Schloss vor Husum

About

The Schloss vor Husum is a palace outside of Husum, Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, when it was erected in the 16th century. It was initially a secondary residence of the ducal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf and served as an occasional residence for the Danish royal family during the 18th and 19th centuries. It also accommodated administrative offices, which gradually expanded and after 1864 occupied most of the building. The offices remained until the 20th century, and the castle came to be known as the "royal palace". It is the only preserved palace on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, and is open to the public as a museum and cultural center. The palace park is a well-known attraction throughout the region, and is especially popular when the crocuses bloom in spring. It is the venue of the annual Raritäten der Klaviermusik annual festival.

On the site of the current palace, there stood the so-called "Graukloster" (Grey Monastery) since the late 15th century. It was likely established around 1494 and belonged to the Franciscan order, named after the color of the habit of religion. Along with the Franciscan monasteries in Lunden, St. Maria in Kiel, and the Graukloster in Schleswig, it formed the Custody of Holstein within the Danish province of Dacia and, in 1520, became part of the Franciscan reform province of Saxonia S. Crucis. Like many other monasteries in Schleswig-Holstein, all of these were dissolved during the Reformation. The former monastery building was repurposed as a house for the poor and sick from 1528 onwards. The revenues from this establishment financed the founding of a Latin school at the suggestion of the reformer Hermann Tast.

Duke Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, the first ruler of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf established in 1544, emphasized his rank - as he was a half-brother of the Danish king Christian III - with an abundance of magnificent Dutch Renaissance buildings. Among the numerous structures built during his reign were the Reinbek Castle, Tönning Castle, and the northern wing of the previously medieval Gottorf Castle. He also planned a new palace in Husum, choosing the site of the former monastery as the location, similar to the approach taken in Reinbek. For this purpose, the poorhouse was demolished, and the " Gasthaus zum Ritter St. Jürgen " (Inn of the Knight St. Jürgen) was established in Husum, which still exists today as a nursing home.

The Husum Castle was built for Adolf I from 1577 to 1582. During that time, the site was still situated outside the city district, which explains the current name of the castle comes from, which gained common usage only in the 19th century. The castle was designed to serve as a residence for the ducal court during their stays on the West Coast. The areas of Eiderstedt, parts of North Frisia, and northern Dithmarschen formed the largest contiguous possession of the Gottorf territory, which was spread across Schleswig and Holstein. After Duke Adolf I, his successors Friedrich II, Philipp, and Johann Adolf also used the Husum Castle. However, the main ancestral castle and seat of government remained at Gottorf near Schleswig. The Husum residence did not significant role in the region's history.

Since the 17th century, Husum Castle has been designated as a "Leibgedinge" (a widow's residence), similar to Reinbek Castle. Duchess Augusta, the widow of Johann Adolf, regularly resided in the Husum Castle from 1610 to 1639. She acquired the neighboring estates of Arlewatt, Hoyerswort, and the Roten Haubarg for her support. Under her and the subsequent Duchess Maria Elisabeth, the town and the castle experienced a short cultural boom. Artists were brought to the court, and the castle was expanded and furnished in an early Baroque style. Maria Elisabeth, the widow of Friedrich III, lived almost exclusively here from 1660 to 1684. After her death, the castle was rarely used, such as during the period between 1710 and 1713 when it served as the residence of the bailiff of Husum and Schwabstedt and later the Holstein-Gottorf privy council Henning Friedrich von Bassewitz. Otherwise, it mostly remained vacant.

In 1721, following the lost Great Northern War, the Husum Castle and the town of Husum came under the ownership of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish royal house, due to this political development and the partial disempowerment of the Gottorf family, which resulted in the acquisition of several castles in the Duchy of Schleswig, had only a moderate interest in maintaining buildings located far from the Danish mainland. For example, the Tönning Castle was demolished, the baroque renovations of the Gottorf Castle were halted, and the old residence was designated as the seat of the Danish governors. Meanwhile, Husum Castle remained vacant and was minimally maintained. Significant changes occurred when Danish King Frederick V expressed interest in occasionally staying in the western part of the duchies. He acquired the Wasmer Palace in Glückstadt, where the local castle had already been demolished in 1708, and planned a modernization of the Husum Castle. These plans were implemented in the major renovation works carried out from 1750 to 1752. The old and partly dilapidated Husum Renaissance castle was renovated in a reduced form by the state architect Otto Johann Müller, incorporating baroque elements to align with the spirit of the time.

