The Castle of the Sovereigns Elect in Eltville/Rhine (Kurfürstliche Burg Eltville am Rhein) was erected from 1330 onwards by Balduin of Trier on the premises of a previous castle damaged during the tariff war directly on the bank of the Rhine River. The continuation and completion of the castle took place until approx. 1350 by Heinrich von Virneburg. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Castle was the residence of the Archbishops of Mainz and the Sovereigns Elect. In 1635 the Swedes destroyed the castle with the exception of the tower house, the present landmark of Eltville. Only the east wing was rebuilt in modified form in 1682/83. The Gutenberg Exhibition in the tower memorates the great inventor who received the only honour bestowed upon him during his lifetime here in 1465. More than 20,000 rose bushes transform the castle moat and the romantic Rhine promenade into a colourful sea of flowers in early summer.


https://www.rheingau.com/ruins-castles

Kurfürstliche Burg Eltville

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Die Burg Crass, auch Schloss Rheinberg genannt, liegt am Rheinufer in Eltville am Rhein im Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis am Ortsausgang nach Walluf. Sie gilt als das älteste erhaltene Gebäude der Stadt.

Geschichte
Die Burg Crass, ein ehemaliger Freihof, lag außerhalb der 1332 errichteten Stadtmauer. Möglicherweise befand sich an dieser Stelle bereits eine ehemalige römische Villa. Dendrochronologische Untersuchungen haben ergeben, dass Teile des verwendeten Bauholzes schon 1096 geschlagen wurden.

Die Burg diente der Mainzer Familie Judens als Residenz und ging später in den Besitz des Ritters Philipp Münch von Lindau. 1496 gab der Besitzer die Burg seiner Tochter Anna in die Ehe mit dem Ritter Johann Frei von Dehrn mit und wurde zu einem Herrenhaus umgebaut.

Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges wurde der Hof durch einen Brand zerstört. Nach wechselnden Besitzern, ließ Graf Carlomann von Grunne den verwilderten Besitz neugotisch gestalten und das 12 Morgen große Anwesen mit großer Parkanlage wurde Schloss Rheinberg genannt.

Später errichtete ein Konsortium Eltviller Bürger die Villa Rheinberg auf dem Gelände und 1873 übernahm die Familie Crass das Burghaus und es entstand die Gaststätte Burg Crass.

Im Jahr 1913 kaufte Jean Iffland jr. die Burg mit Gastwirtschaft. Zwei Weltkriege und ein großer Brand 1923 erforderten eine gründliche Instandsetzung: 1953 erst wurde der Betrieb der Gaststätte wieder aufgenommen.

1970 gelang die Burg als Vermächtnis in Besitz der Stadt Eltville. Nach mehreren Verpachtungen stand das Gebäude seit 1988 leer. 1996 übernahm die alteingesessene Sektkellerei Schloss Vaux die Burg und sanierte die Gebäude aufwendig unter Aufsicht des Landesamtes für Denkmalschutz.

Heutige Nutzung
Die Burg Crass dient heute mit Rheinterrasse in südlicher Atmosphäre als Hotel und Gaststätte der gehobenen Gastronomie. Die Rheinterrasse wird öffentlich unter dem Namen Crassgarten betrieben.

Burg Crass

Schloss Reinhartshausen ist ein ehemaliges Schloss sowie Weingut im heute hessischen Rheingau, am westlichen Ortsrand von Erbach gelegen, einem Stadtteil von Eltville am Rhein, und vom Rheinufer nur durch die Bundesstraße 42 getrennt.

Geschichte des Schlosses

Stammsitz von Ritterschaften (1189 bis 1797)

Ursprünglich lag an der Stelle des heutigen Schlosses von 1189 bis 1275 der Stammsitz der Ritter zu Erbach. Danach gehörte das Anwesen etwa vier Jahrhunderte lang den Rittern von Allendorf.

Residenz von Adelsgeschlechtern (1797 bis 1987)

1797 erwarb das rheinische Adelsgeschlecht der Langwerth von Simmern den Rittersitz. 1801 ließ Clemens August von Westphalen aus der westfälischen Adelsfamilie von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg den Rittersitz abreißen und das Schloss in seiner heutigen Form erbauen.

