Fulda, Hessen, state of Germany (the art of very historic places and dealing with its past of Fulda) - Stadtschloss (Schlossstraße/Pauluspromenade)
Zum Gedenken an die Fuldaer Sinti und Roma, deren rassistische Erfassung im Stadtschloss erfolgte und von denen die meisten in den Vernichtungslagern ermordet wurden. Insgesamt fielen dem Völkermord über 500.000 Sinti und Roma zum Opfer. Der Magistrat der Stadt Fulda, Dezember 1995
To commemorate the Fulda Sinti and Roma, whose racist registration in the City Palace took place and most of whom were murdered in the death camps. Overall, over 500,000 Sinti and Roma fell victim to the genocide. The Municipality of the city of Fulda, December 1995
Stadtschloss City Palace
Main entrance of the City Palace
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
View from the south tower of the Cathedral of Fulda
The baroque Stadtschloss City Palace was built in 1706-1714 by Johann Dietzenhofer as residence of the prince-abbots of Fulda and later the prince-bishops.
Architectural History
The first predecessor of the Fulda City Palace was a Abtsburg (abbot castle) that at the beginning of the 14th Century was built. Later on the castle was at the beginning of the 17th Century rebuilt into a palace resort, which was converted and expanded in the last quarter of the same century into a Renaissance chateau. This plant was by Johann Dietzenhofer at beginning of the 18th Century rebuilt in the Baroque style. When it was remodeled into a Kurprinzenresidenz (electoral prince residence) at beginning of the 19th Century, the castle was partially rebuilt in the style of late Classicism.
Abbot castle
Heertor (army gate) on the city side of the City Palace, from it one went by at the Abtsburg, out of the city to get to the &quot;High Street&quot; Frankfurt -Leipzig
The first predecessor of the Fulda city palace was a town castle, which was first mentioned as a new castle at the end of the term of office of Prince Abbot Henry V of Weilnau. The exact construction of the castle is not known, there are even only few traditions allowing conclusions to its floor plan.
Henry V probably took a quarrel with his Convention on the distribution of the monastery revenue as a reason to build his residence outside the monastery new. The monastery dean, who had already taken over many tasks within the abbot of the monastery, took over the former Abtswohnung (abbot residence) in a monastery on the site of today Domdechanei (cathedral deanery). Henry V chose for the castle a strategic location between the monastery and the town. He also paid attention to a location on a hill in order to defend the new castle easily. The castle represented the increased power of the abbots, it served therefore to represent and for a better defense.
After excavations between 1979 to 1982 in what is now the main courtyard and the ground below the present central building you know that the southwestern part of the rectangular fortress was located on today's Court of Honor. There one found grave retaining walls, the basement of a southern round tower (probably the keep) and fragments of the battlements and the grave bridge. The castle was a bastion according to existing sources, which simultaneously served the city's defense as the circular wall of the castle in the north at the same time was the city wall. Towards to the city the castle was securised with a circular wall, the above already mentioned tower and a moat.
Not later than in the 16th Century, the castle was secured to the southwest towards the city with three fortifications, and as an additional defense served a bailey. The castle had in the northwest a second gate in the city wall (Heertor), through which the access to the castle was secured without you needed to enter the city. The only known pictorial representation of this castle is available on a woodcut from 1550. On this the Ostvedute (east vedute) of the city is represented, one also recognizes the northeastern flank of the castle .
Palace buildings
First Castle
Garden front of the City Palace. The square base of the castle tower still stems from the Abtsburg, the octagonal upper part dates from the Renaissance castle
The increase in power and the related increased need for representation of the abbot was then at the beginning of the 17th Century probably the cause for the conversion of the residence to a palace.
Between 1607 and 1612 the castle was converted into a four-winged castle involving a few buildings of the old castle. So the Palas of Abtsburg with its foundations is still contained in the central projection of the present castle. The appearance of the by Winter built castle can only by three drawings (of 1669, 1704 and 1705) and the above-mentioned excavations being elicited. Accordingly, the four unequal three-story wings were in its interior forming an irregular rectangular courtyard. With two circular stair towers the transition of the side wings to the main wing was created, whose roof was higher than the other tracts. The building was kept architecturally simple. One exception was the gable decorations on the narrow sides and the outer facade of the main wing. It was flanked by two towers, and in its center was a terrace-like stem with gate entrance. In the two-story risalit above the gate entrance there was probably the chancel of the chapel. It had gables, as they were common in secular buildings, but laterally two pointed arch tracery windows were mounted, as they were common in religious buildings.
Renaissance Castle
Copper engraving of the Renaissance castle
As Abbot Bernard Gustav von Baden-Durlach in 1671 took office, he yet planned a year later the extension of the residence. He began the construction of a new two-story wing on the west side of the four-winged construction. However, this wing was only completed in 1681-1683, as Abbot Placidus von Droste the construction finished with plans of his own.
The goal was to build a presumably closed facade towards the animal or pleasure garden. Accordding to a drawing of 1705 this side tract, in the direction of the garden, was subordinated under the four-winged construction. The western tower was in this facade now placed in the middle.
Baroque castle
Prince Hall, nowadays boardroom of the City Council
Orangery
A further extension began in 1706 under Prince-Abbot Adalbert I of Schleifras who commissioned Johann Dietzenhofer with the planning of the new palace. According to existing sources, Dietzenhofer designed thereby his first secular building. The foundation stone was laid on 26 March 1708. To the four-winged building was set another new wing, which was oriented towards the city. Thus, the Court of Honor was created, further on he rebuilt the rest of the castle in the style of Baroque. Since Dietzenhofer went back to Bamberg in 1711, it is likely that this work was largely completed at this time. Until 1713 the renovation work at the central section and in the north wings were finished. The interior work went on till the late of 1714. These included in particular the work on the main staircase and the stairways in the main courtyard (Ehrenhof), which were built by Hans Georg Mainwolff, former foreman of Dientzenhofer. The death of the abbot in 1714 had the consequence that the construction was halted for four years. In 1719 the work was completed, because yet in 1720 many artists were present for the interior of the castle.
The system now consisted of the three-storey wing and cross wing with its two to the east built-on, in the roof area lower wings. These side wings were joined by the slightly narrower and two-story buildings of the stables who completed the courtyard to the outside. In the northern wing the tower of the Renaissance castle remained. The main wing run over the entire width of the system and dominated the palace architecturally with its steep and high hipped roof and the little protruding central projection.
In the West formed two the main wing built-on two-story side wings the main courtyard, which was completed towards the Tuesday market by pillars and in between set grids. In the middle the pillars and the grids were towards the front gate vaulted to the inside. The facades have been kept simple, and the windows showed a narrow, profiled framing. They were doubly cranked in the upper corners and finished with trapezoidal keystones at lintel.
Kurprinzenresidenz (electoral prince residence)
The baroque building remained as described above largely. When Elector Wilhelm I of Hesse the Principality took over, he had 1817 and 1818 the wings on the residence garden remodelled in late Classicist style. He commissioned with that the Oberhofbaumeister (lord court architect) Johann Conrad Bromeis. The castle was the residence of the prince-elector.
Current usage
Today, parts of the City Palace do serve as the seat of the city government.
Many of the historic rooms can also be visited and are still almost in its original state. Moreover is a large number of works of art exhibited (including paintings, stucco, porcelain). A special room is the Hall of Mirrors (also known as house of mirrors): The former dressing room of the prince-abbot is packed with hundreds of small and large mirrors.
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