Elisabethenburg Palace () is a

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 ...

palace located on the northwestern edge of

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 26,000 (2024).

in Germany. Until 1918 it was the residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen. The castle now houses the Meininger Museum as well as the

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

archives, the Thuringian State Archives, the Max Reger music school, the Johannes Brahms concert hall, a restaurant, the tower Cafe, and the ceremonial rooms of the Meinigen City Council and Registry Office.

History

The palace was constructed by Bernard I, the first

Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen ( ; ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, located in the southwest of the present-day Germany, German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ern ...

, between 1682 and 1692 on the site of a late- Gothic castle built in 1511, part (''Bibrasbau'', after Bishop Lorenz von Bibra) which was incorporated into the north wing of the present building. The new palace had three wings and a central tower which form an "E" shape when seen from above. Later this was interpreted as referring to the name of the Duke's second wife, Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, thus giving the palace its current name. The building was remodelled in the 19th century, and a dry moat added. The heavily rustic window surrounds, which now dominate the facade were added in 1845. Originally the windows had simple rectangular shaped frames made of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. In 1918 a new Italian marble fountain was added. The interior decorations represent a gamut of architectural styles beginning with the Baroque

frescoes Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

commissioned by Bernard I through the

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 ...

and 19th century

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

styles. The palace and its court orchestra have been associated with many famous musicians, and particularly with

Hans von Bülow Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (; 8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for establishi ...

, and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

, who was a frequent guest there. The music archives hold a large collection of autograph scores, including many of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's, as well as a collection of historical instruments. The palace also has a very large court library, which was regularly used by

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

during his stay in the area.

Burials in the Schlosskirche of the Holy Trinity

Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (10 September 1649 – 27 April 1706) was a duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Biography He was the sixth but third surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Afte ...

* Marie Hedwig of Hesse-Darmstadt *

Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (30 September 1658, in Wolfenbüttel – 15 March 1729, in Meiningen) was the eldest daughter of Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his wife Elisabeth Juliane of Schleswig-Holstein- ...

* Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen * Dorothea Marie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg * Margravine Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg (1674–1748) * Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen * Karl Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen * Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen * Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

References

''The following sources were given:'' * Reissland, I.: ''Das Meininger Schloss Elisabethenburg'', Baugeschichte und bedeutende Innenräume. Meiningen 1988. * Beiträge zum Kolloquium: ''300 Jahre Schloss Elisabethenburg'', Edited by Verona Gerasch. Meiningen 1992 (Südthüringer Forschungen 27). * Erck, A.; Schneider, H.: ''Schloss Elisabethenburg in Meiningen'', in: ''Residenz-Schlösser in Thüringen. Kulturhistorische Porträts.'' Edited by R. Jacobsen and H. Bärnighausen. Bucha bei Jena 1998, pp. 91

External links

Museums of Meiningen
(in German)

on the municipal website of Meiningen (in German)
Schloss Elisabethenburg
on the website ''Schatzkammer Thüringen'' of the ' (in German) {{Authority control Castles in Thuringia Landmarks in Germany Museums in Thuringia Historic house museums in Germany Music museums in Germany Literary museums in Germany Meiningen Buildings and structures in Schmalkalden-Meiningen Burial sites of the House of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen

History

Burials in the Schlosskirche of the Holy Trinity

See also

References

External links