Germany

The Wartburg Castle (Schloss Wartburg) is located near Eisenach, Germany. Wartburg Castle History Wartburg represents the claims to power and the self-assurance of the medieval landgraves of Thuringia. During 1211 and 1227, Wartburg castle was the home of St Elisabeth of Hungary, wife of the Landgrave Ludwig IV. In 1262 the castle passed to the […]

The Zwinger Palace is Frederick-Augustus I’s grand and ambitious project. The palace is located in Dresden, Germany. It is a large open square (116×107 m with apses 47.5 m deep added to the shorter sides), framed by galleries and pavilions. The architect was Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann in close collaboration with the sculptor Balthasar Permoser. It

Marksburg Castle is a castle near Braubach, Germany, dating back to 1117. Marksburg Castle History Originally named Burg Braubach, The Marksburg rises high above the right bank of the Rhine River, crowning a cone-shaped hill overlooking the town of Braubach. The Marksburg is the only castle on the Middle Rhine to escape destruction or ruin.

Eltz Castle History The 850 year-old Eltz Castle sits on a steep rock in one of the tributary rivers of the river Mosel – amidst one of Germany’s most unspoiled wooded ancient landscapes. Encircled by the river Elz, which gave its name to one of Germany’s most eminent noble families, Eltz Castle has been the

Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces History Augustusburg is a German Electoral castle, situated 8 km west of the Rhine, halfway between Bonn and Cologne. Along with the Falkenlust Palace, the complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The troops of Louis XIV destroyed the medieval castle in Brühl in 1689. Elector Joseph

Schloss Birlinghoven History Birlinghoven Castle (Schloss Apotheke) is a unique monument of cultural history from the period around the turn of the century. It is one of the few residential castles erected especially to house an art collection. As in other 19th-century structures, a key feature here is the combination of various elements from historical

Schlemmin Castle History Schlemmin Castle with its towers, battlements, and bays, was built in the middle of the 19th Century. It is a building with a cellar underneath the whole of it, consisting for the most part of two stories, with the attic converted in part. The main facade is followed by a side wing

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 favorite residence of the Salian emperors (1024–1125). Imperial Palace of Goslar History The imperial hall

History of Trendelburg Castle One of Germany’s best-preserved castles is Trendelburg Castle in the Western Mountains near Kassel. Chartered in 1301, the same year as the town that surrounds it, Trendelburg historically has held a strategic position, dominating important trade roads from Frankfurt to Kassel and Hamburg. This picturesque 14th-century knight’s castle perches on a

The Kaiserpfalz Gelnhausen is a former imperial palace in Germany, 45 km away from Frankfurt. Gelnhausen Palace History Gelnhausen Palace was founded by Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, who apparently planned it as part of a gradual expansion of his ancestral Hohenstaufen lands. Situated on an island in the River Kinzig, the palace is

History of Charlottenburg Palace The nucleus of the Charlottenburg Palace at that time called the Lietzenburg, was constructed between 1695 and 1699 on the left bank of the Spree in a rural setting (now western Berlin). It was built, with a large garden, as the summer residence of Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Elector Frederick

Schleissheim is a palace complex at Oberschleissheim, 18 km north of Munich, consisting of three palaces: the Altes Schloss, Lustheim and the Neues Schloss. Schleissheim Palace History William V, Duke of Bavaria, had a simple mansion built here in the late 16th century. His son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, had a large new structure,

Nymphenburg Palace, the extensive summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings is one of the most individualistic but significant palaces in Europe, and its excellent decoration has remained almost intact. Nymphenburg Palace History On the birth in 1662 of his heir Maximilian Emanuel, Elector Ferdinand gave his wife, Henrietta Adelaide of Savoy (1636–1676), some

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the world’s most famous castles. The castle seems to rise out of a rock in a wooded area in the state of Bavaria in Germany. With its many turrets and towers, Neuschwanstein resembles a fairy-tale medieval castle. Neuschwanstein and other European castles inspired the design of Sleeping Beauty Castle at

Weikersheim is a German castle, situated on the River Tauber in the province of Baden-Württemberg; the seat of the Counts of Hohenlohe. In 1586 Wolfgang II, Count of Hohenlohe (1546–1610), began the conversion of the medieval moated castle into a prestigious residence. Weikersheim Castle Architecture The design by Georg Robin probably envisaged a building on

Ludwigsburg Palace (Schloss Ludwigsburg) in the town of Ludwigsburg, just north of Stuttgart is a splendid castle built between 1704 and 1733. It is the largest preserved Baroque residence in Germany. Ludwigsburg Palace History There is much to admire in this palace with its eighteen buildings containing four hundred fifty-two rooms. Known as the “Swabian

Bruchsal Castle is a German palace in the town of Bruchsal, situated about 25 km south of Speyer between Heidelberg and Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg. Schloss Bruchsal History When Damian Hugo Schönborn was elected Prince–Bishop of Speyer in 1719, he initially intended to rebuild the destroyed bishop’s palace that was attached to the north flank of