Ellingen Residence () is a ''

Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogn ...

'' in the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

n town of

Ellingen Ellingen is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. History It was first mentioned in 899. Between 1216 and 1806, it served as the capital of the Franconian branch of the Teutonic Order, and at least for some years ...

, Germany.

History

A castle has existed at the site at least since 1219. From then and for more than 400 years, it belonged to the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

. As such, it was the residence of the territorial commander of the

Bailiwick of Franconia Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recognized spa town since 1926, ...

, the wealthiest of the 13 provinces of the Teutonic Order. A number of both

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and

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 have occupied the site. In 1718-1721, the residence was transformed into the presently visible,

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 by to designs by architect . In 1775, additional changes in Neoclassical style were made, to designs by architect . In 1789, the seat of the residence of the Bailiwick of Franconia was moved to

Bad Mergentheim Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recogniz ...

, and a few years later the owner of the palace passed to the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

. It was given as a gift in 1815 by the Bavarian king

Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) from 1806 to 1825. He was ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Karl Philipp von Wrede Karl (or Carl) Philipp Josef, Fürst, Prince von Wrede (; 29 April 176712 December 1838) was a Bavarian field marshal. He was an ally of Napoleonic France until he negotiated the Treaty of Ried with Austria in 1813. Thereafter Bavaria joined the c ...

. The field marshal made a comprehensive re-furnishing of the palace. The palace was bought by the State of Bavaria in 1939. Today, it is administered by the

Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes The Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes (), also known as the Bavarian Palace Department (), is a department of the finance ministry of the German state of Bavaria. Tracing its roots back into the 18th century, the adm ...

and open to the public through guided tours. The administration also rents out parts of the residence for larger events. The western wing houses , a cultural centre dedicated to the history and culture of

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

Architecture

The residence is built in a mixture of Baroque and Neoclassical. It consists of, notably, a church, princely suites, and an adjacent park. The church is Baroque, as are several of the interior details, such as the

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

work by ,

fresco 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 ...

s, wall panelling and original floors. The building also contains some of the finest Neoclassical interiors in Bavaria, owing both to the work of d’Ixnard and the re-furnishing carried out during the ownership of Karl Philipp von Wrede. A park lies adjacent to the residence. Originally a formal, Baroque garden (depicted for the first time in 1726), it was transformed into a landscape garden during the 19th century. A few remaining Baroque architectural elements were destroyed during

World War II 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 ...

; today, only a single balustrade remains from the Baroque garden.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Palaces in Bavaria Buildings and structures in Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen