The Elisabeth-Anna-Palais is a secular red-brick building in

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, located at the northeast of the

Schlossgarten Oldenburg The Schlossgarten Oldenburg ("castle garden") is a 16-hectare public park in the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, northern Germany, located between the Eversten district and the city centre to the north. At the northwest end is a lake and Elis ...

, close to the

Schloss Oldenburg Schloss Oldenburg (Oldenburg palace) is a schloss, or palace, in the city of Oldenburg in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the former residence of the counts (1667–1785), dukes (1785–1815) and grand dukes (1815–1918) o ...

History

Usually the ducal family resided in

, but Frederick Augustus (from 1900 the last ruling

grand duke of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst This is a list of the counts, dukes, grand dukes, and prime ministers of Oldenburg. Counts of Oldenburg * 1088/1101–1108 Elimar I * 1108–1143 E ...

) decided to build this as their new home, on a site now between the Schloss and the

Augusteum An Augusteum (plural ''Augustea'') was originally a site of imperial cult in ancient Roman religion, named after the imperial title of Augustus. It was known as a Sebasteion in the Greek East of the Roman Empire. Examples have been excavated in ...

. It was built between 1894 and 1896 to plans by the duke's chief architect Ludwig Freese. Its design imitates

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

and its southeastern corner (today its left-hand entrance) has an onion-dome-topped tower. During construction Frederick Augustus's wife

Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (8 February 1857 – 28 August 1895) was a German princess. She was the second child of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. The Elisabeth-Anna-Palais was named in her honor af ...

(1857–95) died and the new building was named in her memory. On 24 October 1896 Frederick Augustus moved into the new residence with his family and his second wife

Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (10 August 1869 – 3 September 1955) was a daughter of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg by his third wife Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. By her marriage to Frederick Augustu ...

(born 1869, daughter of

Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Frederick Francis II (German: ''Friedrich Franz II;'' 28 February 1823 – 15 April 1883) was a Prussian officer and Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 7 March 1842 until 15 April 1883. Biography He was born in Schloss Ludwigslust, the e ...

). However, revolutionaries forced the Grand Duke to raise the red flag from the flagpoles of the Palais and the Schloss on 8 November 1918 and three days later he renounced his dukedom and retired to his

Schloss Rastede Rastede Palace (German: ''Schloss Rastede'') is a country estate at Rastede near Oldenburg (city), Oldenburg, Germany. The town of Rastede is about 12km (7,4 miles) north of Oldenburg. In the Middle Ages Rastede was the house monastery of the H ...

Rastede Rastede (Low German: ''Raastäe/Raas'') is a municipality in the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 12 km north of Oldenburg. It is the site of the Schloss Rastede. The Rastede railway station is loc ...

. After his resignation, the Palais was used for other purposes. The kitchen wing to the east of the main building was demolished in the early 1960s to make room for the new "Schlosswall" street, though the Palais was now sited right on this new road and thus gained a new entrance. The Palais now houses the Sozialgericht Oldenburg.

References

External links

Sozialgericht Oldenburg
{{coord, 53, 08, 13, N, 08, 12, 55, E , type:landmark_region:DE-NI , display=title 1896 establishments in Germany Houses completed in 1896 Palaces in Lower Saxony Buildings and structures in Oldenburg (city) Tourist attractions in Oldenburg (city)