Schloss Sigmaringen Totally Explained

Everything about Schloss Sigmaringen totally explained

Sigmaringen Castle (German: Schloss Sigmaringen) was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Situated in the Swabian Alb (German: Schwäbische Alb) region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, this castle dominates the skyline of the town of Sigmaringen. The castle was rebuilt following a fire in 1893, and only the towers of the earlier medieval fortress remain. Schloss Sigmaringen was a family estate of the Swabian Hohenzollern family, a branch of the Hohenzollern family from which the kings of Germany came. During the closing months of World War II, Schloss Sigmaringen was the seat of the Vichy French Government after France was liberated by the Allies. The castle and museums may be visited throughout the year, but only on guided tours.

Location

Sigmaringen is located on the southern edge of the Swabian Alb a plateau region in southern Baden-Württemberg. The Hohenzollern castle was built below the narrow Danube river valley in the modern Upper Danube Nature Park (German: Naturpark Obere Donau). The castle rises above the Danube River on a towering chalk projection of the white jura formation. The hill is known simply as the Schlossberg or Castle Rock. The Schlossberg is about 200 m long and up to 35 m above the river. On this free standing rock tower, the princely Hohenzollern castle is the largest of the Danube valley castles. The shear cliffs and steep sides of the tower made it a natural site for a well protected medieval castle. The castle is located about 605 m above sea level, while the Danube is about 570 m.

History

The first castle at Sigmaringen appeared during the end of the Early Middle Ages, during the early 11^th Century. The castle was first mentioned in 1077 following the unsuccessful siege of Burg Sigmaringen by Rudolf von Swabia in his fight against the King of Germany, Henry IV. In 1083 a pair of brothers, Ludwig and Manegold von Sigmaringen, are listed as witnesses on a document for the Königseggwald abbey.
   Ludwig von Sigmaringen was married to Richinza von Spitzenberg, daughter of Berthold I. von Zähringen. At the end of the 11^th Century he built a castle on Spitzenberg mountain by Kuchen, Germany. The castle and the surrounding land and villages were part of the inheritance of Richinza. From the marriage of Richinza and Ludwig they'd four children; Mathilde von Spitzenberg, the wife of Aribo von Wertingen, the clergyman Ulrich von Sigmaringen, Ludwig II. von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg and Manegold von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg. The three brothers, Ulrich, Ludwig and Mangold von Sigmaringen are named as the founders of the 11^th Century St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest.
   From 1133 until 1170 Rudolf von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg, the son of Ludwig II. von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg, ruled at Sigmaringen. In 1183 Graf (or Count) Ludwig von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg-Helfenstein, the son of Rudolf, is mentioned at the castle. In 1147 Ludwig as well as his father Rudolf and brother Ulrich II von Sigmaringen-Spitzenberg, is mentioned in a document from Walters von Dillingen, Bishop of Augsburg, as lords of Spitzenberg-Sigmaringen.
   Under the Helfenstein family, the castle was renovated around 1200. The castle was totally rebuilt with buckel stones (squared off stones with a rounded outer surface). Between 1209 and 1258 the castle was occupied by Count Gottried von Sigmaringen-Helfenstein and his son Count Gebhard von Sigmaringen-Pietengau. In 1258 the cousin of Count Gebhard, Count Ulrich II. von Helfenstein, became the owner of Burg Sigmaringen. Later, Ulrich's daughter Agnes married Count Ulrich I. von Montfort. Following the marriage in 1272, Sigmaringen was owned by the Counts of Montfort. Then, in 1290 Count Hugo V. von Montfort, son of Ulrich I. von Montfort sold the castle and the city of Sigmaringen to Albrecht and Rudolf von Habsburg.
   Before 1325 Duke Luipold von Habsburg sold the castle and the county of Sigmaringen to Count von Württemberg.
   Finally in 1399 Count Eberhard von Württemberg granted the castle and county of Sigmaringensein as well as the county of Veringen in Margraviate of Austria, to his uncle and liegeman Count Eberhard III. von Werdenberg (1387-1416) as a fief. His son Count Johann IV. von Werdenberg (1416-1465) and his wife Countess von Württemberg (disinherited by the House of Württemberg), in 1459 inherited the castle and county of Sigmaringen. The protect his land, in the following year he declared Sigmaringen an Austrian fief. From 1460 until 1500 the Counts von Werdenberg renovated and expanded the Burg (a military fortress) into Schloss Sigmaringen (a fortified residence), the dimensions of which remain until today. Toward the end of the 15^th Century they built two long, angular buildings in the north east. Then, in the early 16^th Century another wing was added to the west. The two round towers that flank the entrance to the castle also date from this time in 1530 as Count Felix I was in the bath house with Leonora Werdenberg (the illegitimate daughter of Hugo IX and the mistress of Felix and Christoph von Werdenberg) the bath house fire was allowed to spread, leading to a fire that expanded throughout the outbuildings around the castle.
   In 1534, following the death of the last male member of the Werdenberger family, Count Friedrich von Fürstenberg demanded the Werdenberger lands. However, King Ferdinand I granted the fief of Sigmaringen and Veringen, in 1535, to Charles I of Hohenzollern (1516-1576), the son from Johanna von Bröselns first marriage with Friedrich III. von Hohenzollern.
   Charles I was the first Hohenzollern to rule in Sigmaringen.
   In 1539 there was another fire that damaged the castle.
   A year later, in 1540 Sigmaringen and Veringen were transferred to the House of Hohenzollern as part of the Pfullendorf agreement (German: Pfullendorfer Vertrag). Count Charles I. von Hohenzollern occupied the castle. Charles II. von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1547-1606), son of Charles I was the count of Sigmaringen from 1576 until 1606. He was also the founder of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen line of the Hohenzollern family. Under Charles II the castle was renovated. Between 1576 and 1606 the gatehouse was expanded to cover the entrance to the castle and a new church was built near the castle.
   In 1576 the House of Hohenzollern split into four lines, Hohenzollern (died out in 1602), Hohenzollern-Haigerloch (absorbed by Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen after 1630), Hohenzollern-Hechingen (died out in 1869) und Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Sigmaringen was the main residence of the family of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from 1576 until 1850. Johann von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1578-1638), the son of Charles II was the count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from 1606 until 1623. Then in 1623 the family was promoted from Count (German: Graf) to the rank of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire (German: Reichsfürst). Johann then became the first prince (German: Fürst) of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
   During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was besieged by Swedish troops in 1632, and retaken by the Imperial troops in the following year. During the attack by Imperial troops under General Horn, the eastern section of the castle was destroyed by fire. Prince Karl Anton's passion for collecting weapons resulted in the creation of this collection. The collection shows the evolution of weapons from the 14^th Century to the 20^th Century. In addition to weapons, the collection also includes protective items such as shields, armor and handguns. Particularly noteworthy are such rare objects dating from the 15th century as a German multi-barrel gun, a body shield and a richly engraved helmet once belonging to a royal bodyguard from ca.1622. The collection includes not just European weapons but also weapons that were considered exotic, such as persian weapons and the full equipment of a japanese Samurai.
   In the Galeriebau (English: Gallery Building), built from 1862 to 1867 under Prince Karl Anton, west of the castle is a collection of medieval torture instruments. The torture chamber with its instruments illustrates an earlier sense of justice.

