Friedenstein Castle

About

Friedenstein Palace (German: Schloss Friedenstein) is an early Baroque palace in the city of Gotha, built in the mid-17th century by Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha at Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. In Germany, Friedenstein was one of the largest palaces of its time and one of the first Baroque palaces ever built. Friedenstein served as the main seat of the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and later as one of the residences of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, closely linked with the royal family of Great Britain through the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The final two ruling Dukes were both princes of the United Kingdom. The palace complex today houses several museums. It is also notable for hosting the Ekhof-Theater, one of the oldest theatres in operation in Germany, still featuring the original Baroque machinery for changing the scenery.

The site where Friedenstein stands today, dominating the town of Gotha and its surroundings, was previously occupied by Grimmenstein Castle. It was first mentioned in 1316 and rebuilt in 1531-43 when it was also fortified in accordance with the changed requirements for a fortress in the age of gunpowder. In 1547, the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin as members of the Protestant Schmalkaldic League had lost the Battle of Mühlberg against the Catholic forces of Emperor Charles V. As a result, Johann Friedrich I, Kurfürst von Sachsen (John Frederick I) was stripped of his title as "Elector of Saxony" ( Kurwürde ). Imperial forces blew up the fortifications of Grimmenstein but left the castle itself largely intact. It was rebuilt in 1552-54. However, in 1567 the fortress was almost completely razed as a result of the attempt of Johann Friedrich II (John Frederick II) to regain the Kurwürde by force of arms.

In 1640, Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, also known as Ernst der Fromme ("Ernest the Pious"), first ruler of the newly created Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, settled on Gotha as the site for his Residenz. Gotha at the time was the largest town in the Duchy. In 1641/42 work began on the park, followed by construction of the palace itself in 1643. In naming the castle Friedenstein (literally "peace-rock"), Ernst made a point of drawing a clear line between this new palace and the warlike history of its predecessor. In addition, with the Thirty Years War still ongoing, the name also expressed a desire for peace after decades of warfare.

Based on plans by Casper Vogell [ de ] (1600-1663), Andreas Rudolph [ de ] (1601-1679) was in charge of building the castle. When it was finished in 1656, Friedenstein was the first ever Residenz in the Baroque style built on German soil that was completed during the lifetime of the ruler who ordered it. To justify the expense of such a vast structure, Ernest explicitly referred to the need to accommodate the administration for the new Duchy.

In July 1655, work began on fortifying the castle. By 1672, four bastions had been completed. The outer works were finished by 1687 and, beginning in 1663, the town of Gotha was also fortified. In 1672, the House of Saxe-Altenburg ended and most of the Duchy passed to Ernst, who now was ruler of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Although the Duchy now had two Residenzen, Gotha was by far the more important one.

However, Ernst was unwilling to exclude any of his surviving sons from his heritage. So after his death in 1675, the Duchy was split in 1680/81 into seven separate territories: Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Römhild, Saxe-Eisenberg, Saxe-Hildburghausen and Saxe-Saalfeld. Ernst's oldest son, Friedrich I, became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, with his main Residenz at Gotha.

In 1826, after the death of the heirless Friedrich IV, the Duchy was split and Gotha passed to Ernst I of the House of Saxe-Coburg and father of Albert, Prince Consort who was to marry Queen Victoria. Ernst I now styled himself " Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ", although he technically held the two separate Duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in personal union.

For the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the latter was only a secondary residence, the focus was squarely on Coburg, where the Ehrenburg Palace was the main residence. Ernst II, successor of Ernst I and older brother of Albert, did not live in the castle when in Gotha, but at the Winterpalais in the town. During his long reign (died in 1893), the castle only housed the administration of the Duchy. Since Ernst II was without heir, he made his nephew, Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, his heir. Alfred renounced his seat in the House of Lords and his annuity, and went to Germany.

