''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German language, 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 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 English country house, country house.
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 and then, it is called a ''Wasserschloss'' (water castle). Other related structure types include the ''Stadtschloss (disambiguation), 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 Empire, Carolingian ''Kaiserpfalzen'' structures are considered as being ''Schlösser'' in nature. Among those that would qualify are, the Palace of Aachen and the Imperial Palace of Goslar.
;Gothic
* Albrechtsburg, Schloss Albrechtsburg in Meissen, Meißen, considered to be Germany's oldest ''Schloss''
Schloss Albrechtsburg
/ref>
* Schloss Allner
* Blutenburg Castle, Schloss Blutenburg in Munich, a "castle" in English, but a ''Schloss'' in German
;Renaissance
* Glücksburg Castle, Schloss Glücksburg
* Güstrow Palace, Schloss Güstrow
* Schloss Johannisburg
* Mespelbrunn Castle, Schloss Mespelbrunn
* Neuburg Castle (Bavaria), Schloss Neuburg
;Baroque
* Schloss Belvedere in Vienna
* Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt
* Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg
* Ludwigsburg Palace, Schloss Ludwigsburg
* Ludwigslust Palace, Schloss Ludwigslust
* Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg
* Moritzburg Castle, Schloss Moritzburg
* Nymphenburg Palace, Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich
* Pillnitz Castle, Schloss Pillnitz
* City Palace, Potsdam, Stadtschloss Potsdam
* Schloss Rastatt
* Sanssouci, Schloss Sanssouci
* Schleissheim Palace, Schloss Schleißheim in Oberschleißheim, a northern suburb of Munich
* Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna
* Schwetzingen Palace, Schloss Schwetzingen
;Neo-Baroque
* Linderhof Palace, Schloss Linderhof
* Herrenchiemsee, Schloss Herrenchiemsee
;Neoclassicism
* Charlottenhof Palace, Schloss Charlottenhof
* Glienicke Palace, Schloss Glienicke
* Schloss Weimar
* Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
* Bellevue Palace (Germany), Schloss Bellevue
;Historicism
* Babelsberg Palace, Schloss Babelsberg
* Callenberg Castle, Schloss Callenberg
* Schloss Drachenburg
* Granitz Hunting Lodge, Schloss Granitz
* Marienburg Castle (Hanover), Schloss Marienburg
* Orangery Palace, Orangerieschloss Potsdam
* Schwerin Palace, Schloss Schwerin
* Schloss Stolzenfels
* Hohenzollern Castle, 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)
* City Palace, Berlin, Stadtschloss Berlin
* Munich Residenz, Münchner Residenz
* Schloss Weilburg
Note
In another context, ''Schloss'' is also the German word for a Lock (security device), lock.
See also
*Burg (disambiguation), Burg (disambiguation)
*Festung
*Residenz
References
External links
*
*{{Commonscat-inline, Castles in Germany, ''Schloss''
Buildings and structures by type
Palaces in Germany, *
Architecture in Germany
