Hohenzollern Castle is a magical fairytale castle situated at 31-miles south of Stuttgart, in the Swabian Alps of Germany. It is considered the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern dynasty, which emerged in the Middle Ages and eventually became German Emperors.
Sitting atop Mount Hohenzollern at 2,805 feet above sea level, the castle had its beginnings in the 11th century. Among the locals this mountain is known as Zollerberg(Zoller Mountain) or simply as Zoller. Located on the western side of the Schwäbische 'Alb' region and close to Hechingen, the mountain lends its name to the local geographic region, der Zollernalbkreis.
The original castle was destroyed over the centuries. The first castle was completely destroyed after a 10-month siege in 1423 by the imperial cities of Swabia, and a second larger, stronger castle was constructed between 1454 and 1461 and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns during wartime; During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) it was captured by Wurttemberg troops in 1634. Following the Thirty Years' War the castle was under Habsburg control for about a century. During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), the castle was occupied by French soldiers during the Winter of 1744/45. Following the war, the Habsburgs continued to own the castle, but it was rarely occupied. When the last Austrian owner left the castle in 1798 it began to totally fall to ruins. The second castle was reduced to ruins by the end of 18th century with only the St. Michael’s Chapel remaining.
The present castle was built in the mid-19th century between 1846 and 1867 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia. The Construction began in 1846 and was completed in 1867. He possibly came up with the idea to rebuild the castle during a trip to Italy in 1819, when he was travelling through southern Germany. Wishing to learn more about his family roots, he climbed on top of the hill where the ruins of the second castle stood.
Later Friedrich Wilhelm IV said: "The memories of the year 1819 are very pleasant for me and like a sweet dream, in particular because of the sunset, which we could see from the castle’s bastions. Now it’s my childhood dream to make Hohenzollern Hill inhabitable again."
His plans were implemented by the architect Friedrich August Stüler, who was the student and heir of the famous architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The current castle is constructed in the Gothic Revival style. The impressive entryway is the work of the Engineer-Officer Moritz Karl Ernst von Prittwitz who was considered the leading fortifications engineer in Prussia. The sculptures around and inside the castle are the work of Gustav Willgohs.
The castle was built as a family memorial, thus no member of the Hohenzollern family was in regular residence when it was completed. In 1945 it became home to the former Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II, who is buried there with his wife, Crown Princess Cecilie.
There are two Churches at the Castle, a Catholic and Protestant, and Christ Church is the latter. Friedrich Wilhellm IV wanted the Christ Chapel built, so he paid for it and had it built in neo-gothic style, similar to Sainte Chapelle of Paris.
Hohenzollern Grounds and Interior
The Gateway
The Entrance has Frederick I or Elector of Bradenburg as he was also called, in jousting armour on horseback. Above is the Prussian eagle with the Hohenzollern motto "Vom Fels zum Meer" (From the mountains to the sea). The entrance or castle ramp, which was considered a masterpiece when built was constructed using three over lapping elliptic loops, which covered an altitude of 75 feet.
Courtyard
The inner courtyard is a wonderful sight to behold. Dominating the courtyard center is a canon from Nuremberg resting on a modern gun-carriage. The courtyard also has St. Michael’s Chapel, the garrison (Wehrhaus) and a life size statue of Count Jost Niklas von Zollern.
Ahnensaal (Ancestral Hall)
The Ahnensaal (Ancestral Hall) walls are covered by the Hohenzollern family tree. The entrance doorway starts with the earliest documented family members in the eleventh century. The trunk soon branches off into Swabian lines (red) and Franconian lines (blue), which later became the Brandenburg-Prussian line. It winds around the room and includes Prussian Kings and German Emperors near the highest beams, and also shows the links to the houses of Habsburg, Baden, Burgundy, and the Kings of Romania.
Graafensaal (Count’s Hall)
The Count's hall serves as a banquet hall and ballroom. Easily the largest and most awe inspiring room of the castle, has red Nassau marble columns and Italian marble with a Solnhofen stone floor. The Count’s Hall takes after the Parisian Sainte Chapelle as well as after Karlstein Castle situated in Prague’s proximity, while the stairway which enables the entrance into the building reminds Italian Renaissance.
Library
The castle library connects the representational rooms with the private living areas. Eight murals above the oak bookcases reflect myths and historical events at the castle from the Middle Ages, including the mythical “White Lady,” who is said to have snuck through an enemy camp to bring food and supplies to the castle during the siege of 1422 to 1423. In 2001, a medieval hidden passageway was uncovered that is believed to have been used by this mysterious lady, showing she may have been less myth than previously thought.
Queen's parlour
The Blauer Salon (Blue Room), named due to the color of the furniture, is one of the most beautiful rooms of the castle and belonged to the Queen. In addition to the parquet flooring and coffered ceiling, the walls are covered in gold stencil-painted wallpaper featuring the Prussian eagle. The paintings fea-tured here include the wives of the Electors of Brandenburg, descendants of the Hohenzollern line. Notable portraits include those of Queen Augusta (1811 to 1890), and Queen Louise of Prussia (1776 to 1810).
Royal Treasury
The Royal Treasury of the Hohenzollerns displays a rich collection of family china and gold dishware, along with two coffins which once held the remains of Frederick the Great and his son. The treasure was divided in a property dispute in the 1920’s, but the magnificent Royal Prussian Crown (a replacement for an earlier original sold off piecemeal) can be seen in a safe in the former castle kitchens turned into the treasury room. And for more morbid curiosity, resting on a hallway table are two death mask molds of a couple of the family. The Hohenzollern castle also holds the Royal Treasury of the Hohenzollerns.
Few other pictures of Hohenzollern Castle
Margrave's Parlour (King's Parlour)
Prussian Kings
Prussian Eagle
Old Water Tower
Hohenzollern castle is still privately owned, with two thirds of the castle belonging to the Brandenburg-Prussian line of the Hohenzollern, while one third is owned by the Swabian line of the family. Since 1954 the castle has also been used by the Princess Kira of Prussia Foundation to provide a summer camp for needy children from Berlin. Hohenzollern Castle is open to the public and guided tours through its interiors can be booked. The castle has more than 300,000 visitors per year, making it one of the most visited castles throughout Germany.
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