The Düsseldorf castle at or in the
Düsseldorfer Altstadt existed from 1260 to 1872 or 1896. The building was erected in 1260 as a
lowland castle
The term lowland castle or plains castle (german: Niederungsburg, Flachlandburg, Tieflandburg) describes a type of castle that is situated on a lowland, plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur. The cl ...
of the Counts of
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
.
Berg Berg may refer to:
People
*Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
*Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor
* Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer
Former states
*Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...
at the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
mouth of the
Düssel
The Düssel is a small right tributary of the river Rhine in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Its source is east of Wülfrath. It flows westward through the Neander Valley where the fossils of the first known to be Neanderthal man were found ...
on a small island. Extensions as
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
and
Court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
''
Schloss
''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house.
Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...
'' took place under
William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
William of Jülich-Cleves-Berge (William I of Cleves, William V of Jülich-Berg) (german: Wilhelm der Reiche; 28 July 1516 – 5 January 1592) was a Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1539–1592).
William was born in and died in Düsseldorf. He was th ...
(1549),
Jan Wellem
Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in Low German, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Elector Palatine (1690–1716), Duke of Neuburg (1690–1716), Duke of Jülich a ...
(late 17th century) and
Charles Theodore (1755). The palace gained international attention above all for its
Düsseldorf Picture Gallery, which was built from 1709 to 1712 as the first
independent gallery building It exhibited a world-famous collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings until 1805. From 1817 to 1848, part of the palace housed a
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
of the Kingdom of Prussia. From 1845 onwards, the former residential palace, which at that time had already housed the
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Magdalena Jetelová, ...
for several decades, was developed under
Friedrich Wilhelm IV
Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
into the Parliament of the Rhine Province
Provincial Diet
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...
. In the night of 19 to 20 March 1872, the palace, for centuries the landmark of the residential city of Düsseldorf as well as a centre in the life and urban fabric of the old town, was a prey to the flames. A remaining south wing was demolished in 1896.
Today, the
Burgplatz, whose name refers to the historical use of the area as a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
complex, extends on the site of the castle. Only the
Schlossturm, which is home to the
Schifffahrtsmuseum, remains of it. Beyond that, the only reminder of the castle there is an outline of differently coloured stones that hints at the former
floor plan
In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure.
Dimensio ...
of the Düsseldorf castle in the pavement of Burgplatz.
Building history
Foundation and extension, 13th to 15th century
![Düsseldorfer Schloss Zeichnung 1756](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/D%C3%BCsseldorfer_Schloss_Zeichnung_1756.jpg)
The castle complex was founded as a
County
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
castle before the year 1260. The origins of the castle date back to the time when
Adolf VIII of Berg
Adolf VIII of Berg (also referred to as Adolf V) (c. 1240 – 28 September 1296) was the eldest son of Count Adolf VII of Berg and Margaret of Hochstaden.Walther Möller, ''Stammtafeln westdeutscher Adelsgeschlechter im Mittelalter'' (Darmstadt, 19 ...
, together with
John I, Duke of Brabant
John I of Brabant, also called John the Victorious (1252/12533 May 1294) was Duke of Brabant (1267–1294), Lothier and Limburg (1288–1294). During the 13th century, John I was venerated as a folk hero. He has been painted as the perfect model o ...
and the counts of
Jülich
Jülich (; in old spellings also known as ''Guelich'' or ''Gülich'', nl, Gulik, french: Juliers, Ripuarian: ''Jöllesch'') is a town in the district of Düren, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. As a border region betwe ...
and
Eberhard Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar.
People
First name
*Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire
* Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian
*Eberhard I, D ...
finally ended the rule of the
Cologne Archbishop in the
Battle of Worringen
The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession o ...
in 1288. The preserved round tower still dates from the 13th century.