Wohnsitz der Marianne von Oranien-Nassau (1855 bis 1883)

Im Jahr 1855 erwarb Marianne von Oranien-Nassau (1810–1883) das Schloss von Clemens August von Westphalen. Sie war eine geborene Prinzessin der Niederlande, die von 1830 bis 1849 mit Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (1809–1872) verheiratet war. Hier ließ sie sich mit ihrem Lebensgefährten Johannes van Rossum (1809–1873), einem bürgerlichen Niederländer, und dem gemeinsamen Sohn Johann Wilhelm von Reinhartshausen (1848–1861) nieder (der Nachname wurde dem Jungen von Herzog Adolph von Nassau verliehen, in Anlehnung an das Schloss Reinhartshausen, in dem er aufwuchs und das er erben sollte). Die Schwangerschaft Mariannes hatte den preußischen und den niederländischen Hof schließlich bewogen, in die von beiden Ehepartnern lange gewünschte Scheidung einzuwilligen (Marianne hatte Albrecht bereits 1845 verlassen, weil er ein außereheliches Verhältnis eingegangen war).

Marianne von Oranien-Nassau machte Schloss Reinhartshausen zu einem kulturellen Anziehungspunkt am Rhein. Sie besaß eine Sammlung von vermutlich über 600 Gemälden, Grafiken und Skulpturen, für die sie Schloss Reinhartshausen um ein Museum, den Galeriebau, erweiterte, der heute nicht mehr existiert. Ein kleiner Teil der Sammlung Prinzessin Mariannes befindet sich noch heute in Schloss und Schlossgarten. Stets beherbergte das Schloss zahlreiche Gäste und bot jungen Künstlern Unterkunft und Raum für Ihre Entfaltung. Aufgrund ihres großen sozialen Engagements für Bedürftige erwarb sich Marianne im Rheingau große Sympathien.

1861 schenkte die tief gläubige Protestantin den Erbachern zum Gedenken an ihren mit 12 Jahren an Scharlach verstorbenen Sohn Johann Wilhelm von Reinhartshausen ein Grundstück und 60.000 Gulden für den Bau der ersten evangelischen Kirche im Rheingau, der Evangelischen Johanneskirche. Johann Wilhelm wurde in der Gruft hinter dem Altar der 1865 feierlich eingeweihten Kirche bestattet. 1873 starb Johannes van Rossum, 10 Jahre später Marianne. Beide wurden in einem gemeinsamen Grab auf dem öffentlichen Friedhof in Erbach bestattet, das noch heute zu besichtigen ist. Ihr Wunsch, an der Seite des gemeinsamen Sohnes in der Gruft der Johanneskirche bestattet zu werden, blieb ihnen versagt. Es war zu Auseinandersetzungen mit dem Pfarrer gekommen, wohl aufgrund ihrer unstandesgemäßen Lebensweise. 1896 wurde die Rheinaue vor dem Anwesen zu Ehren Prinzessin Mariannes auf den Namen „Mariannenaue“ umbenannt.

Im Besitz der Preußen (1883 bis 1987)
Marianne vererbte Schloss Reinhartshausen ihrem Sohn Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (1837–1906). Bis 1987 blieb das Schloss im Eigentum derer von Preußen. Der letzte adelige Alleinherr war Friedrich von Preußen, dessen Söhne Friedrich Nikolaus, Andreas und Rupert es bis 1987 in Erbengemeinschaft als Administration des Prinzen Friedrich von Preußen weiterführten.

Nutzung seit 1991

Im Jahr 1987 erwarb Willi Leibbrand (1932–1993), ein Unternehmer bei Goldpfeil und Rewe, Schloss Reinhartshausen und ließ es bis 1991 als Hotel und Weingut grundlegend restaurieren. Das Hotel wurde um den Westflügel erweitert und der Mitteltrakt wurde aufgestockt. Ein neuer hochwassersicherer Weinkeller und ein neues Kellereigebäude entstand sowie ein Aussiedlerhof am Ende der Eberbacher Straße in Erbach. Die Weinberge von Tillmanns’ Erben wurden hinzuerworben.

