Hohenzollern castle 2008

For most people castles and palaces are just something out of movies and fairytales. Hohenzollern castle is a perfect example of that.
Situated near Hechingen about 856 meters high on a hill top, overlooking the Swabian Mountains is the castle of Hohenzollern. The castle as we see it today is the third castle to have been built on that hill.
Here’s just a bit of history on the castle itself. Not much is known about the first castle, it was built in the 11 century. The destruction of the first castle was in 1423, due to a family despute, which in turn lead to a 10 month siege on the castle. It was later reconstructed in the shape of a horse shoe by Count Jost Nicholas von Zollern in 1954. During the 30 year war the castle once again came under siege. The upkeep of the castle was neglected by the invading soldier,which lead to the castles ruin. The castle was once again rebuilt for the third and final time. The design of the third castle was by Frederick Agust Stiller. Frederick A. Stiller was just one the famous architects to come from the Berlin School of Architecture. The influence for the architects design came from the late medieval buildings around Europe. The bases of the structure came from the, then new, neo gothic style.
Some family history. Hohenzollern castle has two family lineages: the Franconian (Prussian) line, which owns two thirds of the castle and the Swabian line which owns one third. On the walls of the entrance hall the Hohenzollern family tree is painted, the blue line representing the Franconian line and the red representing the Swabian line. The current owner of the castle is now living in Berlin, and rarely stays in the castle.
The castle of Hohenzollern now serves as a historical and architectural marvel as well as part of Germany's cultural heritage.
As a student of Architecture, the visit to Hohenzollern Castle was an architectural treat. To be able to see a castle up close and not from a book, changes your perception on thing of how they are. If only the walls could speak, the stories they’d share would be fascinating.
This is going to sound like a tourism pitch, but if you're ever in Germany, Hohenzollern Castle is a must see. This goes especially to all the Archi students.

by Nadia Azem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Update (23/01/08)