Marienburg Castle (Hanover)
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Marienburg Castle is a
Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
castle in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
, Germany. It is located north-west of
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...
, and around south of
Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
, in the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Pattensen Pattensen () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Hanover. Geography Pattensen is located in the historic landscape Calenberg Land between the Leine and the Deister hills. The ar ...
,
Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
. It was also a summer residence of the
House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconia, Franconian family from ...
whose flag (in the colours of yellow and white) flies on the main tower.


History

The castle was built between 1858 and 1867 as a birthday present by King
George V of Hanover en, George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus , house = Hanover , religion = Protestant , father = Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover , mother = Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , birth_date = 27 May 1819 , ...
(reigned 1851–1866) to his wife,
Marie of Saxe-Altenburg Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (Alexandrina Mary Wilhelmina Catherine Charlotte Theresa Henrietta Louise Pauline Elizabeth Frederica Georgina; german: Alexandrine Marie Wilhelmine Katharine Charlotte Theresia Henriette Luise Pauline Elisabeth Frieder ...
. Between 1714 and 1837 there had been virtually no royal court in Hannover as the
House of Hannover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...
had ruled the kingdoms of Hannover and Britain by personal union, and so the Castle was also built to serve as a suitable summer seat for the House of Hannover in Germany, besides the Royal Leine Palace and
Herrenhausen Palace Herrenhausen Palace (German: ''Schloss Herrenhausen'') is a former royal summer residence of the House of Hanover in the Herrenhausen district of the German city of Hanover. It is the centerpiece of Herrenhausen Gardens. The original palace ...
in Hannover. Its architect was Conrad Wilhelm Hase, one of Hannover's most influential architects. Due to
Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
's being annexed by
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
in 1866, the castle was left uninhabited for 80 years after the royal family went into exile at
Gmunden Gmunden () is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden (district), Gmunden. It has 13,204 inhabitants (estimates 2016 ). It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-c ...
, Austria, where they lived in the ''Queen's Villa'' and, later, ''Cumberland Castle''. Therefore, Marienburg is well preserved, as few renovations were done until 80 years later when it was safe to come back.
Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick Ernest Augustus (Ernest Augustus Christian George; german: Ernst August Christian Georg; 17 November 1887 – 30 January 1953) was the reigning Duchy of Brunswick, Duke of Brunswick from 2 November 1913 to 8 November 1918. He was a grandson of Geor ...
and his wife
Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia german: Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte , house = Hohenzollern , father = Wilhelm II, German Emperor , mother = Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein , birth_name = Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia , ...
moved to Marienburg in 1945, when forced to leave Blankenburg Castle. In 1954 their son, Prince Ernest Augustus IV, opened the castle museum after having moved to nearby Calenberg Demesne.


The castle today

The castle was owned by Prince Ernst August of Hanover, after his father signed it over to him in 2004, together with all other royal properties at Hanover and Gmunden. The castle housed the property management offices of the Royal
House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...
and served as its official seat. Parts of it were open to the public, such as the castle museum, the restaurant, the chapel, and could be booked as an event location for weddings, receptions, concerts, etc. In 2010 the youth series '' In Your Dreams'' was filmed in the castle. In 2014, the prince lent a number of paintings and objects to the Lower Saxony state exhibition ''When the Royals came from Hannover – The rulers of Hannover on England's throne'', an exhibition taking place in five museums and castles, under the protectorate of HRH
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
. Of more than 1000 items, 30 had been contributed by HM
the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
, including the State Crown of George I, while Ernst August provided the king's famous Augsburg silver throne and other silver furniture of 1720, as well as the Hannoverian crown jewels. He hosted a parallel exhibition, ''The Way to the Crown'', at Marienburg Castle until the end of 2016, showing, among other items such as the silver furniture, the crown jewels of the Kingdom of Hannover. On 6 July 2017 the prince hosted his wedding ball in the castle. In November 2018, Prince Ernst August announced the transfer of ownership of the castle to the state of
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
, as its repair and maintenance costs were too great for him to sustain. Renovation costs of the castle, partly infested with
dry rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...
and threatened by static problems, are estimated at 27 million Euros. He planned to transfer ownership to a state-controlled foundation (the ''Hanoverian Monasteries' Chamber'', founded by his family in 1569, which still owns most of the secularized monasteries and ecclesiastical estates of the former kingdom), at a symbolic sales price of 1 Euro, with the foundation undertaking renovation. The remaining art collection was planned to be kept in the castle, with parts purchased by the state, parts kept by the family and lent to the state, and parts transferred to a foundation controlled by both the family and the state. The transaction however was stopped in spring 2019 by legal action taken by his father to regain ownership.''Marienburg: Ernst August senior legt Einspruch ein.''
In: ''ndr.de''. 5 February 2019.


Gallery

File:Aerial image of the Marienburg Castle.jpg, Aerial view File:Castle Marienburg in Lower Saxony.jpg, View from the north side File:Schloss Marienburg bei Raureif.jpg, View from the south, in winter File:Marienburg Südhang.jpg, Closeup of the roof designs File:2014-05-01 Ausstellung Eröffnung „Der Weg zur Krone. Das Königreich Hannover und seine Herrscher“, Schloss Marienburg, Herrschafts' Zeiten e.V.jpg, Opening of the exhibition ''The Way to the Crown'' in 2014


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Castles in Lower Saxony Kingdom of Hanover Museums in Lower Saxony Historic house museums in Germany