Stolzenfels Castle () is a former medieval fortress castle ("Burg") turned into a palace, near

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

on the left bank of the Rhine, in the state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) 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 sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

, Frederick William in 1823. He had it rebuilt as a 19th-century palace in Gothic Revival style. Today, it is part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

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 The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, 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, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

and finally, in 1689, destroyed by the French during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. The ruin was used as a quarry during the 18th century. In 1802, the castle became the property of the city of

. In 1823, the ruined castle was given as a gift by the city to the then Crown Prince of Prussia, the future

Frederick William IV of Prussia Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the th ...

. In 1822, the Rhineland had become a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, 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, Napol ...

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 and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, Frederick William now had the castle rebuilt as a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

palace, inspired by his cousin Frederick's rebuilding of nearby Rheinstein Castle and his cousin Maximilian II of Bavaria's romantic renovation of Hohenschwangau Castle. 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 Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

(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 in the style ...

the same year and

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

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, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

(draft), Friedrich August Stüler (building) and Peter Joseph Lenné (garden). Stüler was later also commissioned to rebuild

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

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 Schloss Stolzenfels, Germany, view of the Rhine.jpg, View of the Rhine through one of the stained glass windows 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 1259 establishments in Europe Buildings and structures completed in 1259 1250s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 13th-century fortifications Houses completed in 1842 1842 establishments in Prussia Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate Museums in Rhineland-Palatinate Historic house museums in Germany Gardens in Rhineland-Palatinate Karl Friedrich Schinkel buildings Frederick William IV of Prussia Gothic Revival architecture in Germany Rhine Gorge