The Electoral Palace (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: Kurfürstliches Palais) in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

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 betwee ...

, was the residence of the Archbishops and Electors of Trier from the 16th century until the late 18th century. It now houses various offices of the federal government and often hosts classical music concerts.

History

The site of the current Electoral Palace was already part of the Ancient Roman Imperial Palace that was used by

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

in the early 4th century. The ( Basilica of Constantine or Aula Palatina,) used as the Elector's throne room, is Roman. Some Roman

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s also survive. From the 11th century onward the

archbishops of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

was fortified to serve as a ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under Germ ...

'' and

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s were added to the other walls. In the late 16th century, archbishop Johann von Schönenberg planned building a residence in the style of the

German Renaissance The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and scienc ...

for which parts of the Medieval fortress, as well as many houses, were demolished. It was only because the Roman walls proved to be resistant that some of them were incorporated in the new structure. Von Schönenberg's successors,

Lothar von Metternich Lothar Johann Reinhard von Metternich (23 August 1551 – 17 September 1623) was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1599 to 1623. Biography Lothar von Metternich was born in Schloss Vettelhoven in Grafschaft on 31 August 1551, the son of Joh ...

and

Philipp Christoph von Sötern Philipp Christoph von Sötern (11 December 1567 – 7 February 1652) was the Prince-Bishop of Speyer from 1610 to 1652 and the Archbishop-Elector of Trier from 1623 to 1652. Biography Philipp Christoph von Sötern was born in Zweibrücken. He ...

, completed the lower palace (''Niederschloss'') around 1650. The new residence was known as

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

's Castle (''St. Petersburg''), after the town's patron saint. A chapel dedicated to

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

stood on the south-west corner. In the same period work had started on the upper palace wings (''Hochschloss'') but this project was halted as a result of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

. At this time, the bishops preferred their

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

residence at

Ehrenbreitstein Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (german: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, ) is a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz. Occupying the position ...

, which was considered safer. From 1756 onwards, archbishop-elector Johann IX Philipp von Walderdorff had the south wing of the Trier Palace rebuilt in

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style by Johannes Seiz. Around the same time the

Baroque garden The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the g ...

s were fitted out with garden statues by Ferdinand Tietz. In 1794 the

French revolutionary armies The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipmen ...

conquered half of the Rhineland, including Trier. The Electoral Palace was confiscated and used as

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

. This continued after the Prussians took over in 1814. Around 1850 it was decided that the Basilica of Constantine was going to be rebuilt as it had appeared in the fourth century. For that reason the west wing of the Electoral Palace (then barracks) were to be demolished. In the original plans, the south wing would be demolished too but this was prevented as the Rococo staircase in the interior was considered monumental even then. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the palace was severely damaged. After the war only the ''Hochschloss'' was restored. The ''Niederschloss'' was demolished except for the Red Tower and the Petersburg Gate. Today most of the palace is in use as governmental offices. Classical music concerts are performed in the Grand Chamber of the rococo south wing and the courtyard. Part of the north wing is used by the Evangelical-Lutheran congregation of Trier which holds its services in the adjacent Basilica.

Architecture

Exterior Niederschloss

Of the Niederschloss only the Red Tower (''Roter Turm'', 1647) and the Petersburg Portal (1620s) remain. It was not until 1968 that the Red Tower got its roof back. It was then used as a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

for the Basilica. The site of the demolished wings is now called Willy-Brandt-Platz. It features a "water dial fountain" (''Wasseruhrbrunnen''). This was designed by Frankfurt artist Karl-Jakob Schwalbach in 1984. File:Trier Roter Turm.jpg, Red Tower File:Trier BW 2014-06-18 19-47-39.jpg, Petersburg Portal File:2018 Trier, Roter Turm (cropped).jpg, Detail tower and portal File:2018 Trier, Willy-Brandt-Platz, Wasseruhrbrunnen 2.jpg, Willy-Brandt-Platz

Exterior Hochschloss

The Hochschloss consists of three wings built in a mix of architectural styles:

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

and

. In the 19th century the westernmost bays of the south wing were demolished in order to reveal the south façade of the Basilica. As a result the south wing of the palace is no longer symmetrical. Only the central part is in Rococo style. Somewhat odd is the overlap between the severe brick architecture of the Late Roman Basilica and the decorative Baroque and Rococo architecture of the adjacent building. File:Trier Kurfürstliches Palais BW2017-09-10 10-29-32.jpg, Courtyard with north and east wing File:Trier D PM 011470.jpg, North wing: Renaissance door File:Trier Kurfuerstliches Palais BW 5.JPG, East wing and part of the south wing File:2018 Trier, Kurfürstliches Palais, Südfassade 02.jpg, South façade

Interior south wing

The famous Rococo staircase is the main reason why the south wing was not demolished in its entirety. Despite severe war damage, the precious stair is still in situ and was restored after WW II. The stucco on the walls of the staircase was added around 1906, because the originals were lost since early 19th. century. The paintings on the walls and on the ceilings of the staircaise and the next room are no historical remains, they were added in the 1970s. File:Trier Kurfürstliches Palais BW2017-09-10 09-50-35.jpg, Staircase File:Trier Kurfürstliches Palais BW2017-09-10 09-57-14.jpg, Detail staircase File:Trier Kurfürstliches Palais BW2017-09-10 10-31-56.jpg, Reception hall File:Trier Kurfürstliches Palais BW2017-09-10 10-18-22.jpg, Detail reception hall

Palace garden

Since the early 20th century the former palace gardens have been open to the public. A notable feature are the garden statues by Ferdinand Tietz. Some of the more frivolous ones seem at odds with the former ecclesiastic purpose of the palace. File:Konstantinbasilika und Kurfürstliches Palais in Trier.JPG, Garden statues by Tietz File:2018 Trier, Kurfürstliches Palais, Südfassade 04.jpg, Terrace stairs, sphinx File:Kurfürstliches Palais in Trier.jpg, Main pond with statues File:Trier-barockbrunnen.ogv, Fountains display

External links

360° panorama

References

{{Coord, 49, 45, 11, N, 6, 38, 37, E, display=t Buildings and structures in Trier Palaces in Rhineland-Palatinate Baroque architecture in Germany Episcopal palaces in Germany Music venues in Germany