Joachim Wissler leitete hier von 1991 bis 1999 das Restaurant Marcobrunn (ab 1996 zwei Sterne im Guide Michelin). Von 1999 bis 2004 kochte hier Alfred Friedrich

Zum 1. März 2013 wurde das Weingut an die Familie Lergenmüller aus Hainfeld (Pfalz) verkauft, die damit zum größten privaten Weinproduzent Deutschlands avancierte. Bis Ende 2015 wurde das Hotel durch Kempinski Hotel & Resorts geführt.

2016 übernahm die Hotel Schloss Reinhartshausen GmbH Co. KG das Hotel. Sie plante einen Erweiterungsbau mit 62 Zimmern und einem Baubeginn bis voraussichtlich 2017. Das Baupläne wurden allerdings verschoben und stattdessen pachtete das französische Unternehmen Châteauform das Schloss. Es wird nun nicht mehr als Hotel, sondern für Unternehmensveranstaltungen wie Konferenzen, Tagungen und Seminare genutzt.

Schloss Reinhartshausen

Scharfenstein Castle (German: Burg Scharfenstein), a ruined castle near the town of Kiedrich in Hesse, Germany, was part of the Bishopric of Mainz’s border fortifications. It was erected in 1160 under Christian I (Archbishop of Mainz).

Scharfenstein Castle (Kiedrich)

Frauenstein Castle (German: Burg Frauenstein) is a ruined castle in the town of Wiesbaden-Frauenstein in Hesse, Germany.

It is not known who built Frauenstein Castle, but, based on dendrochronological evidence, its construction has been dated to around 1184. Built on a quartzite outcropping of the Spitzen Stein the castle was not intended as a defensive fortress, but rather as a watch-tower. It also served the tower guards as a dwelling. The construction of the castle with its high walls and battlements gave protection to farmers in the area and led to the emergence of the village of the same name. Later, the castle was extended by a fore-castle with pond, as could be confirmed by excavations in the year 1943.

While the German name Frauen-stein can be translated "women's stone", it actually derives from Vrowenstein, a name which first appears in the historical record in 1221. In that year, a deed names a Heinrich Bodo von Vrowenstein (in 1207/1209, he was mentioned as being from Idstein) as a lord of Frauenstein Castle. In the year 1231, a document of the Erbach monastery mentions a knight by the name of Siegfried von Frauenstein who was a marshal with the bishopric of Mainz. He was a descendant of an aristocratic Schierstein family (which would become extinct in 1380).

Around 1300, Siegfried IV von Frauenstein sold part of the castle, along with surrounding property and its serfs, to Gerhard, the Archbishop of Mainz. Gerhard wanted the castle in order to protect the eastern border of his possessions in the Rheingau against his rival, the Count of Nassau. In May 1301, forces of King Albert of Austria fought against Mainz. They captured all of the fortresses, including Frauenstein, and devastated the Rheingau. The castle was soon restored, however.

In 1310 Johann von Limburg also sold his shares of the castle to the Mainz bishopric so that it had gained full control over the castle by the year 1319. Mainz, however, once again sold parts of the castle so that, by 1390, it possessed only half of the castle. The noble co-owners often settled in Frauenstein and built beautiful half-timbered houses which still stand in the village to the present day.

Over the following centuries, the disputes between Mainz and Nassau continued. Nassau was able to prevent Mainz's possessions in the area from growing by encircling the castle with a chain of five fortified farms: Sommerberg, Rosenkoeppel, Nürnberg, Groroth, and Armada. All of these estates, with the exception of Rosenkoeppel, are still preserved today.

In the second half of the 18th century, the castle lost its significance as border security and was no longer maintained. In the Secularization of 1803, the town was brought under the control of the Count of Nassau and in 1808 the serfs were granted freedom of movement. In 1866, the town - like all of Nassau - came under the control of Prussia.

Frauenstein Castle (Wiesbaden)

Biebrich Palace (German: Schloss Biebrich) is a Baroque residence (Schloss) in the borough of Biebrich in the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Built in 1702 by Prince Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, it served as the ducal residence for the independent Duchy of Nassau from 1816 until 1866.

Count Georg August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein, appointed Prince in 1688, wanted a more impressive seat of authority than his palace in Idstein in the Taunus. He moved first to Wiesbaden, and later to Biebrich (at that time a separate community from Wiesbaden). In the immediate vicinity of the Rhine, opposite the Biebricher Wörth, he began construction of a chateau. The structure was designed by the Baroque architect Julius Ludwig Rothweil and was completed in 1702. It survives today as the West Pavilion of the palace. Only four years later, a duplicate structure was built only 86 meters to the east. While the West Pavilion was reserved for the prince and his entourage, the East Pavilion served his wife.

