Meßkirch Castle or Meßkirch Palace (also spelt "Messkirch", german: Schloss Meßkirch, ''Schloss der Grafen von Zimmern'' or ''Zimmernschloss'') is located in the town centre of Meßkirch in the county of Sigmaringen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The castle is a

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

and museum centre with castle tours, a county art gallery, a museum about philosopher

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centur ...

, and the Oldtimer Museum with automobiles and motorcycles.

History

The castle's origins go back to around 1400.

Froben Christoph von Zimmern Count Froben Christoph of Zimmern (19 February 1519 – 27 November 1566) was the author of the ''Zimmern Chronicle'' and a member of the von Zimmern family of Swabian nobility. This article is based primarily on Beat Rudolf Jenny's biography ...

reported in the

Zimmern Chronicle The Zimmern Chronicle (German: ''Zimmerische Chronik'' or ''Chronik der Grafen von Zimmern'') is a family chronicle describing the lineage and history of the noble family of Zimmern, based in Meßkirch, Germany. It was written in a Swabian variety ...

on the remodelling that his uncle, Gottfried Werner had carried out to the old castle beginning in 1520. These measures come in for heavy criticism. The shortcomings in the construction work meant that the castle fell into decay soon thereafter. This gave Froben Christoph also the justification to demolish the old castle completely and replace it with a new '' schloss''. On 9 May 1557, three years after his accession to power, the new lord of the castle laid the foundation stone for the new building. This is recorded on a capstone with the year 1557 in the town wing of the castle Karlheinz Kirchmaier (khk): ''Die Kassettendecke im Schlosssaal besteht aus 85 einzelnen Elementen. Das Quiz ist Abschluss und Höhepunkt der Führung für junge Meßkircher.'' In: ''Schwäbische Zeitung.'' dated 24 August 2011 It is believed that Froben Christoph could have gained inspiration for the palace during his studies between 1534 and 1540 in France (

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

, Angers and Tours), but construction of the supposed prototype for Meßkirch Castle, Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, which had been completed by Sebastiano Serlio in 1545, Chateau Ancy-le-Franc in French Wikipedia. See also Château Ancy-le-Franc on Wikimedia Commons had not even begun at that time. The builder of Meßkirch Castle, Jörg Schwarzenberger, is mentioned in 1561 and again in 1566 in Meßkirch. Meßkirch Castle was the first regular, quadrangular Renaissance-style palace to be built north of the Alps.

Literature

* Gabriele Heidenreich: ''Schloss Meßkirch. Repräsentation adeligen Herrschaftsbewusstseins im 16. Jahrhundert.'' Bibliotheca-Academica-Verlag, Tübingen 1998, . * Hubert Krins: ''Schloss Meßkirch.'' Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg 2001, .

References

External links

Meßkirch Castle

Meßkirch Castle Festival

{{DEFAULTSORT:Messkirch Castle Sigmaringen (district) Baden Museums in Baden-Württemberg Renaissance architecture in Germany Fürstenberg family residences Automobile museums in Germany