Pre and Ancient History Collection

In addition to the torture museum, the Galeriebau also houses a Pre and Ancient history museum. The collections give a picture of life from the Stone Age until the end of the Merovingian dynasty (10.000 B.C. until 700 A.D.). It also includes artifacts from the roman settlements around Sigmaringen. Karl Anton wasn't just fascinated by weapons and hunting, he also loved history and archeology. In 1881 during construction of a canal in the Sigmaringen Market Square, Roman pottery shards and iron work were found. This discovery excited Karl Anton, and he ordered a member of the court F. A. von Lehner to search for and archeologically explore the Villa Rustica in the area. Finds from this Roman estate as well as other nearby estates are including in the collection.

Marstallmuseum

Located south west of the castle is the royal stables (German: Marstall). The building now houses the Marstallmuseum, a collection of princely carriages. Carriages, coachs, sleds and sedan chairs are presented in an open building. Additionally, equipment for the horses including saddles, horse shoes and spurs, are on display in the museum. One of the exibits, a manual firefighting pump dates back to the fire in the castle in 1893. The fire raged for three days because the connections on the modern firefighting equipment didn't match the castle's connections. Water had to be brought up by a human chain in buckets from the Danube to the castle.

Visiting the castle

The castle may only be visited as part of a tour. The tours are in German only, though translated guides are available. The castle is open March and April: 9:30-16:30 May to October: 9:00-17:00 November to February: 10:00-15:30

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