Location: Aschaffenburg, Bavaria Map
Constructed: 1605- 1614 by George Ridinger
Tel. +49 6021 386570
Schloss Johannisburg is located in Aschaffenburg of Bavaria region of Germany. Schloss Johannisburg or Castle Johannisburg construction began in 1605- 1614 on the banks of river Main by architect George Ridinger in a German Renaissance style. Current building replaced much older medieval castle, but little is known about former stronghold. However a Gothic castle keep was preserved and preserved as a fifth tower in the North- West side of the complex. The name of Schloss Johannisburg palace comes from a small chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (erected 1284) that once stood here. It served as a second private residence for Prince Bishop of Mainz. It owes its red color due to the local red limestone found in the area. Schloss Johannisburg was heavily damage by military actions in the last days of World War II and took almost to decades to reconstruct it to its previous magnitude.
Little is known about the building history of the medieval
castle, which was built on the same site. In 1284 a new chapel was
dedicated to John the Baptist. There are reports of the expansion of
the castle from the 14th century, especially the keep, which towered
over the magnificent castle complex according to a drawing by Veit
Hirsvogel the Younger. This castle was already the second seat of
government of the Archbishops of Mainz, who presided over the
largest ecclesiastical province of the Holy Roman Empire and at the
same time acted as archchancellor of the empire. Aschaffenburg was
the site of various prince assemblies and synods of bishops in the
13th to 15th centuries. Outstanding guests were King Ludwig the
Bavarian in 1317 or King Wenzel of Luxembourg in 1383.
The
location gained special importance when Albrecht von Brandenburg,
Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, withdrew from Halle to
Aschaffenburg because of the Reformation in 1539. The medieval
complex was looted and destroyed in the Markgräflerkrieg in 1552,
whereby many art treasures that Albrecht had brought to
Aschaffenburg were lost. Works by Lucas Cranach the Elder and his
school, which are now part of the Aschaffenburg State Gallery in the
castle (they cannot be viewed from 2015 to 2019 due to the
renovation of the building and the restoration of the paintings),
have been preserved.
In 1604 the new Elector Johann
Schweikhard von Kronberg commissioned the building of the palace.
The Strasbourg architect and builder Georg Ridinger was entrusted
with the execution. Ridinger had the remains of the old castle torn
down; only the large Gothic keep was included as the fifth tower in
the new building in the middle of the northwest wing. At the west
corner, the building was connected to the old city wall next to the
Theodorich's Gate with the side facing the Main in the first
construction phase with a 20 m high substructure. The coat of arms
of Elector Johann Schweikhard, designed by the sculptor Hans Junker,
is embedded in this wall in the central axis of the castle. The name
of the castle has a double reference, on the one hand to the patron
saint John the Baptist, on the other hand to its builder. The coat
of arms destroyed in World War II was reproduced during the
restoration of the castle. The Suicardusstraße, which runs below the
castle on the banks of the Main, also reminds of the client.
The entire structure is kept strictly symmetrical and has external
dimensions of 87.5 m by 86 m. Red Odenwald sandstone from quarries
in the Miltenberg and Obernburg am Main area was used for the
facades. The three-storey side wings are about 13.50 m deep. The
eight-story corner towers are 52 meters high, which corresponds to
the width of the individual wings. The square inner courtyard has a
side length of 51 m. The height of the towers on the first three
floors corresponds to the side wings, so that 15 or 16 windows are
aligned over the entire width. Above are three floors, which
correspond to the roof height of the side wings. A balustrade runs
around each tower around the seventh floor above. The eighth floor
is finally octagonal with a tapered diameter and forms the basis for
the also octagonal domed domes. The four inner stair towers have
four floors, of which the lower one is square, the one above it is
octagonal. The individual floors of the outer facade are structured
by cornices, so that on the one hand the unity of towers and
intermediate structures is emphasized, and on the other hand the
large structure appears lively. The profiled draperies of the
windows, which are designed differently on each floor, also
contribute to this. Finally, the three-storey gable in the central
axes of the intermediate buildings, which accommodate the
corresponding storey heights of the towers and have artistic
ornamentation in the style of Italian Renaissance architecture with
obelisks, offer a visual highlight. The castle is bordered by a
wide, dry castle moat and can be reached by a bridge in the
south-east wing. The current version of the main portal, with a
balcony and two double columns each, dates from the Erthal period.
