The imperial seat of the House of Hohenzollern is known as Hohenzollern Castle or the Hohenzollern Castle. It is one of the three main castles which are located on the particular site which sits atop the foothills of the Swabian Alps. It has also been considered to be the top ten castles to be visited in Germany. This grand castle can be seen meditating over the towns of Hechingen and Bisingen in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Hohenzollern Castle has had a tumultuous life wherein it was completely destroyed and rebuilt on two occasions. It is regarded to be among the most visited castles in Germany and receives a footfall of over 300,000 in a year. The castle is located at a height of 855 meters on the mountain cones of Hohenzollern and is located at a distance of 50 kilometers from Stuttgart.
History
It was during the first half of the 11th century when the first fortress was constructed. Moreover, the imperial House of Hohenzollern underwent many fragmentations and divisions but the castle still remained erect in its gargantuan formation. But, on the 15th of May 1423, the Swabian free imperial cities federal government waged multiple attacks on the castle and as a result it was completely obliterated and left to ruins.
Later-on between 1454 and 1461 the castle was reconstructed for the purpose of serving as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns. Furthermore, it also proved helpful in the same regard during the Thirty Year’s War. Despite the further fortifications and expansions the castle was conquered and occupied though for a very short period by Wurttembergers in 1634. With the end of the war the castle moved into the possession of the Habsburg right before the Austrian Succession War.
As the end of 18th century arrived, certain beliefs emerged which regarded the castle to have lost its strategic importance, most of its dilapidated buildings were brought down and eventually it fell into oblivion. Out of all the original constructions only the medieval chapel remains till date.
Fredrich Wilhelm IV decided to reconstruct the castle reminiscing over his ancestry. Thus Hohenzollern Castle started to take form in its modern appearance. All of this was possible due to the efforts of a Berlin based architect Friedrich August Stüler. He was the prodigal student and follower of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and was appointed by the King himself. The modern formations of the castle are known to have been a result of Gothic Revivalist tendencies. Moritz Karl Ernst von Prittwitz, the famous fortress builder from Prussia assisted in the engineering and installation of a driveway. Furthermore, all the sculptures are a result of the work done by Gustav Willgohs.
The Hohenzollem is also representative of the romantic spirit and is designed in a manner to bring about the structures of a medieval knight’s castle. Hohenzollem castle holds certain similarities with the Castle of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria but without the various exaggerations that are more sort of evident in the latter. Also, you can find linear associations with the Historicist Architectural Thoughts of the time along with political representations of the rulers from Prussia. The Prussian King’s in-fact wanted their castle to be representative of their past, the glory of their forefathers and also the accomplishments that their lineage has been able to achieve over the ages. All of this has indeed been represented in the utmost splendid form. A super massive inaugural ceremony was held in 1850 and the guest line also included: Brandenburg-Prussian and the princely Swabian lines of Hohenzollern who had also contributed in the financing of reconstruction of the castle.
The Architecture
The composition of the building structure can be understood in the following parts:
- Fortification: Over time many additions were made to the original structure. For instance, at the very entrance there is a drawbridge. Next, there are three turns, first of which revolves around the Wilhelmsturm, the second will take you to the lower Vorwerk, and the third turn will take you to the spiral ramp tower, from here you can also reach the south-eastern Schnarr Wacht bastion and witness the grand view of the Boll and Dreifürstenstein. Interestingly, all the three turns’ in-fact passes through the courtyard.
- Castle buildings: The basic structure is in the form of open U on the south-eastern side. On the open ends you will find the Protestant and Catholic chapels. Moreover, the outline of the castle is in-fact based on the same foundations of second castle. On the older casement you will find a three story building with many tunnels and decorated raised pinnacles. The ordering of the four main towers is arranged in counterclockwise manner. The clock tower is centrally located right in the courtyard.
- Interiors: The entire width of the southern wing is occupied by the Graf Hall which can be reached thought the staircase leading to the pedigree Hall. Graf Hall is supported by the freestanding marble columns which are eight in number and reddish in color. The frontiers of this hall are decorated with murals which were contributed by Wilhelm Peters to Hohenzollern historic library. You will also be able to locate grisailles and paintings by Stuler. The former kitchen is located right under Earl Hall which has been transformed into a treasury. Kings salon is located in Margrave tower. Now moving through a few private apartments the Blauer Salon or the salon of the Queen comes to sight. The salon is decorated with blue velvety upholster furniture’s, its flooring has a combination of five different varieties of woods. There are also portraits of the royal family that can be seen from the vantage bay. The portraits of: Queen Louise, Empress Augusta, Empress Victoria and Prince Waldemar of Prussia have been hung on the wall.