Prince Georg August Samuel began further development of the castle in 1707. Baroque architect Johann Maximilian von Welsch linked the two pavilions with a gallery and built a circular ballroom in the exact center. The Rotunda was completed in 1721, giving Biebrich Castle its distinctive appearance.

After the death of Georg August Samuel, the House of Nassau-Idstein was extinguished and the castle came into the possession of the line of Nassau-Usingen. Prince Karl von Nassau-Usingen decided after his inauguration in 1734 to relocate his permanent residence to Biebrich. Such a residential and government office demanded further premises, so the Baroque architect Friedrich Joachim Michael Stengel designed today's eastern wing. Only three years later, Stengel built the identical western wing. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell in 1817 at the request of Duke Wilhelm of Nassau.

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, sold the palace to the State of Prussia in 1935. Heavily damaged during World War II, it was renovated and partly reconstructed between 1980 and 1982 by the State of Hesse. It is now used by the state government for representation purposes and houses the state's historic preservation agency.

Biebrich Palace

Schloss Vollrads is a castle and a wine estate in the Rheingau wine-growing region in Germany, that has been making wine for over 800 years.

After the donation of Verona in 983 the archbishopric of Mainz, the new owner, invested in vine growing, although vines had been cultivated there since Roman times. The manor house was named after the Lords of Winkel; Vollradus is a given name. In 1218 a "Vollradus in Winkela" (so-called knight Vollradus), in 1268 a "Conradus dictus Vollradus armiger" is documented. No building originating from this time is traceable.

Today the core building of the estate is a substantial tower house, as a water castle surrounded by a square pond. Therefore, the house is only reachable by bridge. This keep can be traced to the first third of the 14th century and the family of Greiffenclau, the heirs of the Lords of Winkel. The octagon stage tower, flanking the donjon, was erected in 1471; the bay window was added in 1620. Above the doorway the coat of arms of the Greiffenclau family is to be seen.

In 1684 the present two-winged manor house was built by Georg Phillip Greiffenclau von Vollrads near the tower. His son Johann Erwein erected the estate buildings around 1700, as well as boundary walls around the manor garden, and finally equipped the tower with a typical baroque roof.

In 1907/1908 Countess Clara Matuschka-Greiffenclau had the buildings remodelled. She increased the height of the southern wing of the mansion by a third floor, added two towers with an onion dome, and enlarged the terraces and the bay windows at the Donjon.

In 1975 Erwein Matuschka Greiffenclau took charge of the property, which was heavily in debt. Although an important figure in the emergence of a new or rediscovered style of high quality dry Rheingau wine in the 1980s and 1990s, he was not successful in reorganising his estate. When in 1997 the principal bank decided on the declaration of bankruptcy, Erwein, who was then also the chairman of the VDP-Rheingau, took his gun, went to his beloved vineyards, and committed suicide. Since then, the estate has belonged to the Nassauische Sparkasse bank, which runs the manor house as well as the vineyards and a restaurant.

The winery is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter.

Most of the time the manor house is not open to the public. Access is only allowed for special events. In the summer live music acts take place, especially of the Rheingau Musik Festival, and in the harvest season a public bar is opened in the center court.

Schloss Vollrads is a vineyard site documented since the Middle Ages in the Rheingau within the boundaries of the collective site (Großlage) of Honigberg between Johannisberg, Winkel, Mittelheim and Erbach. The estate claims to be the oldest winery of Germany, which is not verifiable for the distinct single vineyard site (Einzellage) of 58 ha size.

Schloss Vollrads is in fact a vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right (as is Schloss Johannisberg), and one of a handful historic German vineyards which according to the wine law do not have to display a village name, which otherwise would be Winkel, on the label. Thus, the wines are simply labelled as "Schloss Vollrads Riesling", which signifies both the vineyard site, the producer and the grape variety.

