Schloss Heringen has been recognised as a cultural monument of national importance and had extensively renovations in recent years. The walls, which are around 700 years old, are five storeys high (around 34 metres). The fabric of the structure has remained largely intact.

Whilst the town has burnt down five times, the castle has always been largely spared. Countess Clara von Schwarzburg, the daughter of the Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, is the most famous resident of the castle. From 1598 to 1658 it was her widow's residence, after the early death of her husband Wilhelm I Count of Schwarzburg.
However, the history of the castle started long before Countess Clara lived there. From around 1322 to 1327 the Hohenstein counts built a Romanesque castle in Heringen - the "Haus zur Goldenen Aue". At that time, the village of Heringen had probably existed for several hundred years since the early Middle Ages. The castle gave Heringen an economic upswing and granted it the status of a town. At the beginning of the 16th century, extensive renovations turned the castle into a Renaissance style palace.
The castle houses historical finds such as a corner shop, furniture and kitchens from the 1930s and 1950s, a rural outpatient clinic and changing special exhibitions showcasing regional artists.

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From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered as one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residence dominates today's district town of Sondershausen in the Kyffhäuserkreis district.

History

There is proof that some of the oldest building fabrice of the castle dating from the end of the 13th century can be attributed to the Counts of Hohnstein.

The remaining tower was integrated under Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg when the Renaissance palace, consisting of the south, east and old north wings, was built between the 1530s and the 1550s.

Under Prince Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, who reigned between 1666 and 1720, a busy building activity started in the 1680s. The three Renaissance wings of the palace were altered and enlarged in the Baroque style.

During the reign of Prince Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the new west and north rococo wings were started in 1764 under management of the Quedlinburg architect Johann Heinrich Breit and the former architect from Brunswick, Martin Peltier. At that time the palace received its final architectural layout of an irregular four-wing complex.

When Prince Günther Friedrich Carl II, who reigned from 1835 to 1880, engaged Carl Scheppig, a pupil of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, in 1836, his aim was to give most parts of the entire palace complex a completely new appearance. Financial constraints, however, limited this project to redesigning the eastern place area towards the market (palace terrace, guard house and stairs between 1837 and 1839), to rebuilding the rococo wings in the neo-classical style (1846–1851) and to erecting the new stables (1847–1849).

As the last building measure a two-storey gallery, connecting the tower and the east and south wings, was erected in 1914 to 1915.

Schloss Sondershausen

From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered as one of the most important palace complexes in Thuringia. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residence dominates today's district town of Sondershausen in the Kyffhäuserkreis district.

There is proof that some of the oldest building fabrice of the castle dating from the end of the 13th century can be attributed to the Counts of Hohnstein.

The remaining tower was integrated under Count Günther XL of Schwarzburg when the Renaissance palace, consisting of the south, east and old north wings, was built between the 1530s and the 1550s.

Under Prince Christian William I of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, who reigned between 1666 and 1720, a busy building activity started in the 1680s. The three Renaissance wings of the palace were altered and enlarged in the Baroque style.

During the reign of Prince Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the new west and north rococo wings were started in 1764 under management of the Quedlinburg architect Johann Heinrich Breit and the former architect from Brunswick, Martin Peltier. At that time the palace received its final architectural layout of an irregular four-wing complex.

When Prince Günther Friedrich Carl II, who reigned from 1835 to 1880, engaged Carl Scheppig, a pupil of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, in 1836, his aim was to give most parts of the entire palace complex a completely new appearance. Financial constraints, however, limited this project to redesigning the eastern place area towards the market (palace terrace, guard house and stairs between 1837 and 1839), to rebuilding the rococo wings in the neo-classical style (1846–1851) and to erecting the new stables (1847–1849).

As the last building measure a two-storey gallery, connecting the tower and the east and south wings, was erected in 1914 to 1915.

Prince Christian Günther gave the hall in order in 1760. The hall in the Rococo style extends over the two upper storeys and has galleries on both long sides. The dominant colors are blue and white, they reflect the state colors of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. In this hall one finds traces of traditional Baroque tectonics as well as transitional elements from Baroque to Neoclassicism and finally Rococo ornaments typical of the time. The large oval ceiling painting depicts the Callisto myth.

The construction of the hall going back to Count (later Prince) Christian Wilhelm of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen between 1680 and 1700. It is decorated in the style of the high Baroque with 22 ceiling paintings about scenes from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and 16 larger-than-life figures in the round made of stucco and represents Greek gods. The fact that this hall was originally designed during the Renaissance explains the unusual proportions (26.6 x 13.2 metres) and the relatively low ceiling of 4.8 metres.

