Welfenschloss
Description
The Welfenschloss is a former royal palace in Hanover, Germany, which serves as the main building of the Leibniz University Hannover. The palace is surrounded by a large English landscape garden.
In 1856, king George V of Hanover (1819–1878) decided to build a new royal residence. Initially, only as a summer residence, but later intended as the main seat replacing the Leineschloss in the city centre. Construction of the new palace started in 1857. Workers used yellowish-white sandstone from the Danndorf and Velpke areas near Helmstedt, one of the hardest sandstones in Germany, and sandstone from Nesselberg near Nesselberg.
The palace was initially named Schloss Königsitz, but in 1861 this was changed into Welfenschloss after the reigning dynasty, the House of Welf, of which the House of Hanover was the surviving branch.
George V's reign ended as a result of the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 after the battle of Langensalza and Prussia annexing Hanover. Construction works ended, leaving the palace empty for over a decade. It was not until 1879 that a new purpose was found for the palace with the Higher Vocational School (as of 2006 the Leibniz University Hannover) moving into the palace. Extensive renovations works were performed by Hermann Hunaeus to transform the palace into an educational building.