The elevation of
William II to the
Reichsfürst
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Definition
Originally, possessors o ...
enstand entailed a planned spatial arrangement of the Düsseldorf residence. In 1382, the forerunner of a Bergisch chancellery ("schrijfcamer") existed at the castle. Construction work on a princely chapel is vouched for in 1382, which was cited as the "castle chapel" in a document dated 12 July 1392 of the Archbishop of Cologne
Friedrich III Frederick III may refer to:
* Frederick III, Duke of Upper Lorraine (died 1033)
* Frederick III, Duke of Swabia (1122–1190)
* Friedrich III, Burgrave of Nuremberg (1220–1297)
* Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (1240–1302)
* Frederick III of S ...
. Further building measures took place around 1384. A three-winged castle complex was built, which occupied approximately the area of today's Burgplatz. The construction took place as part of a town expansion plan. In 1399, two chapels are already present; in the smaller one ("capella minor"), Duke Wilhelm took the promised oath of fealty to the English King
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...
in the presence of the English envoy Johann de Palacio on 23 April 1399. In 1435, a "Burghgrave" is mentioned. In 1492 the castle burned for the first time, after which increased building activity is noted. At the end of the 15th century, the castle was extended, the square south-east tower was built, which dominated the Mühlen- and Kurzestraße, as well as the market and castle square. The material used for the castle was sandstone ashlars mixed with trachyte. Later reinforcements were worked in brick masonry.
Fire and destruction in 1510
On 23 December 1510, another fire destroyed the attempt at an expanding reconstruction. "Item in demselven jair op den 23 ten dach December brande die alde Borch to Dusseldorp gans aff",
describes the
Duisburger Chronik the fire of the ''Alte Burg'' in Düsseldorf.
Rebuilding and reconstruction according to Pasqualini's plans in 1549
In 1521,
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
became the capital of the
United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg
The so-called United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was a territory in the Holy Roman Empire between 1521 and 1666, formed from the personal union of the duchies of Jülich, Cleves and Berg.
The name was resurrected after the Congress of Vienn ...
and was now in urgent need of a representative castle. The reconstruction and rebuilding was led by . But it was not until
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
appointed the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
master builder
Alessandro Pasqualini
Alessandro Pasqualini (5 May 1493 – 1559) was an Italian Renaissance architect and engineer, born in Bologna, who helped bring Renaissance architecture to the Low Countries.
He was hired by Floris van Egmond, the count of Buren and lord of ...
from Bologna to Düsseldorf in 1549 that building activity gained momentum.
In 1551, he completed the only remaining
Turm des Schlosses. He placed Tuscan columns in front of it. Pasqualini also added a Renaissance dome to the tower, crowned by a
roof lantern
A roof lantern is a daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight structure.
A lantern roof wil ...
with a Welsh bonnet. In the north-eastern corner of the castle courtyard Pasqualini also added a three-storey
loggia
In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
, which in its "modern Renaissance forms stands out very much from the ancient half-timbered gallery to the left of the rectangular entrepreneure".
[Karl Bernd Heppe: ''Das Düsseldorfer Stadtbild I. 1585-1806.'' Düsseldorf 1983, (Bildhefte des Stadtmuseums Düsseldorf Nr. 4) p. 5] Documented is an
aedicule
In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, n." ...
portal with wall
pilasters
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...
rhythmised by
boss ashlar. The
Schlosskapelle with its altar wall and panelling with
blind arcade
A blind arcade or blank arcade is an arcade (a series of arches) that has no actual openings and that is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element: i.e., the arches are not windows or openings but are part of the masonry face. It is ...
s,
Corinthian wall pilasters and
verkröpftem Gesims must also be considered Pasqualini's work.
Pasqualini's format and art can be seen in the surviving buildings
Rheydt Palace and
Jülich Citadel.
On the occasion of his marriage to
Jakobea of Baden
Princess Jakobea of Baden (16 January 1558 – 3 September 1597 in Düsseldorf, buried in the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf) was daughter of the Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden and Mechthild of Bavaria.
Life
Jakobea of Baden-Baden bec ...
in 1585,
Frans Hogenberg
Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker.
