''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the
German term for a building similar to a
château,
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
, or
manor house.
Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the
Scandinavian languages, the
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
word ''slot''/''slott'' is normally used for what in English could be either a palace or a castle (instead of words in rarer use such as ''palats''/''palæ'', ''kastell'', or ''borg''). In Dutch, the word ''slot'' is considered to be more archaic. Nowadays, one commonly uses ''paleis'' or ''kasteel''. But in English, the term does not appear, for instance, in the
United Kingdom, this type of structure would be known as a stately home or
country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
.
Most ''Schlösser'' were built after the Middle Ages as residences for the nobility, not as true fortresses, although originally, they often were fortified. The usual German term for a true castle is ''burg'', that for a fortress is ''festung'', and — the slightly more archaic term — ''veste''. However, many castles were called ''schloss'', especially those that were adapted as residences after they lost their defensive significance. Many adaptations took into account new tastes arising during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Like a castle, a ''schloss'' often is surrounded by a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
and then, it is called a ''Wasserschloss'' (
water castle
A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...
). Other related structure types include the ''
Stadtschloss'' (a city palace), the ''
Jagdschloss'' (a hunting lodge), and the ''
Lustschloss'' (a pleasure palace or summer residence).
Examples of ''schlösser''
Although they appeared much earlier than the period defined by the term, sometimes, medieval
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
''
Kaiserpfalzen'' structures are considered as being ''Schlösser'' in nature. Among those that would qualify are, the
Palace of Aachen
The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the centre of power of the Carolingian Empire. The palace was located at the north of the current city of Aachen, today in ...
and the
Imperial Palace of Goslar
The Imperial Palace of Goslar (german: link=no, Kaiserpfalz Goslar) is a historical building complex at the foot of the Rammelsberg hill in the south of the town of Goslar north of the Harz mountains, central Germany. It covers an area of about ...
.
;Gothic
*
Schloss Albrechtsburg in
Meißen, considered to be Germany's oldest ''Schloss''
Schloss Albrechtsburg
/ref>
* Schloss Allner
* Schloss Blutenburg in Munich, a "castle" in English, but a ''Schloss'' in German
;Renaissance
* Schloss Glücksburg
* Schloss Güstrow
''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 ...
* Schloss Johannisburg
* Schloss Mespelbrunn
* Schloss Neuburg
;Baroque
* Schloss Belvedere in Vienna
* Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt
Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074.
In the Habsburg ...
* Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg
* Schloss Ludwigsburg
* Schloss Ludwigslust
* Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg
* Schloss Moritzburg
* Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich
* Schloss Pillnitz
* Stadtschloss Potsdam
* Schloss Rastatt
* Schloss Sanssouci
* Schloss Schleißheim in Oberschleißheim, a northern suburb of Munich
* Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna
* Schloss Schwetzingen
;Neo-Baroque
* Schloss Linderhof
Linderhof Palace (german: Schloss Linderhof) is a Schloss in Germany, in southwest Bavaria near the village of Ettal. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Deve ...
* Schloss Herrenchiemsee
;Neoclassicism
* Schloss Charlottenhof
Charlottenhof Palace or Charlottenhof Manor (german: Schloss Charlottenhof) is a former royal palace located southwest of Sanssouci Palace in Sanssouci Park at Potsdam, Germany. It is best known as the summer residence of Crown Prince Frederi ...
* Schloss Glienicke
* Schloss Weimar
Schloss Weimar is a '' Schloss'' (palace) in Weimar, Thuringia, Germany. It is now called ''Stadtschloss'' to distinguish it from other palaces in and around Weimar. It was the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Weimar and Eisenach, and has also be ...
* Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
* Schloss Bellevue
;Historicism
* Schloss Babelsberg
* Schloss Callenberg
Callenberg Castle (''Schloss Callenberg'') is a castle on a wooded hill in Beiersdorf, an ''Ortsteil'' of Coburg, from the town centre. It was a hunting lodge and summer residence and has long been the principal residence of the House of Saxe-Cob ...
* Schloss Drachenburg
* Schloss Granitz
* Schloss Marienburg
* Orangerieschloss Potsdam
* Schloss Schwerin
* Schloss Stolzenfels
* Burg Hohenzollern, a "castle" both in English and German, when really a fully-flung ''Schloss''
* Schloss Ringberg in Kreuth, Bavaria
;Cross overs
(Relating to places in use for long periods of times, having been extended and perhaps having had renovations in different styles than those of their respective eras – and therefore, displaying at least two and often, multiple styles)
* Stadtschloss Berlin
* Münchner Residenz
* Schloss Weilburg
Note
In another context, ''Schloss'' is also the German word for a lock.
See also
* Burg (disambiguation)
* Festung
* Residenz
References
External links
*
*{{Commonscat-inline, Castles in Germany, ''Schloss''
Buildings and structures by type
*
Architecture in Germany