Since 1752, the castle also housed the Husum district's administrative offices, including the district administrator's residence. He and his family lived in the rooms north of the tower, alongside the families of other royal officials. The administrative offices consisted of three rooms on the ground floor. The rooms south of the tower on both floors were intended for potential visits by the king. While the administrative offices remained in the castle, the use by the Danish royal house was limited to a few visits. However, during the 18th century, the building was once again neglected. In 1792, the main tower had to be largely dismantled. In the first half of the 19th century, the castle saw an increased usage for royal visits. Notably, King Frederick VI, frequently visited Husum in the 1820s, while Christian VIII made deliberate efforts to visit Husum in the 1840s (he died in 1848). Under Christian VIII, the castle underwent partial modernization. Theodor Storm vividly described the visit of the king in 1845 in a letter to his then-fiancée Constanze Esmarch.

In the 19th century, following the German-Danish War, Schleswig-Holstein came under Prussian administration. The district administration of the Husum district and the district court moved into the castle. Theodor Storm served as a district judge and councilor in the castle from 1867 to 1880. In 1871, the writer Fanny zu Reventlow, the daughter of the district administrator Ludwig Graf zu Reventlow, was born in the castle. After the end of the German Empire, the Husum district purchased the building from the former crown property. Gradually, the administration expanded and occupied almost the entire house, except for the district administrator's apartment. The castle survived the World Wars of the 20th century without destruction.

After the merger of the districts Eiderstedt, Husum, and Südtondern in 1970 to form the new district of North Frisia, with its headquarters in Husum, a new district administration was built on the site of the nearby former cattle market. The castle underwent restoration work from 1973 to the 1980s and was given a cultural purpose. Under the direction of Danish architect Karsten Rønnow, the aim was to restore the appearance of the building after the 1750-1751 reconstruction. Due to subsequent alterations to the building and the associated costing, it was no longer possible to restore Husum Castle to its Renaissance-era condition.

In 2003, the Förderverein Schloss vor Husum was founded, dedicated to the preservation of the listed building and further expanding its usability. The castle is home to the Department of Culture and the Music School of the North Frisia district, as well as the North Frisia Foundation. The castle museum showcases the former royal reception rooms, the castle chapel, and other rooms with their furnishings. The collections of the museum are constantly being supplemented. It is open daily, except on Mondays, from April to October, and only on weekends and between Christmas and New Year during the winter months.

The castle is part of the North Frisia Museum Association and is involved in a variety of public events. In addition to the museum operations, regular concerts (such as the music festival "Rarities of Piano Music"), theater performances, and changing special exhibitions take place here, all under the restored roof trusses since 2008. The chapel and the Fortuna Hall are rented out for weddings. In the former kitchen wing, there is a café operated by trainees from the nearby Theodor-Schäfer Vocational Training Center. The annual crocus bloom in the park is celebrated with the Crocus Blossom Festival.

On the site of the current palace, there stood the so-called "Graukloster" (Grey Monastery) since the late 15th century. It was likely established around 1494 and belonged to the Franciscan order, named after the color of the habit of religion. Along with the Franciscan monasteries in Lunden, St. Maria in Kiel, and the Graukloster in Schleswig, it formed the Custody of Holstein within the Danish province of Dacia and, in 1520, became part of the Franciscan reform province of Saxonia S. Crucis. Like many other monasteries in Schleswig-Holstein, all of these were dissolved during the Reformation. The former monastery building was repurposed as a house for the poor and sick from 1528 onwards. The revenues from this establishment financed the founding of a Latin school at the suggestion of the reformer Hermann Tast.

Duke Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, the first ruler of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf established in 1544, emphasized his rank - as he was a half-brother of the Danish king Christian III - with an abundance of magnificent Dutch Renaissance buildings. Among the numerous structures built during his reign were the Reinbek Castle, Tönning Castle, and the northern wing of the previously medieval Gottorf Castle. He also planned a new palace in Husum, choosing the site of the former monastery as the location, similar to the approach taken in Reinbek. For this purpose, the poorhouse was demolished, and the " Gasthaus zum Ritter St. Jürgen " (Inn of the Knight St. Jürgen) was established in Husum, which still exists today as a nursing home.

The Husum Castle was built for Adolf I from 1577 to 1582. During that time, the site was still situated outside the city district, which explains the current name of the castle comes from, which gained common usage only in the 19th century. The castle was designed to serve as a residence for the ducal court during their stays on the West Coast. The areas of Eiderstedt, parts of North Frisia, and northern Dithmarschen formed the largest contiguous possession of the Gottorf territory, which was spread across Schleswig and Holstein. After Duke Adolf I, his successors Friedrich II, Philipp, and Johann Adolf also used the Husum Castle. However, the main ancestral castle and seat of government remained at Gottorf near Schleswig. The Husum residence did not significant role in the region's history.