Hogenberg was born in Mechelen in Flanders as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg. created various copperplate engravings depicting the architecture of the residential palace:
Diederich Graminaeus (1550-1610). Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Güligscher ec. Hochzeit (Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg ∞ Jakobe von Baden-Baden) . Düsseldorf 1585, Nr. 14.JPG,
Diederich Graminaeus (1550-1610). Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Güligscher ec. Hochzeit (Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg ∞ Jakobe von Baden-Baden) . Düsseldorf 1585, Nr. 12.JPG,
Diederich Graminaeus (1550-1610). Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Güligscher ec. Hochzeit (Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg ∞ Jakobe von Baden-Baden) . Düsseldorf 1585, Nr. 9.JPG,
Diederich Graminaeus (1550-1610). Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Güligscher ec. Hochzeit (Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg ∞ Jakobe von Baden-Baden, Hochzeit in Düsseldorf im Jahre 1585), Köln 1587 Nr. 124.JPG,
Diederich Graminaeus (1550-1610). Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Güligscher ec. Hochzeit (Johann Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg ∞ Jakobe von Baden-Baden) . Düsseldorf 1585, Nr. 5.JPG,
In 1613, the Palatinate-Neuburg hereditary prince
Wolfgang Wilhelm and the Brandenburg elector
Johann Sigismund met in Düsseldorf Schloss to negotiate the
War of the Jülich Succession
The War of the Jülich Succession was a war of succession in the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. It lasted between 10 June 1609 and 24 October 1610, resumed in May 1614 and finally ended on 13 October 1614. The first round of the conflict ...
. In the heat of the battle of words, Johann Sigismund slapped the Palatine-Neuburg. The negotiations did not produce an agreement.
Reconstruction according to plans by Martinelli, end of 17th century
When Elector
Jan Wellem
Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine (''"Jan Wellem"'' in Low German, English: ''"John William"''; 19 April 1658 – 8 June 1716) of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Elector Palatine (1690–1716), Duke of Neuburg (1690–1716), Duke of Jülich a ...
took over the reign, he moved his court residence to Düsseldorf. He had the palace "modernised and furnished according to his taste towards the end of the 17th century".
The staircase tower on the Rhine-side wing, as well as the loggia and
alf-timberedgalleries, had to give way to arcades and a strictly structured three-line window front".
The renovation work was also directed at the interior; Jan Wellem made use of Italian architects, in particular
Domenico Martinelli
Domenico Martinelli (November 30, 1650 – September 11, 1718) was an Italian architect who worked for Carlo Fontana during 1678. He was an evident figure in the shaping of Baroque style in the North Alps. In 2010 a musical tribute called "Projec ...
, who had initially designed a large rectangular four-wing complex with symmetrical Baroque façades and sequences of rooms, incorporating foundation walls from the old palace. Due to a lack of funds, however, this design was not realised; instead, the old palace was lavishly modernised. However, the baroque court also demanded more space. Thus a bakehouse, a brewery, a stable and a riding school were built, as well as a theatre, a ballroom and a page house. The large banqueting hall with windows overlooking the Rhine was built in the wing facing the Rhine. The banquets and balls on the occasion of the wedding of
John William, the son of Wilhelm , to Jakobea of Baden had taken place in this hall. The hall had a "very powerful beamed ceiling and huge tapestries".
An illustration has been preserved in Dietrich Graminäus' book of memories. In 1654, Duke
Philip William received the English King
Karl II at the castle. In 1697, another important wedding celebration took place in the castle: The homosexual
Gian Gastone de' Medici
Gian Gastone de' Medici (born Giovanni Battista Gastone; 24 May 1671 – 9 July 1737) was the seventh and last Medicean Grand Duke of Tuscany.
He was the second son of Grand Duke Cosimo III and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans. His sister, Elect ...
, alongside his equally homosexual brother
Ferdinando the last male representative of the
Grand Ducal House of Medici, married
Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg, from whom he soon separated childless, condemning this dynasty to extinction. During the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
, in October 1703,
Arch Duke Charles, later Roman-German Emperor Charles VI, who had been proclaimed King of Spain, paid a visit to the electoral couple in the castle. Also
John Churchill
General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...