The Riesling grape is the only grape variety used in the winery. Nevertheless, the whole range of Prädikat designations such as Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese up to the Eiswein is vinified. Schloss Vollrads also produces dry wines under the Erstes Gewächs designation. The Vollrads Lage is highly "terroir-expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine's place of origin. In order to avoid cork taint, the wine is sealed with Vino-Lok glass stoppers.

The estate offers guided tours with tastings, a wine bar, shop, and various special events. It is a regular concert stage for the Rheingau Musik Festival.

Schloss Vollrads

Schloss Johannisberg is a castle and winery in the village of Johannisberg to the west of Wiesbaden, Hesse, in the Rheingau wine-growing region of Germany. It has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" late harvest wine. The castle is a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival, made available by co-founder Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg.

A mountain on the north bank of the River Rhine near Mainz has been associated with the Church and with winemaking since the Dark Ages, when the estate of Ludwig der Fromme ("Louis the Pious") made 6000 litres of wine during the reign of Charlemagne. In 1100, Benedictine monks completed a monastery on the Bischofsberg ("Bishop's") mountain, having identified the site as one of the best places to grow vines. Thirty years later they built a Romanesque basilica in honour of John the Baptist, and the hill became known as Johannisberg ("John's mountain"). It was constructed on floor plans similar to that of its mother house, St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz. The monastery was a prime target for the Anabaptists in the German Peasants' War of 1525, and it was destroyed.

In 1716, Konstantin von Buttlar, Prince-Abbot of Fulda, bought the estate from Lothar Franz von Schönborn, started construction of the baroque palace, and, in 1720, planted Riesling vines, making it the oldest Riesling vineyard in the world. The estate changed hands several times during the Napoleonic Wars, but in 1816 Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, gave it to the great Austrian statesman Prince von Metternich.

In 1942, the Schloss was bombed and reduced to a shell by the air raids on Mainz in 1942. By the mid-1960s it had been largely rebuilt by Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg and his wife Princess Tatiana, who had fled there on a farm cart in 1945 after the Russians had advanced on their other estates. Prince Paul died in 1992, leaving no heir, but a significant portion of his fortune to his mistress. With his death the House of Metternich became extinct. Although Princess Tatiana was allowed to reside in the Schloss until her death in 2006, the situation had forced her husband to sell the estate to the German Oetker family in 1974. There are currently about 35 hectares (86 acres) of vineyard.

Tradition has it that on one occasion a messenger from Heinrich von Bibra, Prince-Bishop and Abbot of Fulda, was 14 days late in bringing the papers to give the cellar master permission to start harvesting the grapes. At least two alternative stories exist to explain the delay. One is that the Prince-Bishop was away hunting and was not available to sign the permission to harvest, and the other is that he was intercepted and held by highwaymen. By this time the grapes had become affected with the "noble rot" Botrytis cinerea. The rotted grapes were then given to the local peasants, who ended up making wine of high quality. In 1775, Schloss Johannisberg made the first Spätlese Riesling followed by an Auslese wine in 1787 and an Eiswein in 1858. Unfortunately for the German tradition, the Tokay classification of 1730 relied in part on an area's propensity to noble rot, which suggests that the Hungarians got there first.

Schloss Johannisberg is a single vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right, and one of a handful historic German vineyards which do not have to display a village name on the label. Thus, the vineyard designation on the label is Schloß Johannisberger.

The 35 ha of vineyards consist of a loam-loess topsoil lying on Taunus quartzite. The soils are quite stony and gravelly, enabling them to retain the day's temperature and to buffer temperature fluctuations.

The estate offers guided tours with tastings, a wine bar, shop, and various special events.

The church of the castle, the Basilika, was originally built for the Benedictine monastery and dedicated to St. Johannes (St. John the Baptist). After the destruction during World War II it was rebuilt as a Romanesque basilica and has served as the Catholic parish church for the village Johannisberg. It is also used for concerts of sacred music, of local groups and for concerts of the Rheingau Musik Festival, such as a performance of the Huelgas Ensemble.

In 1999, combined choirs of Geisenheim and St. Martin, Idstein, performed Giacomo Puccini's Messa di Gloria and, in 2001, Rutter's Requiem and Benjamin Britten's The Company of Heaven for speakers, soloists, chorus and orchestra (1937, not performed again until 1989). In 2009, the Neue Rheingauer Kantorei performed Haydn's Die Schöpfung with soloists Elisabeth Scholl, Daniel Sans and Andreas Pruys.

