Schloss Weilburg

Schloss Weilburg (Weilburg Palace) is a Baroque ''schloss'' in Weilburg, Hesse, Germany. It is located on a spur above the river Lahn and occupies about half of the area of the Old Town of Weilburg. It contains the ''Hochschloss'' ("High Palace"), built between 1530 and 1572, which is one of the best-preserved Renaissance palaces in Hesse. In the 1700s, the palace was expanded by John Ernst, Count of Nassau-Weilburg, and his builder, . The buildings and gardens now belong to the '' Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen'', and they can be visited as a museum on guided tours. Parts of the palace are venues for the music festival Weilburger Schlosskonzerte, which is named after the palace.

History

Renaissance palace

The 1359 Gothic castle was demolished to make way for the Renaissance buildings. The Renaissance buildings are now called the ''Hochschloss'' (high palace). They form a square around a central courtyard (''Renaissancehof''). Construction was begun by Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg. The east wing (also called the ''Neuer Bau'' or "New Building") was built first, by architect Nikolaus Schickedanz, from about 1530 to 1539. It incorporates some pieces of the old Gothic castle. The west and south wings were built from 1540 to 1545 by architect Balthasar Wolf. The west wing was formerly the stables but became the kitchens in the 1700s. The north wing was built last, from 1560 to 1572, by architect Ludwig Kempf. It has "Dutch"-style dormers and a "Venetian"-style arcade of Ionic twinned columns. Some alterations were made in 1661, including half-timbered dormers and an additional gate.

File:Weilburg Hochschloss Merian 1655.jpg, Detail of engraving of the Renaissance palace by Matthäus Merian, 1655, view looking southeast
File:Weilburg - Schloss - Ostflügel.jpg, Outside of the east wing of the Renaissance palace, overlooking the Lahn river. This facade was raised and simplified in 1661.
File:Weilburg, Hochschloss-20160609-006.jpg, The same east wing from inside the Renaissance courtyard, with clocktower
File:Weilburg Schloss WLMMH 52314 by Stepro IMG 0787-IMG 0794.jpg, Panorama of the courtyard, taken from the clocktower
File:Weilburg Lahn Schloss.jpg, The north side of the Renaissance courtyard
File:Weilburg Schloss WLMMH 52314 by Stepro IMG 0782.JPG, A broader view
File:Weilburg (DerHexer) WLMMH 52314 2011-09-19 03.jpg, Northeast corner of the Renaissance courtyard
File:Weilburg - Schloss - Westflügel.jpg, Outside of the west wing
File:Alte Hofstube im Schloss Weilburg.jpg, Part of the interior of the Renaissance palace

Baroque extensions

The area of the Baroque buildings is almost long and surrounds the old Renaissance palace. In 1703, John Ernst, Count of Nassau-Weilburg, commissioned builder to expand the palace. He built the ''Obere Orangerie'' ("Upper Orangery") from 1703 to 1705. It is a broad, curving corridor connecting to the south side of the Renaissance palace. A combination of conservatory and ballroom, it has large windows on the inner, eastern side of the curve and ''trompe-l'œil'' tiles on the walls.

In the south, the ''Untere Orangerie'' was added from 1711 to 1713. It is rectangular and followed the model of the Versailles Orangerie. The roof terrace gives a view of the Lahn valley and the parterre garden in front. The Baroque parterre was re-landscaped in the 19th century but rebuilt from 1936 to 1939 according to the original Baroque plans.

At the south end of the ''Obere Orangerie'', the town hall (''Rathaus'') and church (''Schlosskirche'') were built, and the garden terraces (''Schlossgarten'') were installed. In the west, the new ''Rentkammer'' and ''Kanzlei'' were built for the administration of the county.

