triple arches (now glazed). A central transept opening to a balcony marks the position of
the imperial throne, midway along the building.
The staircase porch at the southern end of the hall is built over a
passage at ground level, with stairways at either side. On the upper level of the main façade
are two arches, each subdivided into three sub-arches, and to either side are moulded
doorways.
Visitor info
There is a town museum of Goslar inside the Imperial Palace. Guided
tours are available daily in German and English.
The town of Goslar can be reached easily by car on A2 and A7
motorways. It is situated at 90 km from Hannover and 40 km from Brunswick.
Goslar Palace
Map&Location
Imperial Palace
of Goslar Address: Kaiserbleek 6, 38640 Goslar, Germany. Get help with directions using the map
provided bellow:
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