In 1899, his only son Alfred reportedly shot himself during his parents' 25th wedding anniversary celebrations at Friedenstein. After being cared for in the castle for some days he was sent to a sanatorium near Meran, where he died on 6 February 1899. As Alfred's uncle, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and cousin, Prince Arthur of Connaught, both renounced their right of succession to the Duchy, the title passed to Charles Edward (Karl Eduard), the son of the Duke of Albany, fourth son of Victoria and Albert. Since Charles Edward was only 16 at the time, until his 21st birthday on 19 July 1905 a regency was installed. World War I caused a conflict of loyalties for Charles Edward/Karl Eduard, but he sided with Germany, leading the British government to strip him of his titles in the United Kingdom.

In November 1918, during the German Revolution Charles Edward was deposed by the local "Workers' and Soldiers' Council" and on 23 November he signed his abdication, thus ending the existence of the Duchy. The castle was now used as a museum.

During World War II an air raid shelter was constructed in the casemates of the castle. In 1944, part of the park and outbuildings were heavily damaged by Allied bombing.

After the end of the war, a significant part of the art treasures of the Friedenstein museums was transported to the Soviet Union as war reparations. However, most of it was restored in the late 1950s.

During the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), renovation work in the castle began in 1965 and many of the additions of the late 19th and early 20th century were removed from the interior.

In what became known as the Kunstraub von Gotha, on the night of 13-14 December 1979, five valuable paintings were stolen from the castle: Frans Hals ' Brustbild eines jungen Mannes, Anthony van Dyck 's Selbstbildnis mit Sonnenblume, Ferdinand Bol 's Alter Mann, Jan Brueghel the Elder 's Landstraße mit Bauernwagen und Kühen and Hans Holbein the Elder 's Heilige Katharina. A special commission of the GDR police failed to solve the theft. It took no less than 40 years for the paintings to be recovered. The thief was Rudolf (Rudi) Bernhardt, who was born in Kassel and died in 2016. He was a train driver in East Germany and a victim of the Stasi.

In 2004, the castle and parks came into the care of the Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten.

The site where Friedenstein stands today, dominating the town of Gotha and its surroundings, was previously occupied by Grimmenstein Castle. It was first mentioned in 1316 and rebuilt in 1531-43 when it was also fortified in accordance with the changed requirements for a fortress in the age of gunpowder. In 1547, the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin as members of the Protestant Schmalkaldic League had lost the Battle of Mühlberg against the Catholic forces of Emperor Charles V. As a result, Johann Friedrich I, Kurfürst von Sachsen (John Frederick I) was stripped of his title as "Elector of Saxony" ( Kurwürde ). Imperial forces blew up the fortifications of Grimmenstein but left the castle itself largely intact. It was rebuilt in 1552-54. However, in 1567 the fortress was almost completely razed as a result of the attempt of Johann Friedrich II (John Frederick II) to regain the Kurwürde by force of arms.

In 1640, Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, also known as Ernst der Fromme ("Ernest the Pious"), first ruler of the newly created Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, settled on Gotha as the site for his Residenz. Gotha at the time was the largest town in the Duchy. In 1641/42 work began on the park, followed by construction of the palace itself in 1643. In naming the castle Friedenstein (literally "peace-rock"), Ernst made a point of drawing a clear line between this new palace and the warlike history of its predecessor. In addition, with the Thirty Years War still ongoing, the name also expressed a desire for peace after decades of warfare.

Based on plans by Casper Vogell [ de ] (1600-1663), Andreas Rudolph [ de ] (1601-1679) was in charge of building the castle. When it was finished in 1656, Friedenstein was the first ever Residenz in the Baroque style built on German soil that was completed during the lifetime of the ruler who ordered it. To justify the expense of such a vast structure, Ernest explicitly referred to the need to accommodate the administration for the new Duchy.

In July 1655, work began on fortifying the castle. By 1672, four bastions had been completed. The outer works were finished by 1687 and, beginning in 1663, the town of Gotha was also fortified. In 1672, the House of Saxe-Altenburg ended and most of the Duchy passed to Ernst, who now was ruler of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Although the Duchy now had two Residenzen, Gotha was by far the more important one.

However, Ernst was unwilling to exclude any of his surviving sons from his heritage. So after his death in 1675, the Duchy was split in 1680/81 into seven separate territories: Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Römhild, Saxe-Eisenberg, Saxe-Hildburghausen and Saxe-Saalfeld. Ernst's oldest son, Friedrich I, became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, with his main Residenz at Gotha.