File:Obere Orangerie.jpg, The curved ''Obere Orangerie''
File:Untere Orangerie.jpg, ''Untere Orangerie''
File:Schloß Weilburg 01.JPG, ''Untere Orangerie'' and adjacent garden
File:Weilburg Schlossgarten2.jpg, The parterre in front of the ''Untere Orangerie''
File:Weilburg - Schloss - Viehhof.jpg, The northern buildings are now a hotel
File:Weilburg, Schloss, Marstall-20160609-005.jpg, Another part of the ''Marstall'' (stables)
File:Weilburg - Schloss - Kanzlei.jpg, The ''Kanzelei'', on the west side of the palace.
File:Weilburg (Windhof) WLMMH 52465 by Stepro IMG 1188.JPG, Part of the ''Windhof''
File:Weilburg Luftbild 056.jpg, View from the south, showing terraced garden and tower from old city wall

Schlosskirche

The palace church (''Schlosskirche'') was built to conclude the expansion to a Baroque residence. The new church was built from 1707 to 1713 and cost over 32,000 guilders. It served the county, the town and the court.

The Schlosskirche is regarded as one of Germany's most notable Protestant Baroque church buildings, along with St. Michaelis in Hamburg and the Dresden Frauenkirche.

Gardens

The Renaissance gardens covered . When the palace was transformed to a Baroque residential palace, the gardens were redesigned and substantially extended with seven terraces, so that they covered . Parts of the garden were created by Francois LeMarie from 1701. Later notable gardeners included the brothers Johann Wilhelm Sckell and Johann Friedrich Sckell. The gardens are decorated with fountains and sculptures.

Water supply

The fountains, gardens, and baths of the Baroque palace required an abundant water supply, and a new system had to be built. The Baroque water supply system gathered water from a large number of springs, then carried it down, over the Lahn river, and up to the town and castle. The system supplied water until the end of the 1800s, when it had to be abandoned due to lack of maintenance. It is now being researched and restored.

The waterpipes were originally carried over the Lahn by the ''Rothe Brücke''. In 1784, high water and ice jamming destroyed this bridge, and in 1785-1786 it was replaced by the ''Kettenbrucke'' ("Chain Bridge"), which remained in service until 1934.

Northern buildings

At the north end, ''Viehhof'' was heavily redeveloped, with the building of the ''Marstall'' (formal stables), the ''Prinzessenbau'', and the ''Kabinettbau''. The ''Reithalle'' ("riding hall") was built from 1705 to 1708, and the ''Heuscheuer'' (haybarn) from 1743 to 1746. The Prinzessenbau and Marstall are now the ''Schlosshotel'' ("Castle Hotel") and the Kabinettsbau and Reitbahn are now the ''Stadthalle'' (city event space).

Later use

In the 18th century, plans for major changes were made but not realised; therefore, the Baroque palace has been preserved. The interior was renovated in Empire Style from 1801 to 1816.

In 1935, the palace was sold to the Prussian state. Its administration of state palaces and gardens installed a museum from 1936 to 1942. After World War II, it was managed by the Hessian administration, , which is responsible for the preservation of the buildings and the gardens. There are guided tours.

Several areas are venues of the Weilburger Schlosskonzerte music festival, which is held annually in the summer: the ''Renaissancehof'', ''Alte Hofstube'', ''Untere Orangerie'', ''Obere Orangerie'' and the ''Stadthalle'' in the former riding hall.Spielstätten
Weilburger Schlosskonzerte

See also

* Baroque architecture
* French formal garden

Literature

* : ''Mittel- und Südhessen: Lahntal, Taunus, Rheingau, Wetterau, Frankfurt und Maintal, Kinzig, Vogelsberg, Rhön, Bergstraße und Odenwald.'' DuMont, Cologne 1995, , p. 57–63 (''DuMont Kunst-Reiseführer'').
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References

External links

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Weilburger Schlosskonzerte

Bergbau- und Stadtmuseum


Weilburg

Geschichte und Ausstattung des Schlosses
weilburg-lahn.info

Maps and plans
Historic lexicon of places in Hesse

''Renaissanceschlösser in Hessen''
Project at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, by Georg Ulrich Großmann

{{Authority control

Baroque architecture in Hesse
Parks in Germany
Museums in Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg
16th-century architecture
Royal residences in Hesse