This room has preserved its original decorations from the 1770s. The name is derived from the wall covering consisting of small cut, polished and glazed tiles of plaster and limestone. In this form, the room is unique and it is known for its uniqueness as the "Amber Room" of Sondershausen.

Since 1994, the former residence of the princes of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is the property of the Palace, Castle and Gardens Trust of Thuringia. Today it houses the Palace Museum of Sondershausen and the district school of music, called Carl-Schroeder-Konservatorium.

Sondershausen Palace

Das Schloss Hue de Grais, auch als Neuwilckesches Rittergut bekannt, steht in Wolkramshausen im Landkreis Nordhausen in Thüringen.

Geschichte

Ursprünglich erbaut wurde das Gutshaus eines kleinen Ritterguts von 300 Mg landwirtschaftlicher Nutzfläche gegen 1680. Um 1720 wurde es im Auftrag eines geadelten Bauernsohns, Walrad Ludwig von Wilcke (1687–1747), auf alten Mauerresten neu errichtet. 1752 bis 1754 erfolgte ein Umbau mit Veränderungen des Raumgrundrisses und Aufbau der Zwerchhäuser durch seinen Sohn Wilhelm Ludwig von Wilcke (1721–1785), bei dem das Herrenhaus seine Ausstattung im Rokokostil erhielt. 1764 ließ dieser an der Nordseite im rechten Winkel zum Haupthaus die barocke Bibliothek anbauen.

1782 gelangte das Gut durch Heirat der Wilhelmine von Wilcke (1758–1826) mit Achilles François Ursin Hue de Grais (1734–1799) in den Besitz dieser Familie, in dem es bis 1956 blieb. Die Grafen Hue de Grais sind ein normannisches Adelsgeschlecht, das während der Französischen Revolution aus Frankreich floh und am Hof von Hessen-Kassel Zuflucht fand. Bekanntester Bewohner war Graf Robert Hue de Grais (1835–1922), Regierungspräsident des Regierungsbezirks Potsdam und Verfasser des in 26 Auflagen erschienenen Handbuchs der Verfassung und Verwaltung in Preußen und dem Deutschen Reiche. Nach dem Tod von dessen unverheirateter Tochter, Elsa Gräfin Hue de Grais, stand das Schloss von 1956 bis 1990 leer. Ab 1980 fanden erste umfangreiche Erhaltungsarbeiten an Gebäude und Park durch den Kulturbund der DDR statt.

Schloss Hue de Grais

Burg Straußberg ist eine Spornburganlage in Sondershausener Ortsteil Straußberg im Kyffhäuserkreis in Thüringen. Der Bergfried ist besteigbar, die Gebäude sind offensichtlich erst in den letzten 50 Jahren – zur DDR-Zeit – wieder zur Ruine geworden. Ein engagierter Verein bemüht sich unter fachkundiger Anleitung um die Restaurierung der Burg. Eine Besichtigung der Gebäude ist über den örtlichen Burgverein möglich.

Geschichte

Die Burg entstand um 1200 als Ministerialensitz, möglicherweise als die Landgrafen von Thüringen Besitz von Gebieten ergriffen haben, die mit der Ächtung Heinrich des Löwen frei geworden waren. Sie war zunächst ein militärisches Bauwerk und lokales Machtzentrum der Landgrafen.

Eine erste urkundliche Erwähnung fand die Burganlage erst 1267, als Berthold von Schlotheim als Truchsess von Schlotheim, nun ein Anhänger der neuen, aus dem Haus Wettin abstammenden Thüringer Landgrafen, auf der Burg urkundete. Der Inhalt der Urkunde betrifft eine Landschenkung an seinen Bruder.

Als Verwaltungszentrum war der Burg auch Treffpunkt bei Verhandlungen mit lokalen Verwaltern. Von 1285 bis 1316 urkundeten dort beispielsweise die Kämmerer der benachbarten Reichsstadt Mühlhausen. Zur Verteidigung und Administration der Burg wurden Rittergeschlechter aus dem Dienstadel der Region mit der „Burghut“ beauftragt. Um 1318 war die Burg in den Besitz der Grafen von Hohnstein übergegangen. Durch Erbfall ging sie 1356 an die Grafen von Schwarzburg.

Auch im 15. Jahrhundert hatte die Burg einen strategischen Wert behalten, 1421 trugen die Grafen die Herrschaft dem Erzbischof von Mainz zum Lehen auf. Damit verhalfen sie dem Mainzer Erzbischof zu einem Teilerfolg im Zusammenhang mit den fortwährenden Auseinandersetzungen mit den Landgrafen über die Vorherrschaft in Thüringen.

