From an architectural and art historical point of view Sondershausen Palace can be considered one of the most important palace complexes in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. It is an irregular four-wing complex. With its imposing silhouette the former Schwarzburg residence dominates today's district town of

Sondershausen Sondershausen () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km (30 mi) north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was merged with Sondershausen. Until 1918 i ...

in the

Kyffhäuserkreis The Kyffhäuserkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis and Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis and E ...

district.

History

There is evidence that some of the oldest building fabric 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 The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

. In 1764, during the reign of Prince Christian Günther III of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, the new west and north

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

wings were started under supervision of the Quedlinburg architect Johann Heinrich Breit and the former architect from Brunswick, . 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 Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

, 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 architectural undertaking, a two-storey gallery, connecting the tower and the east and south wings, was erected between 1914 and 1915.

Historical Rooms

The Blue Hall

Opened in 1760 by Prince Christian Günther, 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 there are traces of traditional

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

tectonics as well as transitional elements from Baroque to

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

and finally

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

ornaments typical of the time. The large oval ceiling painting depicts the Callisto myth.

The Giants' Hall

The construction of the hall dates 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 Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

's "

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

" and 16 larger-than-life figures in the round made of stucco and represents

Greek gods In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as immortal, anthropomorphic, and powerful. They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or notions, and were described as being similar to humans in appearance, albeit larg ...

. 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.

The Stone Room

This room has preserved 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. It is known as the "

Amber Room The Amber Room (, ) was a chamber decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, located in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg. Constructed in the 18th century in Prussia, the room was dismantled and ...

" of Sondershausen.

Palace today

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''.

Sources

* Heimatkunde für das Fürstentum Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 1920, Editor: F. Lammert * Heimatkunde für die Bewohner des Fürstenthums Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Editor: Apfelstedt * Aus Sondershausens Vergangenheit Bd. 1, Editor: Günther Lutze * Liebeserklärung an eine Stadt – Sondershausen, 2000; Editor: Bildarchiv Röttig

External links

Official site
- German
Sondershausen Palace with Park
{{Authority control Palaces in Thuringia Museums in Thuringia Historic house museums in Germany Local museums in Germany Buildings and structures in Kyffhäuserkreis Buildings and structures completed in the 1550s