The Ostflügel (East Wing) of the castle was rebuilt after the destruction to serve as a tennis court. Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg, a co-founder of the Rheingau Musik Festival, turned the hall into a public concert venue, staging 10 of the 19 concerts of the first summer season in 1988, and many recitals and chamber music performances every year following. After her husband's death the hall was named "Fürst-von-Metternich-Saal". von Metternich-Winneburg was "Vorsitzende des Kuratoriums" (president of the festival's curators) until her death. The tradition has been continued by the present owners. Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia for instance performed there in June 2012.

Schloss Johannisberg

In the course of time Burg Schwarzenstein, "occupy the apple tree crest on the way to Stephanshausen", as the land surveyors wrote in 1879 in the Stockbuch of Johannisberg. Three years earlier, in 1876, the Mumm von Schwarzenstein Family had a romantic castle reminiscent of medieval architecture converted into a summer residence by the architect F. Schädel.

The picturesque structure in a dreamlike location on the heights of the Rheingau, but without social or family life, changed in 1958 with the Sale of the Mumm winery to the Oetker family, including the ownership of the castle. The Hamburg architect Professor Caesar Pinnau, fascinated by the constructional fragment of the castle, designed in the interior of the castle a chic Restaurant to taste Mumm's wines, accompanied by selected dishes.

Since then the castle was renovated in style and elaborately and turned it into a woderful restaurant and hotel complex.

The Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein has been a member of the international association "Relais & Chateaux" since 2007.

Today whole complex is owned by the Family Foundation Burg Schwarzenstein.

https://www.burg-schwarzenstein.de

Burg Schwarzenstein

Wiesbaden City Palace (German: Stadtschloss Wiesbaden or Wiesbadener Stadtschloss) is a neo-classical building in the center of Wiesbaden, Germany. It was completed in 1841 as the principal city residence of the Dukes of Nassau. The palace has several wings, 145 rooms, and is architecturally integrated with a group of ancillary buildings constructed both before and after it was built. With ornate towers, gables and a slate roof laid in herringbone patterns, the three-story complex lends charm and its name to the central square of Wiesbaden: Palace Square (German: Schloßplatz).

The Palace has had a turbulent history. After withstanding the Revolutions of 1848 and annexation by Prussia in 1866, it has served variously as a second home of the German Emperors, a gathering place for soldiers and workers during the German Revolution of 1918–1919, a museum, and a military headquarters for both the Wehrmacht and Allied occupation forces. Damaged during World War II, the Palace has since been restored and portions modernized. Since 1946 it has been the seat of the State Parliament of Hesse (German: Hessischer Landtag). A new Parliamentary Chamber was added to the complex in 2008.

The site where the City Palace now stands has been the center of political power in Wiesbaden for centuries. It was first occupied by a castle from the Early Middle Ages around which the medieval city developed. By 1236 the Counts of Nassau were already in residence, when there is a record of Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II celebrating Pentecost in the castle church. During this time the city enjoyed the status of Reichsstadt (Free Imperial City), but only briefly. In subsequent wars Wiesbaden was completely destroyed and rebuilt at least three times. During the Renaissance the city became a notable spa town, and Philipp Ludwig III commissioned construction of a New City Palace, completed in 1599. This renewal was not to last, however. The lands of the House of Nassau were reshuffled in inheritances and as lines died out. The Thirty Years' War again devastated the city, with chronicles recording that by 1648 it had barely 40 residents left. In the 1700s, Schloss Biebrich (the "Versailles on the Rhine" on the outskirts of Wiesbaden) became a principal residence of the line of Nassau-Idstein and the City Palace fell into disuse. Little is known about the extent of the old original Castle, but remains of a tower dating back as early as the Frankish period (481–800 CE) were discovered in 1952 during reconstruction of adjacent buildings damaged in the Second World War.

In 1806, the counties of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg merged to form the Duchy of Nassau at the insistence of Napoleon. Frederick Augustus, Duke of Nassau, became the ducal head of state. After the defeat of Napoleon, the Duchy of Nassau joined the German Confederation at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The capital moved from Weilburg to Wiesbaden and the city became the ducal residence. When Frederick died childless in 1816, the dukedom was transferred to the line of Nassau-Weilburg. His cousin Wilhelm of Nassau-Weilburg became Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and moved from Weilburg into Schloss Biebrich on the outskirts of Wiesbaden.

