Neuburg Castle

Neuburg an der Donau, Germany

The original Neuburg castle was built in the early Middle Ages by the Agilolfings noble family. This was acquired by the Wittelsbach dukes in 1247. When Count Palatine Otto Henry began his rule in Palatinate-Neuburg in 1522, he found a medieval fortified castle in his residence city of Neuburg, which, unlike similar than other royal residences was still not adjusted for the demands of a modern royal court. So from 1527 he ordered to re-design the castle into a Renaissance palace and to expand the artistic quality and condition to one of the most important palaces of the first half of the 16th Century in Germany. From 1537 an additional west wing was added which also includes the chapel. With his conversion to the Lutheran doctrine in 1541 the Palatine Chapel was decorated with excellent facilities, the antique-style Italian picture program painted in 1543 has been obtained. The chapel was decorated with famous frescoes by the Salzburg church painter Hans Bocksberger the Elder. The chapel is the oldest Protestant church in Bavaria. Because of the financial difficulties and bankruptcy of Otto Henry in 1544, the construction of the west wing took a long time.

Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, who succeeded his cousin Otto Henry in the Duchy of Palatinate-Neuburg, ordered in 1562 to decorate the west wing facing the courtyard with elaborate Sgraffito decorations. The Knights' Hall (the lower panel room in north building) was provided in 1575 by Hans Pihel with a coffered ceiling and wall panels from a rotating timber, both of which are original. The impressive east wing was rebuilt in 1665 by Philip William, Elector Palatine in the Baroque style and complemented with two round towers.

Today the castle houses a gallery of baroque paintings, the museum is under supervision of the Bavarian State Picture Collection.

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Address

Residenzstraße 2, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
See all sites in Neuburg an der Donau

Details

Founded: 1527
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.bavaria.by
www.schloesser.bayern.de

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Ovidiu Traistaru (19 months ago)
Interesring place to visit while in a holiday or have time to spend just for relaxing and seeing new things . I recomand visiting it with patience and calm to make sure you enjoy all the things present there . It can be a time travel with some imagination :) , for sure is fun !
Deon du Rand (2 years ago)
Very big. More like a museum than a castle. Lot of reading to do in there and a lot of exhibitions and paintings. None of the reading in English though. Very warm inside probably to preserve the items. In an old peaceful town with lovely small shops around. This location is part of the 14 day ticket which we purchased at Neuschwanstein castle (also purchasable at the other sites)
Tomas Vobruba (2 years ago)
Nice place to see it. Combination of Donauradweg and this (but not only this) city and castels is really beautiful.
Mario C. Pinheiro Machado Hamberger (3 years ago)
Historical building, very interesting and has 2 museums. A very complex middle age building and very tall.
jithesh rajan (3 years ago)
Very old fort with a long heritage. View from top is awesome. Donau river side makes it a perfect place
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