Hagen castle

About

The Hanau City Palace (German: Stadtschloss Hanau) is a former castle and palace in Hanau, Hesse, in Germany. It was the residence palace of the Counts of Hanau and later a secondary residence of the Electors of Hesse. The City Palace was also known as the Old Town Palace (German: Altstädter Schloss) or later as the Electoral Palace (German: Kurfürstliches Schloss). It developed from a medieval castle complex, which was largely demolished in the 19th century, leaving only a few remnants. During the Second World War, the palace was severely damaged and subsequently mostly torn down, although it could easily have been reconstructed. As a result, only a few auxiliary buildings of the former residence remain today. While there are only sparse sources regarding the appearance of the medieval castle, the various construction phases from the 16th century onwards can be reconstructed from documents and older depictions.

The city palace was located in the southern part of what is now the palace garden, north of the city hall, and on part of the site where the Karl-Rehbein School stands today, at an elevation of about 104 meters above sea level. Here, the Kinzig River forms a wide arc from the east to the south, enclosing the palace area.

In the 12th century, the Lords of Hanau-Buchen had a moated castle built on an island enclosed by arms of the Kinzig River. The builder is believed to be Dammo von Hagenowe, who is mentioned in a Mainz deed from 1143. The nearest settlement was the later deserted village of Kinzdorf. After 1170, the Lords of Hanau-Dorfelden took over the castle. By this time, people had already begun to settle around the castle, marking the beginning of the village and later the city of Hanau (since February 2, 1303).

The castle itself is first mentioned as "Castrum in Hagenowen" in a document from 1234. "Hagenowe" referred to the forest surrounding the castle. Little is known about the castle's construction history during the medieval period. Archaeological excavations in 2001 and 2002 uncovered parts of the castle's moat wall, which was founded on an oak timber platform. This was dated dendrochronologically to the year 1302.

With Reinhard I, the Lords and (since 1429) Counts of Hanau, later Hanau-Münzenberg, took over the Hanau Castle. During the 15th century, it became their main residence, which had previously been located at Windecken Castle at times.

In 1528, under Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg, the city and palace of Hanau were newly fortified according to a theoretical defense system designed by Albrecht Dürer, which was built here for the first time. The moat between the castle and the forecourt was filled in and leveled, creating an inner castle courtyard, the later "small palace courtyard." The work lasted until about 1560, during the reign of Philipp III, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg.

From the 16th century onwards, the living standards in the medieval castle no longer met the expectations of its inhabitants. The castle was gradually expanded into a palace, with Count Philipp Ludwig II (1576–1612) playing a key role in this transformation. From 1604 to 1606, a new chancery building was constructed (later integrated into the "Fürstenbau"), along with a portal building featuring a two-story bay window above the gate passage, known as the "Erkerbau," in the Renaissance style. The former keep was modernized in its upper section and adorned with a three-story roof structure.

Larger plans by Philipp Ludwig II, such as transforming the complex into a Renaissance palace with a rectangular layout, were not realized due to his early death and the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War. A plan for these renovations, which is difficult to interpret, is preserved in the Hessian State Archive in Marburg. It appears that a rectangular wing was intended to be built in the northern part of the complex, incorporating the pigeon tower despite its differing orientation. Large parts of the core castle, including the keep, were to be demolished. Ultimately, a wing was added to the northwest of the core castle, consisting mostly of half-timbered buildings, which can be seen on the Merian engraving.

Even the Baroque modifications did not result in a uniform complex. Instead, the wings of the palace formed an irregular ensemble. Philipp Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (1664–1712) began modernizing the residence palace, though his efforts were modest, as he also laid the foundation stone for the later-named Schloss Philippsruhe in 1701. From 1685 to 1691, a new chancery building was constructed in the southern palace courtyard facing the town, which is one of the few remaining buildings from the complex and was used as the city library from 1953 to 2015. In the northern wing of the palace, which had previously housed the chancery, residential rooms were created. On a plot next to the palace that had been used as a garden, Count Philipp Reinhard had a stable (Marstall) built, which was completed in 1713 by his brother and successor, Johann Reinhard III (1665–1736). The architect was Julius Ludwig Rothweil, who also designed the plans for Schloss Philippsruhe. Due to the construction of the stable, the bridge over the palace moat had to be relocated and replaced with a new one.

Johann Reinhard, the last count from the House of Hanau, extended the northern wing of the palace eastward. Additionally, the Fürstenbau (noble wing) received a grand entrance with pairs of columns on either side and a balcony above. Between 1723 and 1728, Johann Reinhard had the palace moat filled in and a new carriage house built east of the stable, which was later converted into the Friedrichsbau under the rule of Landgravine Maria of Hesse-Kassel (1723–1772), who was regent of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg from 1760 to 1764. This building section was located roughly where the Karl-Rehbein School stands today. Landgravine Maria also had the palace garden laid out in 1766.

By the end of the 18th century, the Hanau City Palace had reached its greatest extent, thanks to these new constructions. After the death of the last count of Hanau, the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, with Hanau as its capital, passed to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and later the Electorate of Hesse. The palace occasionally served as a secondary residence for members of the landgravial and later electoral family. From 1786 to 1792, it served as the widow's residence of Landgravine Philippine, the second wife of Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, who was born a princess of Prussia from the Brandenburg-Schwedt branch. She adorned the palace with luxurious furnishings in the latest fashion, but took them with her to her new palace in Berlin after 1792.

During the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt, to which Hanau belonged for a few brief years, the Hanau city palace was the meeting place for the only session of the Estates Assembly of the Grand Duchy, which was opened on 15 October 1810.

Gallery: Plan of the Hanau City Palace by Jakob Friedrich Heerwagen in 1774

Plan of the castle, palace and park and gardens

Plan of the third floor: The medieval castle (G) on top, with the Fürstenbau right below (D). The Friedrichsbau (F) is to the right

From the Start of the 19th Century to World War II

In 1829/30, the medieval part of the complex, the original castle, was demolished under Elector William II to create more space for the palace garden and a carriage house. The medieval sections no longer met the functional expectations of the 19th century, and the historical aspect of the site was of no importance to William II.

In 1866, the Electorate of Hesse was annexed by Prussia, and the palace was no longer needed as a royal residence. In 1890, the city of Hanau purchased the palace. Apartments and offices were established in the Fürstenbau and Friedrichsbau. From 1927, the mayor's official residence was located in the Fürstenbau. The Museum of the Wetterauische Society for Natural History moved into the former chancery building. Additionally, the palace housed a post office, the Chamber of Commerce, a music academy, a pharmaceutical factory, the civil registry, and, from 1942, the Museum of the Hanau Historical Society.

In 1928, the stables (Marstall) were converted into a town hall (Stadthalle). The most notable change to the exterior was the addition of a sandstone gable as the new main entrance on the narrow side of the building facing the palace square. The Stadthalle was used for events, concerts, theater performances, exhibitions, conferences, and film and slideshow presentations. After the Nazis came to power, they staged the first synchronized city council meeting as a Nazi rally in the main hall on March 28, 1933. During World War II, the hall served as a military hospital.

During the air raids on Hanau on 6 January 1945, and another attack on 19 March 1945, by the Royal Air Force, the city palace and the city hall ( German : Stadthalle ) were destroyed. A portion of the collection exhibited in the museum of the Historical Society was also lost in the fire. After the war, only the Stadthalle and the Kanzleigebäude were rebuilt. The Stadthalle was reopened on 16 December 1950.