Hohenzollern Castle

Majestic castle Hohenzollern, proudly stands on top of a mountain at an altitude of Hohenzollern 855 meters and is located near the settlements and Bisingen Hechingen, in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Castle is considered the preserve of the Hohenzollern dynasty,  the dynasty, which towered over the Middle Ages and rule Prussia and Brandenburg until the end of World War II.  

Author A. Kniesel , License

The current castle has undergone three stages of construction. First medieval castle fortress is mentioned in 1267, but it is assumed that it was built earlier, in XI century. In 1423 the castle was besieged by the troops of the imperial cities of Swabia. May 15, 1423, the castle was taken and destroyed. From the first castle remained only written record. 

In the years 1454-1461 was constructed second fortress. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) the castle had  great strategic importance and served as a refuge for the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. In 1634 the castle was captured by troops of Württemberg. After the end of the Thirty Years War, the castle was still under Habsburg control. During the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) the castle was occupied by French troops during the winter of 1744-1745 years. After this war, the fortress as a strategic object loses its meaning and the blight, a complex of buildings is gradually decaying, and some dilapidated buildings versed. Up to now from all the buildings of the fortress came only second chapel of St. Michael.

This is a file from www.republicgermany.com

Name:     Hohenzollern Castle Country: Germany Location: mountain  Hohenzollern State: Baden-Württemberg Architectural style: Neogothic Material: Brick  Construction of current castle: 1850-1867 Condition: restored and opened to the public

The third building of the castle, which has reached our days, was built between 1850 and 1867 years, with the assistance of the Crown Prince (later King) Frederick William IV. The buildings that exist today, were built by the famous Berlin architect Friedrich August Shtyulera, who in 1842, while still a student and disciple of Karl Friedrich Schinkel was appointed royal architect. The castle was built in the Gothic Revival style, heavily influenced by the German Romantic movement chant medieval idyll. Medieval walls and towers, along with towers and turrets style of neo-romanticism, give a kind of castle attraction. It seems that he came to us from illustrations of children's tales of kings and princesses waiting for their princes.
Since the completion of the third reconstruction,  Hohenzollern castle was used  mainly to enhance the prestige of the ruling of the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty. He did not use for the military or for the representation functions and he originally was a tourist attraction by being open to the public. Only the last Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm lived in the castle for several months after the evacuation of Potsdam in the final period of the Second World War. Here he was buried with his wife, Crown Princess Cecilia. 

Since 1952, the castle was filled with historical artifacts from the collection of the house of Hohenzollern, and from the former Museum of the Hohenzollern palace Monbizhu. One of the most famous relics stored in the museum are the crown of the Prussian kings and uniforms belonging to Frederick the Great. From 1952 to 1991, the museum houses the remains of the castle of Frederick I and Frederick the Great. After the reunification of East and West Germany in 1991, the remains of the Prussian kings were returned to Potsdam. Castle was damaged by an earthquake September 3, 1978 to the mid-1990s, was closed for the reconstruction.

Castle is as before private property: 2/3 belongs to the Brandenburg-Prussian Hohenzollern line and third line Swabian Catholic. Castle is visited annually by about 300 thousand tourists, thus making it one of the most visited castles in Germany.

Among stored in the castle of historical artifacts, it is worth noting the crown of Wilhelm II, some of the personal belongings of Frederick the Great, and the letter of U.S. President George Washington thanking Baron von Steuben, a descendant of the house of Hohenzollern, for his help in the struggle for the independence of the United States. Today the castle is a popular tourist attraction.

 In the preparation of this article, were partially used materials of websites: www.wikipedia.org and  www.caslall.ru.