, who was involved in the war at that time, stayed in Düsseldorf during these days. Because of the
Conquest of Electoral Cologne Kaiserswerth in 1702, the English Queen
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
had elevated him to the first
Duke of Marlborough
General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...
. Between 1709 and 1712, according to plans by
Matteo Alberti, the first independent
gallery building Gemäldegalerie Düsseldorf was added to the palace.
Elector Jan Wellem and his wife
Anna Maria Luisa resided in Düsseldorf, often moving to
Benrath Palace in the summer and to
Bensberg Castle for hunting.
After the death of Jan Wellem, the main residence of the Elector was transferred to
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
in 1718 and to
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
in 1720 under his successor
Karl Philipp, so that the palace and city of Düsseldorf lost their prominent position again.
Demolition of the north wing and reconstruction according to Nosthofen's plans in 1755
In 1755
Carl Theodor decided - due to the dilapidation of the old palace caused by fire and damp - to build a new palace. He therefore had the old north wing demolished.
In the other wings, he had the parapets of the roofs removed and an additional storey built above the Gothic arches of the third storey as living quarters for the servants. The building complex was crowned with steep, heavy French roofs, the designs supplied by the court architect Johann Caspar Nosthofen. In 1780,
Nicolas de Pigage
Nicolas de Pigage (3 August 1723 – 30 July 1796) was a French builder.
Pigage was born in Lunéville. His father was a stonemason. In 1743 he began his studies at the École Militaire, changing to the Académie Royale d'Architecture after ...
built the new
mews
A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...
.
Bombardment and destruction in 1794 and restoration order in 1811
The
Armies of revolutionary France reached the Rhine near Neuss and Düsseldorf in 1794. in 1794. On the evening of 6 October, the French under
Jean-Baptiste Kléber
Jean-Baptiste Kléber () (9 March 1753 – 14 June 1800) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. After serving for one year in the French Royal Army, he entered Habsburg service seven years later. However, his plebeian ances ...
and
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius
, spouse =
, issue = Oscar I of Sweden
, house = Bernadotte
, father = Henri Bernadotte
, mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Pau, ...
, the later King of Sweden, answered a cannonade of the imperial troops in the city with a shelling of Düsseldorf. As a result, a large fire broke out on the night of 7 October, in which the Residenzschloss, the church and convent of the
Celestines
The Celestines were a Roman Catholic monastic order, a branch of the Benedictines, founded in 1244. At the foundation of the new rule, they were called Hermits of St Damiano, or Moronites (or Murronites), and did not assume the appellation of C ...
in
Ratinger Straße, the electoral stables on Mühlenstraße, and many burghers' houses burned out and down. The shelling was painted by an unknown person in a gouache: The French battery on the left bank of the Rhine is depicted in the foreground. The city is illuminated by flames bursting out of the castle and the houses on Ratinger and Mühlenstraße.
In the ''Beautification Decree'' of 17 December 1811, published in the Law Bulletin of the
Grand Duchy of Berg
The Grand Duchy of Berg (german: Großherzogtum Berg), also known as the Grand Duchy of Berg and Cleves, was a territorial grand duchy established in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) on territories bet ...
,
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, who had visited Düsseldorf the previous month, provided under Art. 5 that the old palace should be restored and a university housed in it.
Reconstruction according to plans by Wiegmann and Stüler in 1845
The remaining parts of the palace were to be used for the Provincial Landtag of the
Rhenish
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
Stände and for the
Kunstakademie according to plans by the Academy of Arts professor
Rudolf Wiegmann and the Royal Prussian court architect
Friedrich August Stüler
Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss.
...
be rebuilt again or structurally supplemented in the style of the
neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
. In 1845, the foundation stone was laid in the presence of King
Friedrich Wilhelm IV
Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
. The tower, which still stands as part of the castle ruins, was also rebuilt in the neo-Renaissance style, following Pasqualini's ideas. Thus, the tower was given another lantern with platform above the top floor, according to King Frederick William IV's own design, implemented by Stüler. The north wing was roofed. The was held in the completed 24 halls of the palace from 15 July to 1 October 1852, even before the Provincial Diet moved in.