By 1826, extensive building began to give the new capital city a magnificent appearance and in 1830 plans were laid to move the ducal residence into the city. Initially, a site on the Luisenplatz was considered, which was then still on the outskirts. However, the Duke felt it important to live amidst his subjects, so a central location on the Market Square was decided upon. In 1835, Wilhelm I engaged his Senior Architect Georg Moller to design the new City Palace. Several buildings were acquired on the north side of the square and in 1837 the foundation stone was laid. Duke Wilhelm would not live to its completion; He died of a stroke on 20 August 1839 while "taking the cure" at Bad Kissingen. His son Adolph I, Duke of Nassau became the Palace's first and only ducal resident in 1841. He lived there during the winter and in summers resided at Schloss Biebrich.

During the Revolutions of 1848 a national uprising began in many German States. On 4 March 1848 it spread to the Duchy, when a third of the male population of some 30,000 angry citizens gathered in front of the City Palace to demand confirmation of the Nine Claims of Nassau, an early Bill of Rights. With the crowd threatening to storm the Palace, Adolph rushed back to Wiesbaden from Berlin, where he had been consulting on the crisis. He rescued his monarchy at the last minute by walking, unguarded and in uniform, through the crowds from the railroad station to the City Palace. He announced his assent to their demands from the balcony and the menacing riot turned into a celebration. In April 1848, the Duke appointed the liberal politician August Hergenhahn as his Prime Minister and several advanced laws were enacted. While Adolph did not fulfill all his promises, and some were not adopted until 1861, by enacting important reforms he enjoyed a longer reign and the respect of the population.

In 1866, Adolph fatefully supported the Austrian side in the Second Austro-Prussian War, which lost. The Kingdom of Prussia annexed the Duchy as a war prize, sent the Duke into exile and took possession of the Wiesbaden City Palace. It was then used as a residence by Emperor Wilhelm I and the adjacent Kaiser-Wilhelm Sanatorium, built in 1871 as a military hospital, was named in his honor. Wilhem's grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, then made the palace a regular summer home. He resided there annually with his staff and members of the Hohenzollern family. Wiesbaden experienced tremendous growth and became an international resort, with the population increasing from 35,500 in 1871 to 100,000 by 1905.  Near the Palace numerous new important buildings were constructed, including a New Town Hall (1897), the Hessian State Theater (1894), the Kurhaus (1907) and the Central Railway Station (1906).

After Germany's defeat in World War I and the monarchy collapsed, the palace was used for a variety of purposes. It initially became home to the local Workers' and Soldiers' Council during the German Revolution of 1918-1919. Later it was used as the supreme headquarters of the French Occupation Armies during the Allied Occupation of the Rhineland. In 1925, the palace became the headquarters of British Army of the Rhine. After the withdrawal of occupying forces in 1930, the building came into the possession of the Prussian State Administration of Palaces (German: Preußischen Staatlichen Schlösserverwaltung) and was converted into a museum.

During World War II, the building complex became the Wehrmacht's General Headquarters for Wehrkreis (Military District) XII under the command of General der Infanterie Walther Schroth. This region included the Eifel, part of Hesse, the Palatinate, and the Saarland. After Germany's victory in the Battle of France in 1940, Wehrkreis XII was expanded to include the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Lorraine Region, including Nancy. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the US Army used the partially ruined building as its headquarters.

In 1946, Wiesbaden became the capital of the newly created State of Hesse and the Palace became the seat of the Hessian Landtag. The Landtag met for the first time in the largest room of the House, the Music Hall, on 1 December 1946. In 1959 the former Royal Riding Hall in the courtyard was demolished and a new Plenary Chamber built in its place. The Palace's historic rooms were preserved and used for receptions. Ancillary buildings around the Palace were redeveloped for use by the Landtag administration. In 1975 the editorial staff of Hessian Radio (German: Hessischer Rundfunk) moved into the complex to better cover State politics and also opened a TV studio there.