1465–1548 war die Herrschaft an die Herren von Tütcheroda verpfändet. Nach der Auslösung machte Graf Wilhelm von Schwarzburg die Burg 1552–1598 zu seiner Residenz. Bei baulichen Veränderungen 1581 unter seiner Herrschaft entstanden die erneuerte Burgküche und das Torhaus. Nach Wilhelms Tod gelangte die Burganlage in Staatsbesitz und wurde zu einer Domäne. Die noch intakten Gebäude dienten fortan als Getreidespeicher. Durch Einbau von Stützpfeilern und Trennwänden wurden provisorische Sicherungsmaßnahmen vorgenommen.

Seit den 1950er Jahren war die bis dahin baulich intakte Burg dem weiteren Verfall ausgesetzt. Erst seit 1990 werden durch den örtlichen Verein bauerhaltende Maßnahmen durchgeführt. Die Burg stellt sich heute (2012) überwiegend als Ruine dar.

Burg Straussberg

Hohnstein Castle (German: Burg Hohnstein) is one of the largest and best-preserved castle ruins in Germany and is located near Neustadt in the vicinity of Nordhausen in Thuringia.

The ruins are located on a high, rocky spur which today is covered in woods, about 1 km northeast of the village of Neustadt on the southern edge of the Harz mountains.

Honstein Castle was built in the time of the Hohenstaufen-Guelph conflict for the throne. Its foundation is attributed to Konrad von Sangerhausen, a relative of the legendary Thuringian count, Louis the Springer.

The Counts of Hohnstein, together with the Counts of Ilefeld who had married into them, inherited the lordship of the South Harz from Konrad. The newly founded dynasty of the Honstein-Ilfeld counts introduced the family Christian name, Elger, and chose Honstein Castle as their family seat; the modest Ilburg in nearby Ilfeld was probably abandoned at this point in time. The first mention of Honstein Castle was in 1202. Like the Thuringian landgraves, the Honstein clan rapidly amassed a considerable amount of territory, which included the regions around Arnstadt and Gotha in the Thuringian Basin. The first boom period for the family during the 13th century was followed by a loss of importance when, in 1315, the estate was divided between several family lines. Honstein Castle soon became militarily outdated. In 1380 it was captured for the first time and then again in 1412 during a family dispute, which degenerated into the so-called Flegler War, during the course of which the Hohnstein counts lost their family castle.

During the Peasants' War, Honstein was still seen as a secure fortification and was therefore selected by the abbott of Ilfeld Abbey to protect himself and the abbey treasure. Whilst the Counts of Hohnstein saw out the end of their reign at Lohra Castle (they died out in 1593), Hohnstein Castle was sold into the possession of the Counts of Stolberg, who modernised the fort militarily and structurally at great expense (including an artillery tower) and turned it into a typical Renaissance Schloss. During this period it became one of the largest castles in the Harz.

During the Thirty Years War, however, Hohnstein Castle was destroyed by fire. Having been requisitioned in 1627 by an imperial officer, Colonel du Vuer, troops from the Electorate of Saxony under Lieutenant Colonel Vitztum von Eckstedt stormed the castle and drove out the imperial forces. Because Vitztum knew that he could not hold the castle for any length of time he placed the Counts of Stolberg under pressure so that he could extort money from them in return for handing it over. The Stollbergs could not (or would not) meet this ultimatum, so Vitztum had his soldiers set fire to the already heavily plundered castle on Christmas Eve of 1627. According to tradition, Vitztum knew how to foil every attempt by guards on duty to put the fires out. Only a few usable remnants could be recovered from the blackened ruins following the withdrawal of Vitztum's troops; these included the clock from the castle chapel and the altar of the palace chapel. In the course of the following decades and centuries the castle ruins continued to decay. In 1908 an inn was built below the ruins. After 1990 safety and restoration work on the castle ruins was started. In Easter 2001 the castle was once again re-occupied.

The ruins of Hohnstein Castle may be visited without a guide. It has a checkpoint (No. 98) on the Harzer Wandernadel hiking trail network by the cafe just beyond the gateway.

Hohnstein Castle

Stolberg Castle (German: Schloss Stolberg) is a palace in the town of Stolberg in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It dates to the 13th century and stands above the town on a hill with steep drops on three sides. Since 2003 it has been completely restored and renovated by the German Foundation for Monument Conservation.

