The Frankenhausen Castle in Bad Frankenhausen in Thuringia was one of the side residences of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family
The Frankenhausen Castle in Bad Frankenhausen in Thuringia was one of the side residences of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt family . Today the castle houses the district home museum of the Kyffhäuserkreis .
Historical Overview
The castle goes back to a castle from the Middle Ages , which was once located on the outskirts of the Frankenhausen settlement at the water gate of the city fortifications. The small fortress was also referred to as the lower castle , analogous to the upper castle, of which the so-called Hausmannsturm can still be found above Bad Frankenhausen.
At the end of the 14th century, the complex and the settlement came into the possession of the Schwarzburg Counts , who later became the Princely House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt . The counts first expanded the former castle in the north of their territory into a fortress in order to be able to cope with the corresponding structures of the Counts of Mansfeld - fortress Heldrungen , the Beichlinger counts and the county of Stolberg . In addition to the residence function, the castle was also important for the administration of Frankenhausen and its saltworks .
During the peasant wars of the 16th century, the majority of the Franconian population converted to the rebels and rose up against their authorities. The castle was badly damaged in the process and was rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1533 to 1536 . Matthias Merian's cityscape from 1650 shows a magnificent building typical of the time with stepped gables and roof extensions. The great city fire of 1689 succumbed to a large part of the Franconian town development, and the castle was also directly affected. Only the east facade retained its renaissance style. However, there was a lack of funds for the necessary repairs, which is why efforts were made to be economical when repairing the castle.
20th century and present
The building remained in the possession of the princely family until 1918. After Prince Günther Victor's abdication , the castle came into public Thuringian ownership. From 1919 onwards , the castle was used by District Administrator August Reinbrecht and his family as an official residence with an annex. From 1920, District Administrator Reinbrecht set up the local history museum he founded in the side room and housed the Sondershausen-Frankenhausen District Library, which he had also founded, in his previous official residence. The district court later moved into some rooms. In the turmoil of the Second World Warparts of the museum's holdings were outsourced. They were lost in the post-war period. In connection with the preparations for the anniversary of the Peasants' War, the palace was extensively renovated from 1973 to 1975.
Today's Kreisheimatmuseum was reopened on September 1, 1953 with a natural history department with a focus on Kyffhäuser and Goldene Aue and, in addition to the city-historical component, also as a memorial for Thomas Müntzer and a peasant war memorial . It is open all year round and offers a variety of exhibitions in addition to the museum. There is a café in the castle and the castle grounds are accessible to visitors at all times.
Gratis
4.00 EUR
Nur Sonderausstellung: 3.00 EUR
Ermäßigt: 2.50 EUR
Nur Sonderausstellung: 2.00 EUR
Familie: 9.00 EUR
ab 20 Personen: 3.50 EUR
- Aufzug
- Spielplätze
- Informationstafeln
museum@bad-frankenhausen.de
- Das Schloss beherbergt ein Regionalmuseum
- Führungen: 20.00 EUR
- Für Rollstühle zugänglich
- Räume zu vermieten