Residenzschloss Dessau Zeichnung vor 1700

The Dessau Palace () in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

in the German state of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

was a princely palace which mostly served as the main residence of the princes of

Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into th ...

and later the Dukes of

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area an ...

. The palace was one of the first

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 ...

buildings in the middle of Germany (see also:

Saxon Renaissance The Saxon Renaissance (in German: ''Sächsische Renaissance'') is a regional type of architecture from the Renaissance particularly in the area of the Electorate of Saxony on the middle Elbe. Influences that formed the style came primarily from ...

). Today, there is only one wing remaining, the Johannbau, which offers room to the City History Museum of Dessau. The Dessau Residence Palace was originally built in 1341 using stones from Waldeser Castle (also known as

Waldersee The Waldersee family (or von Waldersee) is an old German noble family, representing illegitimate branch of the House of Anhalt-Dessau. History During his marriage, Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau had a relationship with Johanna Eleonore von ...

Castle), which had been destroyed by flooding of the

Mulde The Mulde () is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and is long. The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde (running through Zwickau) and the Freiberger Mulde (wit ...

river. The palace was destroyed by fire in 1405 and again in 1467. In 1529, construction began on a new four-winged palace on the site of the former palace. Under the architect

Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (Hans) Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (17 February 1699 – 16 September 1753) was a painter and architect in Prussia. Knobelsdorff was born in Kuckädel, now in Krosno Odrzańskie County. A soldier in the service of Prussia, he resigned his ...

the palace was changed into an 18th-century three-winged palace. The palace was heavily damaged during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and its ruins were largely demolished in the times of the DDR. Only one wing, the Johannbau, is remaining. After restorations between 1990 and 1997, and between 2001 and 2005, the Johannbau has been opened for the public and houses now the museum for the history of Dessau. Stylistically, the Johannbau is classified as

early Renaissance Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...

, as the architectural decoration on the arched

gables Gables may refer to: * Gable, a portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches * Gables, Nebraska, an unincorporated community in the United States * Gables, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia * Ken Gables (1919-19 ...

, windows, portals, and altar and the spiral stone rising above it has characteristic features such as spheres and lily tracery

friezes In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neithe ...

. The formal language corresponds to the transitional period from the late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

to the Renaissance, as can also be found in other early buildings of the

References

* * Barbara Czerannowski: ''Das Schloss zu Dessau. Eine Baugeschichte''. In: Hans Wilderotter (Hg.): "Schauplatz vernünftiger Menschen" Kultur und Geschichte in Anhalt-Dessau, Berlin: L-und-H-Verlag 2006, , S. 17–42. *

External links

Website of the City History Museum in Dessau

the Johannbau wing
Castles in Saxony-Anhalt Dessau Museums in Saxony-Anhalt Palaces in Saxony-Anhalt {{germany-castle-stub