Its oldest element, the round tower, dates to the time around 1200, the more recent elements were built in the Renaissance style between 1539 and 1547. In the southeast wing is the Classicist Great Reception Room (Großes Empfangszimmer) and the Red Room (Roter Saal) designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The castle was given its present appearance thanks to rebuilding between 1690 and 1700. Until they were dispossessed in 1945, the castle was owned by the family of the Prince of Stolberg-Stolberg.

From 1947 the castle was used as a holiday home for the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB). The work carried out for this purpose and its numerous guests left behind many traces in the fabric of the building and the appearance of the interior. In 1990, ownership of the castle was transferred to the Treuhand and it then stood empty. A private investor bought it in 1993, in order to open it as an hotel. Inadequate roof renovation work subsequently caused damage through damp and dry rot. After the hotel project foundered in 1994, the Stolberg Castle stood empty again and was in danger of being completely lost. At the end of 2002 the German Foundation for Monument Conservation took over the construction work following an agreement with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The fabric of the building was made safe and gradually renovated. In 2008 the Prince's Wing (Fürstenflügel) opened its doors and, in 2009, the castle chapel was reconsecrated.

By 2008 about 12 million euros of support had been made available by the German Federation, the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the European Union, the town of Stolberg and the German Foundation for Monument Conservation for the repairs to the building. Since March 2008 parts of the castle have been open to the public again and used as a tourist centre and reception venue (Haus des Gastes).

Stolberg Castle

The Imperial Castle of Kyffhausen (German: Reichsburg Kyffhausen) is a medieval castle ruin, situated in the Kyffhäuser mountain range in the German state of Thuringia, close to the border with Saxony-Anhalt. Probably founded about 1000, it superseded the nearby imperial palace (Kaiserpfalz) of Tilleda under the rule of the Hohenstaufen emperors during the 12th and 13th centuries. Together with the Kyffhäuser Monument, erected on the castle grounds between 1890 and 1896, it is today a popular tourist destination.

The ruins of the imperial castle of Kyffhausen are located on the northeastern rim of the range. They stand on the Kyffhäuserburgberg (439.7 m above sea level (NN)), an approximately 800 m (2,600 ft) long eastern foothill. The premises are part of the Steinthaleben parish, about 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of the village of Rathsfeld (de), in the Thuringian municipality of Kyffhäuserland, near the town of Bad Frankenhausen in Kyffhäuserkreis. The Goldene Aue ("Golden Water Meadows", ca. 160 m above NN) plain in the north, including the villages of Sittendorf (de) and Tilleda roughly 280 metres below, are parts of the municipality of Kelbra in the Mansfeld-Südharz district of Saxony-Anhalt.

The castle grounds are part of the Kyffhäuser Nature Park (de) – situated about 300 m (980 ft) south of its northern boundary.

Archaeological findings of several shoe-last celts at the summit denote a settlement already in the Neolithic period. Excavated Bronze Age ceramics may stem from devastated tumuli erected on the prominent spur. In the 1930s, remnants of fortress dating from the Hallstatt era were discovered.

A first castle high above the Tilleda Kaiserpfalz was probably erected under the rule of the Salian emperor Henry IV, in order to protect his royal domains south of the Harz mountains. Nevertheless, it was not mentioned until 1118, when it was demolished by the Saxon duke Lothair of Supplinburg after his forces had defeated Emperor Henry V at the 1115 Battle of Welfesholz.

Reconstruction started shortly afterwards and was accomplished under the rule of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who stayed downhill at Tilleda several times. The rebuilt castle complex of bright red sandstone then spread over large parts of the Kyffhäuserberg ridge; administrated by Hohenstaufen ministeriales, it was meant as an expression of imperial power in the region.

After the fall of the House of Hohenstaufen, the fortress lost its strategic importance. Rudolf of Habsburg, elected King of the Romans in 1273, ceded the premises to the Counts of Beichlingen, who from 1375 held the castle as vassals of the Wettin landgraves of Thuringia. Given in pawn to the comital House of Schwarzburg shortly afterwards and seized by the Counts of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1407, the fortress was already mentioned as a ruin in the 15th century.

From the time of Weimar Classicism in the late 18th century, even more in the Romantic era, the picturesque castle ruins became a popular destination for writers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who wandered in the Kyffhäuser range together with Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar in 1776. The king in the mountain legend of Frederick Barbarossa, perpetuated by Friedrich Rückert in an 1817 poem, became a symbol of rising German nationalism, illustrated by regular meetings of Burschenschaft fraternities and finally by the erection of the Kyffhäuser Monument from 1890 onwards. In 1900 the Kyffhäuserbund veterans' and reservists' association took its name from the historic site.

Kyffhausen Castle

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.