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Founded: 10th century ADCategory: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Ottonian Dynasty (Germany)
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Ziesar Castle, located on the edge of the town of Ziesar in Brandenburg, is one of the few preserved bishop’s residences in the region. First mentioned in 948 as civitas ezeri, the site became a secondary residence for the Bishops of Brandenburg after Albert the Bear reconquered the area in 1157. In 1213, Bishop Balduin began converting the original moorland fort into a brick-built castle. By 1327, the castle had become the main residence and administrative center of the bishops. Major renovations were made by Bishop Dietrich IV between 1459 and 1472, including the addition of the Gothic Chapel of St. Peter and Paul. Following the Reformation and the secularization of church properties in 1560, the castle was transferred to the Elector of Brandenburg and later used as a residence for widows of the ruling family and as a local administrative center.
In more recent history, the castle was sold to private owners in 1819. After World War II, it was used to house refugees, and from 1955 to 1993 it operated as a boarding school. After German reunification, the building was in poor condition, but extensive restoration efforts followed. Today, Ziesar Castle is home to the local government offices, a museum, a library, and a café.
Architecturally, the castle features a 35-meter-high tower, known as the Bergfried, topped with a bishop’s hat-shaped watch room that can be visited as a viewing platform. The Palas, the main residential building, showcases both Gothic and Baroque elements, while the Chapel of St. Peter and Paul stands out for its red brick Gothic design, pointed arches, and richly painted interior. The chapel is still used for Catholic services and contains significant medieval frescoes, which were rediscovered during restorations between 2002 and 2008 after having been covered with lime paint by Huguenots in the 17th century.
The castle also houses the Museum of Brandenburg Church and Cultural History of the Middle Ages, which opened in 2005 after five years of restoration. The museum explores the connection between Christianization, political power, and territorial development during the Middle Ages. Additionally, a former utility building in the lower courtyard contains a specialist library with over 50,000 volumes on theology and church history, established in 1953 for clergy education in the former East Germany.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.