Stolzenfels Castle (german: Schloss Stolzenfels) is a former medieval fortress castle ("Burg") turned into a palace, near Koblenz on the left bank of the Rhine, in the state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Stolzenfels was a ruined 13th-century castle, gifted to the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n Crownprince, Frederick William in 1823. He had it rebuilt as a 19th-century palace in

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. Today, it is part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

History

The original castle at Stolzenfels was built as a fortification by the Prince-Bishop of Trier, then Arnold II. von Isenburg. Finished in 1259, Stolzenfels was used to protect the toll station on the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, where the ships, at the time the main means of transportation for goods, had to stop and pay toll (later moved to Engers). Over the years it was extended several times (notably in the 14th century), occupied by French and Swedish troops in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

and finally, in 1689, destroyed by the French during the Nine Years' War. The ruin was used as a quarry during the 18th century. In 1802, the castle became the property of the city of Koblenz. In 1823, the ruined castle was given as a gift by the city to Prussian Crownprince Frederick William IV of Prussia. In 1822, the Rhineland had become a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Prussia. Frederick William had traveled along the Rhine in 1815, the year when the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

awarded several Princedoms in the area to Prussia, and had been fascinated by the beauty, romance and history of the region. In the spirit of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, Frederick William now had the castle rebuilt as a Gothic Revival palace, inspired by his cousin Frederick's rebuilding of nearby Rheinstein Castle and his cousin

Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864. Unlike his father, King Ludwig I, "King Max" was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extr ...

's romantic renovation of

Hohenschwangau Castle Hohenschwangau Castle (german: Schloss Hohenschwangau) is a 19th-century palace in southern Germany. It was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria. It is located in the Ge ...

. By 1842, the main buildings and the gardens were finished. On 14 September of that year, Frederick Wiliam, since 1840 King of Prussia, inaugurated his new summer residence in a great celebration with a torchlight procession and medieval costumes. Inauguration of the Gothic chapel occurred in 1845 during a visit by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

(who began to build

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in ...

the same year and Balmoral Castle three years later). Work on the interior of Stolzenfels castle was completed in 1850. Among those who had worked on the designs for the palace and the gardens were ,

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassic ...

(draft),

Friedrich August Stüler Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

(building) and

Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19 ...

(garden). Stüler was later also commissioned to rebuild

Hohenzollern Castle Hohenzollern Castle (german: Burg Hohenzollern ) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the ...

in Swabia for the king (1850–67). After the First World War, the castle became state-owned. After the Second World War, it was assigned to the ''Landesamt für Denkmalpflege – Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser'', today: ''Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz, Direktion Burgen Schlösser Altertümer''.

World Heritage Site

In 2002, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley became a

. The Site includes Stolzenfels.

Today

After substantial renovation work the castle and its parks were reopened in 2011. The castle is open to the public.

Gallery

Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Schloss Stolzenfels 02.jpg, Guard house Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Schloss Stolzenfels 03.jpg, Castle chapel Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Schloss Stolzenfels 04.jpg, Pergola garden Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Schloss Stolzenfels 07.jpg, Donjon Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Schloss Stolzenfels 09.jpg, Adjutant tower Stolzenfels Castle and Oberlahnstein, the Rhine, Germany-LCCN2002714130.jpg, The castle in its landscape on a late 19th-century postcard

References

Bibliography

* Pecht, A., ''Schloss Stolzenfels'' (German), Publisher: Burgen Schlösser Altertümer Rheinland-Pfalz, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Rheinland-Pfalz, Schnell & Steiner, 2011,

External links

Schloss Stolzenfels
- {{Authority control Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Museums in Rhineland-Palatinate Historic house museums in Germany Gardens in Rhineland-Palatinate Karl Friedrich Schinkel buildings