Zweibrücken Castle
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Zweibrücken Castle () is a building in the town of
Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; ; , ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach (Blies), Schwarzbach River. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; older forms of the name include Middl ...
, Rheinland-Pfalz,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It was built as a ducal palace in 1720–1725. It is the largest and most magnificent secular (i.e. non-religious) building in the Palatinate. It is now the seat of the Palatine Higher Regional Court, and of the Zweibrücken law courts.


History

The earliest recorded building near the site was a fortress (). It was built in the 12th century by the Counts of Zweibrücken; the town was on an important trade route. It sat on the eastern side of an open triangular area, which still exists today: the ''Schlossplatz'' (which translates into English as "Castle Square", whatever its shape might be). In 1444, a junior (
cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...
) branch of the
House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
was granted the title of Duke of a new state:
Palatine Zweibrücken The Duchy of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (; ) was a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire with full voting rights to the Reichstag. Its capital was Zweibrücken. The reigning house, a branch of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was also the Royal House of Sweden fr ...
, with its seat in Zweibrücken. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the ducal family modernised and enlarged their dwelling-place. In 1585, they constructed a palace (known as "the long building by the water", ) on the northern side of the ''Schlossplatz'', complete with water-mill and library. In 1677, the ancient and the newer buildings were badly damaged during the
Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...
(1672–1678). In the early 18th century, Gustav, Duke of Zweibrücken ordered the construction of a new residence appropriate for his rank and status. The architect was
Jonas Erikson Sundahl Jonas Erikson Sundahl (1678-1762) was a Swedish-born architect who spent most of his working life at and around Zweibrücken in the German Palatinate. Most of his designs were in the then-modern Baroque style. Biography Sundahl's exact date of b ...
, whose design was in the modern Late Baroque style - for show and comfort, and not for defence. In 1720–25, this palace was built on the northern side of the ''Schlossplatz''. The site was marshy, so preliminary work involved driving very many oak piles into the ground to provide a solid foundation. That building has been twice destroyed and twice rebuilt; its second reconstruction is the building which exists today.
Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...
, Duke of Zweibrücken 1735–1775, entertained notable creative artists at his palace, including the leading operatic composer
Christoph Willibald von Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period (music), classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of th ...
. Christian's nephew Maximilian (1756–1825) spent some of his childhood at the palace. On 3 May 1793, during the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
, Zweibrücken was overrun and sacked by French troops. The building was badly damaged. In 1817, Maximilian, in 1795–99 merely Duke of Zweibrücken but by now King Maximilian I of Bavaria, gave the ruined building to the Catholic community of the town, with the command to convert it into a church. The central part of the building was walled off from its wings, and was roofed with slate. On 28 May 1820, it was consecrated as the ''Maximilianskirche'' by Johann Jakob Humann,
Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
of both
Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...
and
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
. A bell tower was added later. The east wing was turned into a residence for the clergy. The west wing became a royal residence, and later the seat of the Royal Court of Appeals of the Palatinate. In 1867, the ''Maximilianskirche'' was deconsecrated and the whole building turned over to the administration of justice. The bell tower was taken down. On 14 March 1945, in the final stages of World War II, Zweibrücken was the target of an Allied bombing raid. The building was gutted, and only its outer walls left standing. By great good fortune, a copy of Sundahl's original plans was discovered in
Nancy, France Nancy is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the northeastern Departments of France, French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which was Lorraine and Barrois, annexed by France under King Louis X ...
. In 1962-1964, the building was reconstructed from those plans, using red sandstone from the northern Palatinate and yellow sandstone from
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
. In 1965, the restored building was returned into use as the seat of the Palatine Higher Regional Court and of the Zweibrücken law courts.


Gallery

Aerial image of Zweibrücken Castle (view from the south).jpg, Aerial view Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F080294-0003, Zweibrücken, Studenten beseitigen Schutt.jpg, The building in ruins, Zweibrücker Schloss.JPG, A view from the south-west Zw-schloss.jpg, The building by night Schloss Zweibruecken Rueckseite Maximilian.jpg, A view from the south-east. The bust is of King Maximilian I


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schloss Zweibrucken Zweibrücken Zweibrucken