In the late 1990s plans began to construct a new building to replace the outdated Plenary Chamber. The Bundestag wanted to build a transparent glass Hall on the Schlossplatz between the Palace and the Marktkirche in the architectural style of the Federal buildings in Bonn. That project was halted due to cost as well as protests from the population about the building's appropriateness. The Federal Design Office then advertised an architectural competition and Waechter + Waechter of Darmstadt won. Their proposal for a low-profile building inside the courtyard behind the Palace's facade was designed preserve the historic character of the Schloßplatz. This was approved and the old Plenary Chamber was demolished in 2004. The City Palace became a construction site for the next four years and on 4 April 2008 parliament moved into its new home.

The palace complex serves as a place of work for the 118 elected MPs of the Hessian State Parliament. The historic rooms of the ducal palace itself are used for official receptions of President of the Parliament (German: Landtagspräsident), as well as for other celebrations. The former Music Hall is also used for public events and concerts. In the adjacent buildings – Gentleman's House, Wilhelmsbau and the former Administrative Court – the MP's offices and State Parliament administration are housed. There are also meeting rooms for committees and facilities for press conferences. The Parliament restaurant is housed in the basement. The Hessian State Government chaired by the Minister-President also has rooms which can be used during the plenary sessions. Additionally there are facilities for accommodating visitors who participate in the public meetings of the Landtag. The plenary hall has a large foyer, a public gallery, and an information center on the history of the Parliament. Today the Wilhelmbau houses the Wiesbaden studios of Hessischer Rundfunk and a well-known room used for national press conferences.

Wiesbaden City Palace

The Electoral Palace in Mainz (German: Kurfürstliches Schloss zu Mainz) is the former city Residenz of the Archbishop of Mainz, who was also Prince-Elector of his electoral state within the Holy Roman Empire. It is one of the important Renaissance buildings in Germany.

History

Originally, the Archbishop of Mainz resided at the cathedral, where there is an old private chapel dating from 1137, but in 1475, when the Chapter re-elected Diether von Isenburg, conditions were imposed: he had to surrender the town of Mainz to the Chapter, and erect a castle in the city. The construction of this Martinsburg began in 1478 and was completed two years later. For several decades, the archbishops lived either there or in the electoral palace at Aschaffenburg, Schloss Johannisburg. After receiving damage during the second war with the margraves in 1552 the castle was restored in a Renaissance style. Archbishop Daniel Brendel von Homburg built office buildings and St Gangolph's Church around the year 1580. (In order to make way for new avenues, these buildings as well as the Martinsburg were demolished by Napoleon during the French occupation of the town between 1798 and 1814.)

The building of a new palace commenced in 1627 on the behest of Archbishop Georg Friedrich von Greiffenklau. The Rhine wing of the new palace could not be finished until 1678, construction being delayed by the Thirty Years War and the War of the Grand Alliance. The original plan is not known, but it was probably a four-wing construction, comparable to the 1604 repairs to Schloss Johannisberg. It can be assumed that Martinsburg remained standing only because of the delays.

The north wing was begun in 1687, ready by 1752, and furnished in succeeding years. Work on the wing extending away from the river was begun during the reigns of Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein (1743–1763) and Friedrich Karl Josef von Erthal (1774–1802). Erthal was the last Prince-Elector of the old electorate. His successor Karl Theodor von Dalberg was both Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and Arch-Chancellor of the remaining Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. Due to the resolutions of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss his seat was moved to Regensburg, which became the new seat of the archbishopric.

Delays were due not only to the War of the Grand Alliance, but also to the extensive building activity of the nobility: for example, the Lustschloss Favorite begun in 1700 by Lothar Franz von Schönborn absorbed large amounts of resources. That summer residence was destroyed during the Siege of Mainz by coalition shelling in 1793.

On 23 October 1792, the Jacobin Club, a political group during the French Revolution, was established on what nowadays is German soil. This was the earliest democratic movement in Germany. The last Elector of Mainz was expelled in the same year, and the palace was neglected until 1827, when it was restored by the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and the City of Mainz.

During World War II, the building was heavily damaged, especially in the air raid of 27 February 1945, which destroyed most of the city. Of the palace, only the exterior walls remained. It was rebuilt during 1948 and 1949, reopened on 31 December 1949, and was the main venue in Mainz for Karneval activities until the Rheingoldhalle opened in 1968.