Since the 17th century, Husum Castle has been designated as a "Leibgedinge" (a widow's residence), similar to Reinbek Castle. Duchess Augusta, the widow of Johann Adolf, regularly resided in the Husum Castle from 1610 to 1639. She acquired the neighboring estates of Arlewatt, Hoyerswort, and the Roten Haubarg for her support. Under her and the subsequent Duchess Maria Elisabeth, the town and the castle experienced a short cultural boom. Artists were brought to the court, and the castle was expanded and furnished in an early Baroque style. Maria Elisabeth, the widow of Friedrich III, lived almost exclusively here from 1660 to 1684. After her death, the castle was rarely used, such as during the period between 1710 and 1713 when it served as the residence of the bailiff of Husum and Schwabstedt and later the Holstein-Gottorf privy council Henning Friedrich von Bassewitz. Otherwise, it mostly remained vacant.

In 1721, following the lost Great Northern War, the Husum Castle and the town of Husum came under the ownership of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish royal house, due to this political development and the partial disempowerment of the Gottorf family, which resulted in the acquisition of several castles in the Duchy of Schleswig, had only a moderate interest in maintaining buildings located far from the Danish mainland. For example, the Tönning Castle was demolished, the baroque renovations of the Gottorf Castle were halted, and the old residence was designated as the seat of the Danish governors. Meanwhile, Husum Castle remained vacant and was minimally maintained. Significant changes occurred when Danish King Frederick V expressed interest in occasionally staying in the western part of the duchies. He acquired the Wasmer Palace in Glückstadt, where the local castle had already been demolished in 1708, and planned a modernization of the Husum Castle. These plans were implemented in the major renovation works carried out from 1750 to 1752. The old and partly dilapidated Husum Renaissance castle was renovated in a reduced form by the state architect Otto Johann Müller, incorporating baroque elements to align with the spirit of the time.

Since 1752, the castle also housed the Husum district's administrative offices, including the district administrator's residence. He and his family lived in the rooms north of the tower, alongside the families of other royal officials. The administrative offices consisted of three rooms on the ground floor. The rooms south of the tower on both floors were intended for potential visits by the king. While the administrative offices remained in the castle, the use by the Danish royal house was limited to a few visits. However, during the 18th century, the building was once again neglected. In 1792, the main tower had to be largely dismantled. In the first half of the 19th century, the castle saw an increased usage for royal visits. Notably, King Frederick VI, frequently visited Husum in the 1820s, while Christian VIII made deliberate efforts to visit Husum in the 1840s (he died in 1848). Under Christian VIII, the castle underwent partial modernization. Theodor Storm vividly described the visit of the king in 1845 in a letter to his then-fiancée Constanze Esmarch.

In the 19th century, following the German-Danish War, Schleswig-Holstein came under Prussian administration. The district administration of the Husum district and the district court moved into the castle. Theodor Storm served as a district judge and councilor in the castle from 1867 to 1880. In 1871, the writer Fanny zu Reventlow, the daughter of the district administrator Ludwig Graf zu Reventlow, was born in the castle. After the end of the German Empire, the Husum district purchased the building from the former crown property. Gradually, the administration expanded and occupied almost the entire house, except for the district administrator's apartment. The castle survived the World Wars of the 20th century without destruction.

After the merger of the districts Eiderstedt, Husum, and Südtondern in 1970 to form the new district of North Frisia, with its headquarters in Husum, a new district administration was built on the site of the nearby former cattle market. The castle underwent restoration work from 1973 to the 1980s and was given a cultural purpose. Under the direction of Danish architect Karsten Rønnow, the aim was to restore the appearance of the building after the 1750-1751 reconstruction. Due to subsequent alterations to the building and the associated costing, it was no longer possible to restore Husum Castle to its Renaissance-era condition.

In 2003, the Förderverein Schloss vor Husum was founded, dedicated to the preservation of the listed building and further expanding its usability. The castle is home to the Department of Culture and the Music School of the North Frisia district, as well as the North Frisia Foundation. The castle museum showcases the former royal reception rooms, the castle chapel, and other rooms with their furnishings. The collections of the museum are constantly being supplemented. It is open daily, except on Mondays, from April to October, and only on weekends and between Christmas and New Year during the winter months.