Schloss Oldenburg (Oldenburg palace) is a

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 ...

, or palace, in the city of

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 ...

in the present-day state of

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 ...

. It is the former residence of the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s (1667–1785),

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 ...

s (1785–1815) and

grand duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...

s (1815–1918) of

. The building now houses part of the State Museum for Art and Cultural History, especially its

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

and

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...

exhibitions, as well as some

old master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

paintings. Immediately outside the palace to the west and north is the Schlossplatz. Opposite it, to the north, is the

Schlosshöfe Schlosshöfe is a shopping mall in the centre of the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The shopping mall is 12,500m2 in area and opened in 2011. Schlosshöfe is located to the north of Schlossplatz. To the south is Schloss Oldenburg and ...

shopping mall, opened in 2011. To the south are the Prinzenpalais and

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 ...

, also part of the State Museum for Art and Cultural History. To the southwest is the

Elisabeth-Anna-Palais The Elisabeth-Anna-Palais is a secular red-brick building in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, located at the northeast of the Schlossgarten Oldenburg, close to the Schloss Oldenburg. History Usually the ducal family resided in Schloss Oldenbur ...

, adjacent to 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 ...

, the main public park in Oldenburg.

History

In 1607–1667, the present palace served as the residence of

Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg Anthony Günther, Count of Oldenburg (aka Anton Günther, 10 November 158319 June 1667) was an Imperial Count and a member of the House of Oldenburg Günther was born in Oldenburg and was the ruling count of Oldenburg from 1603 until his death i ...

(1583–1667). After his death without a legitimate heir, most of his land fell into the hands of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

for more than a hundred years. During this period, a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

governor resided in the castle. In 1773, the

Holstein-Gottorf Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schlesw ...

family took over control of the newly created

Duchy of Oldenburg The Duchy of Oldenburg (german: Herzogtum Oldenburg)—named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg—was a state in the north-west of present-day Germany. The counts of Oldenburg died out in 1667, after which it became a duchy until 1810, wh ...

until 1860. In that year, Grand Duke Nikolas Peter Friedrich (1827–1900) moved to the nearby Prinzenpalais. By 1894, the palace was the residence of the hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich August (1852–1931). He abdicated as reigning Grand Duke during the November Revolution of 1918, and in 1919–20 the palace was transformed into the

Landesmuseum Oldenburg The State Museum for Art and Cultural History (in German: ''Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte'') is an art museum consisting of three separate buildings located close to each other in the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. T ...

by the Government of the State of Oldenburg. It was transferred to public ownership in 1923.

References

External links

Das Oldenburger Schloss
Year of establishment missing Castles in Lower Saxony Buildings and structures in Oldenburg (city) Tourist attractions in Oldenburg (city) Museums in Lower Saxony Historic house museums in Germany Local museums in Germany Decorative arts museums in Germany Oldenburg (state) {{LowerSaxony-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links