- Weapons and Treasury: A floor below is the hall which houses the weaponries and treasures. Here you can find Queen Louise’s Courschleppe, the tunic of Frederik the Great which he himself used in the Battle of Kunersdorf, a snuffbox which apparently saved his life, along with his crutches, two flutes and a jewelry snuff box. The most prestigious possession of the treasury is crown of Wilhelm II which has 18 diamonds in them.
- Kapellen: Hohenzollern houses three Christian denominations. The Catholic Chapel of St. Michael which dates back to 1454 which was also reconstructed in 1853. It is also the only surviving building from the time of the second castle. Here, net-ribbed vaults can be seen covering the nave and the choir. The next one is Christ Chapel, a protestant church. It was designed by Stuler and was built in the image of Naumburg Cathedral. Under this church is the Russian Orthodox Chapel of Resurrection. It was built in the second half of 20th century for Kira of Russia the wife of Prince Louise Ferdinand of Prussia.
- The Castle Garden: It was the part of the original design of the castle but today nothing of it remains. The Garden was known to have been designed by Peter Joseph.
Today, the castle has nothing more than a performative role to play. It is simply a part and representative of an honorable glorious past. Probably the only true inhabitant of the castle after its reconstruction was the Crown Prince William. He came here in 1945 after his flight from Potsdam. His and his wife’s, Crown Princess Cecilie are both buried in the compound graveyard of the castle. 1952 onwards the castle has also been home to various objects of art and memorabilia’s from Prussian history. Among the various other artifacts you can also find the coffins of Frederick William I and Frederik the Great located in the castle. But, they were moved to Potsdam after the reunification of Germany.
The treasury has also witnessed many occasions of theft, especially, in 1953 when several items were stolen. Though, the thieves were later on caught, some of the items were disposed by them. Moreover, today the recovered items are safely stored in a separate room in the Crime Museum of Academy of Baden-Württemberg Police in Freiburg.
Most of the castle still is privately owned. Two-thirds of it is under the ownership of the Hohenzollern family of the Brandenburg-Prussian line and one-third is owned by the family of Swabian-Catholic line. Nowadays you can witness many concerts, exhibitions, cinematic events, and theatre productions being performed at the castle in addition to the special Christmas markets. It has also featured in the 2015 Psyco-thriller film: A Cure For Wellness.
Why visit?
The reasons can obviously be endless. Hohenzollern Castle seems to descend straight from the pages of history. Across the world there are very few remaining sites that have managed to preserve and carryforward their historic heritage in such a manner as Hohenzollern has managed to. The architecture and historic anecdotes definitely intrigue the awe struck minds imaginations and fanciful thinking. The castle is a sacrosanct location for the House of Hohenzollern and that of Swabia as well. It is an embodiment of their lived heritage.
It can be reached though train as well from Stuttgart and the journey would not be more than an hours’ time. Post the train journey for a while you will have to take a bus and then a mere hike worth of 20 minutes is all that will be required. Most adventurers prefer this way of travelling. To quote William II, The view from up here is truly worth a voyage. It will indeed be worth every ounce of blood and sweat.
Another important reason to visit the castle is for the historical artifacts that are housed within. For instance, here you can find:
- The crown of Wilhelm II
- Personal artifacts of King Frederick the Great
- George Washington’s letter thanking Baron von Steuben of the House of Hohenzollem for his contributions in the American War of Independence., et cetera.
The castle remains open throughout the year except only on the day of Christmas. Moreover, the admission fee is a reasonable 10 euros.
What else is around?
- Roman Open Air Museum
- Alpen- und Seerosengarten
- Naturbad Albstadt
- Badkap
- Traufgange Albstadt
- Cafe – Cinebar – Bistro
- Atomkeller Haigerloch
- Baren Balingen
- Softart Panoptikum
- Balingen Bierhof