Weikersheim Palace (Schloss Weikersheim) is a palace in

Weikersheim Weikersheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Town rights were granted to Weikersheim in 1313. As the one of the seats of the House of Hohenlohe, until 1756 Weikersheim's town center was dominated by ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany. It was a medieval seat and later a Renaissance residence of the princely House of

Hohenlohe The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire which was divided between several branches. The Hohenlohes became imperial counts in 1450. The county was divided numerous ti ...

History

The castle was built in the 12th century as the first seat of the Lords of Hohenlohe. The exact year is not known, however the first mentioned family member was Conrad of Weikersheim in 1153. The family soon built further castles nearby, Hohlach (to become ''Hohenlohe'') and Brauneck. In 1586, three brothers divided the protestant part of the county of

, with their main seats being Weikersheim,

Langenburg Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-lik ...

and Neuenstein. The following year

Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim (14 June 1546 in Waldenburg – 28 March 1610 in Weikersheim) was the first Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim. He was the son of Louis Casimir of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg, who styled himself ''Count of Neuens ...

, moved here and reconstructed the medieval castle into a Renaissance palace, together with his wife Magdalena of Nassau-Dillenburg, a younger sister of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Rev ...

of Orange. The tall tower, the ''

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German ...

'', however was kept as a symbol of its history. The new castle was completed in 1605. When Count Carl Ludwig inherited Weikersheim in 1709, he began to redecorate the apartments and gardens in their preserved

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

forms. When he died around 1760, his lands were divided between the Langenburg and Neuenstein branches. After World War II, Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, invited his cousin, Prince Constantin (1893-1973), an artist, to live in the castle and the latter restored it to its old glory. He also organized operas and concerts. After Langenburg Castle was heavily damaged by fire in 1963, Prince Kraft was forced to sell Weikersheim Palace to the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1967. Today the palace is a museum, but also home to the Jeunesses Musicales Germany during the summer and the Weikersheim Think Tank, a conservative

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

. It is also used for large gatherings and weddings. Visitors can tour parts of the Renaissance palace and the Baroque garden with many statues.

Gallery

File:Aerial image of the Weikersheim Palace and gardens (view from the south).jpg, Aerial image of the Weikersheim Palace and gardens File:WeikersheimSchloss0905.jpg, The palace in the valley Image:Schloss Weikersheim Schlossgarten im Herbst.jpg, Palace and park File:Weikersheim Park.jpg, View into the park File:Main-Tauber-Kreis Weikersheim Schlossgarten07.jpg, Orangery and basin File:Weikersheim - Schlosspark - Orangerie - östlicher Teil.jpg, The orangery File:Main-Tauber-Kreis Weikersheim Schlossgarten Zwergengalerie04.jpg, The Dwarfs’ Gallery File:Herkulesbrunnen im Garten von Schloss Weikersheim bei Nacht.jpg, Hercules fountain File:Weikersheim-025.jpg, Ballroom File:Die original erhaltene Einrichtung des Schlosses Weikersheim macht eine Führung zu einem ganz besonderen Erlebnis. Die gräfliche Tafel.jpg, Dinner room File:Die original erhaltene Einrichtung des Schlosses Weikersheim macht eine Führung zu einem ganz besonderen Erlebnis. Das Bett der Fürstin Elisabeth Friederike.jpg, State bed

References

* Wilhelm Gradmann: ''Burgen und Schlösser in Hohenlohe''. DRW-Verlag, Stuttgart 1982, . * Frank Thomas Lang (Red.): ''Schloss Weikersheim in Renaissance und Barock: Geschichte und Geschichten einer Residenz in Hohenlohe''. Staatsanzeiger-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006. . *Klaus Merten: ''Schloss Weikersheim''. Hg. v.d. Staatl. Schlössern und Gärten Baden-Württemberg in Verbindung mit dem Staatsanzeiger für Baden-Württemberg GmbH. (Graue Reihe der Schlossführer). Heidelberg: Brausdruck, o.J. nach 1996 * Jost Weyer: ''Graf Wolfgang II. von Hohenlohe und die Alchemie: alchemistische Studien in Schloß Weikersheim; 1587 - 1610''. Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken, Band 39. Thorbecke .a. Sigmaringen 1992. . * Alfons Elfgang, Rosemarie Münzenmayer: ''Schlossgarten Weikersheim''. Hg. v.d. Staatl. Schlössern und Gärten Baden-Württemberg in Verbindung mit dem Staatsanzeiger für Baden-Württemberg GmbH. (Graue Reihe der Schlossführer). Neubearbeitung Brausdruck, Heidelberg 1999. .

External links

Weikersheim Palace and GardenSchloss Weikersheim bei den ''Staatlichen Schlössern und Gärten Baden-Württemberg''
{{Authority control Landmarks in Germany Historic house museums in Baden-Württemberg Gardens in Germany