Fire in 1872 and demolition of the south wing in 1896
In the night of 19 to 20 March 1872, a major fire broke out for unknown reasons on the upper floor of the Rhine-side wing of the palace, affecting the entire palace. The part used for the Ständehaus also burnt out. The , however, was preserved along with its valuable holdings thanks to the efforts of its curator, the painter
Andreas Müller. After the fire, only the castle tower was restored.
[ (ed.): ''Düsseldorf and its buildings.'' L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1904, p. 144f] Initially, , the head of the architecture class at the Academy of Arts, and
Hermann Riffart planned for a reconstruction of the palace for purposes of the art academy. This was opposed by other professors who doubted the suitability of the palace as an academy building and demanded better premises, which they finally obtained with the
Neubau der Kunstakademie am Sicherheitshafen in 1879. The Provincial Diet of the Rhine Province also had a new building constructed, the
Ständehaus on the Kaiserteich, built between 1876 and 1880. The remaining southern wing of the palace was demolished in 1896.
[Karl Bernd Heppe: ''Das Düsseldorfer Stadtbild I. 1585-1806.'' Düsseldorf 1983, (Bildhefte des Stadtmuseums Düsseldorf Nr. 4) ] All that remained was the Schlossturm in the form created by Pasqualini, Wiegmann and Stüler, which was called the ''Round Tower'' at the beginning of the 20th century.
Reception
*
Thomas Coryat
Thomas Coryat (also Coryate) (c. 15771617) was an English traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age. He is principally remembered for two volumes of writings he left regarding his travels, often on foot, through ...
, an English travel writer who is considered one of the fathers of the
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
, wrote in his ''
Crudities'', published in 1611: "The first town I came to was Düsseldorf, a pretty town in the Duchy of Cleves, situated on the Rhine. It is remarkable for two things: one is a magnificent palace belonging to the duke, and then there is a residence of the ducal court... But little as I saw, I remarked that it is the most magnificent residence I saw in all the Netherlands. This palace possesses a singular peculiarity: a part of the Rhine is beautifully overbuilt by it by suitable vaults laid out for the purpose."
[Cited from: Annette Fimpeler-Philippen, Sonja Schürmann: ''The Palace in Düsseldorf.'' Droste Verlag, Düsseldorf 1999, , ]
*
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...
recalled his Düsseldorf childhood with the following lines: '...we sat in front of the
marble statue on the Schlossplatz - on one side lies the old, desolate castle, in which it is haunted and at night a black-silk lady without a head, with a long, rustling train wanders around.andelt…“. The black silk lady conceals the memory of the unfortunate
Jakobea of Baden
Princess Jakobea of Baden (16 January 1558 – 3 September 1597 in Düsseldorf, buried in the St. Lambert Church in Düsseldorf) was daughter of the Margrave Philibert of Baden-Baden and Mechthild of Bavaria.
Life
Jakobea of Baden-Baden bec ...
.
References
Further reading
* Sonja Schürmann: ''Die landesherrliche Burg, das spätere kurfürstliche Schloß zu Düsseldorf.'' In
Guido de Werd (Red.): ''Land im Mittelpunkt der Mächte. Die Herzogtümer Jülich, Kleve, Berg.'' 3rd revised edition. Boss, Kleve 1985, , .
* Annette Fimpeler-Philippen, Sonja Schürmann: ''Das Schloß in Düsseldorf.'' Droste, Düsseldorf 1999, .
* Hatto Küffner, Edmund Spohr: ''Burg und Schloß Düsseldorf. Baugeschichte einer Residenz.'' Jülicher Geschichtsverein, Jülich u. a. 1999, (''Jülicher Forschungen'' 6).
* Roland Kanz, Jürgen Wiener (ed.): ''Architekturführer Düsseldorf.'' Dietrich Reimer, Berlin 2001, , Nr. 11 at .
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dusseldorfer Schloss
Castles in Germany
13th-century architecture in Germany
Buildings and structures in Düsseldorf
Palaces in North Rhine-Westphalia