Johannes Schweikhard von Kronberg had coins minted for the
inauguration of the palace on February 17, 1614, the 10th
anniversary of his election as elector, which show the palace on one
side and his coat of arms or portrait on the other. From now on he
carried out his government affairs for the Mainz Electoral State
from the new castle. The architect Ridinger documented his work in a
copperplate engraving that was printed in 1616, so that important
information about the original shape and furnishings of the castle
is preserved. The builder died in 1617. The last work on the castle
was not completed until 1618/1619.
Inside, the palace mainly
contained utility and administrative rooms as well as a number of
kitchens on the ground floor. A silver chamber was housed in the
left part of the south-east wing, where the castle wine room is
today. The elector's apartment was on the first floor in the main
wing. As a residence for the emperor, the "emperor's apartment" was
on the second floor above the elector's apartment. In addition to
the corresponding living rooms, this comprised the representative
Imperial Hall, which was seven window axes wide.
If you take
a closer look at the lintels on the first floor, you can see that in
addition to the Mainz wheel, the coat of arms of the Archbishopric
Mainz, there are also elements of the coat of arms of the family of
the builder, the family of the Kronberg family: the thistle umbel
set in a crown (helmet ornament of the family coat of arms) and six
of the iron hats shown in blue in the coat of arms.
According
to an anecdote, the Capuchin Father Bernhard von Trier is said to
have saved the castle and town from being pillaged by the troops of
the Swedish King Gustav Adolf in 1631 with his quick wittedness.
After handing over the keys to the city, the Swedish king announced
that he found it a shame to have to burn down the lock, which had
only been completed a few years earlier, as he could not take it
with him to Sweden. The Capuchin said, however, that he could do
this, he just had to roll it there. Gustav Adolf frowned
questioningly, and the clever priest referred to the wheels carved
above each of the numerous windows on the first floor, which refer
to the Mainz coat of arms. It is reported that the king had to laugh
as a result and refrained from destroying it.
The Archbishop
of Mainz and Elector Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal had to flee
from Mainz to Aschaffenburg in 1792 because of the approaching
French troops. As a result, valuable furniture, over 200 paintings,
the electoral library, a collection of valuable paraments and a
collection of copper engravings that were lost in the Second World
War came to Aschaffenburg. He had the castle and the surrounding
area redesigned in the style of classicism according to contemporary
tastes. His court architect Emanuel Herigoyen helped with this.
During the Second World War, the castle was badly hit by several
bombs and artillery fire in March and April 1945 and burned out
almost completely. Soon after the end of the war, the desire arose
to rebuild the castle. Old records from the construction period
helped. It was particularly difficult to restore the tower hoods,
which were not entirely true to the original. The number of castle
windows was also increased during the reconstruction. The interiors
were not restored, but redesigned from the point of view of museum
use. The city of Aschaffenburg and the Free State of Bavaria took
over the financing. In total, the renovation costs amounted to over
20 million German marks. In 1964 the castle was reopened. There were
regular castle concerts of the specially founded Collegium musicum
Aschaffenburg with renowned musicians. It now contains various
museums and collections. The living rooms are currently not open to
the public due to the renovation of the building.
This also includes the Aschaffenburg State Gallery, a branch of the Bavarian State Painting Collections. Today there are paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Ä., His son and a number of students and Rubens exhibited. The Cranach collection is considered the most important in Europe. You can also see a crucifixion group by Hans Baldung Grien and a representation of Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg as magnificently dressed and adorned Saint Martin. The collection also includes a large number of Dutch and Flemish masters from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The collection of paintings is followed by the Chamber of
Paraments, in which valuable vestments with precious embroidery and
other church clothing as well as other liturgical implements from
the collections of the Archbishops of Mainz are exhibited.
In
the north-west wing there is the two-storey castle chapel between
the west tower and the keep, which can only be seen in the inner
courtyard through the continuous windows and a particularly ornate
portal. The portal to the St. John's Chapel is much more elaborate
than the other courtyard portals and, like the interior of the
chapel, was probably made by Hans Junker. A round arched doorway is
framed by two Corinthian columns each, which carry a split segment
gable with extension. Between the flanking columns there are wall
niches with statues showing John the Baptist (the patron saint of
the castle) and John the Evangelist. On the keystone above the
doorway, the handkerchief of Veronica is depicted with the face of
Christ. In the extract there is a tufa relief with the baptism of
Christ by John. At the top is a statue of Mary with the baby Jesus.
From the inside you can get directly from the first floor of the
south-west side, the living area of the elector, to the west
gallery of the castle church. Opposite, behind the altar, is the
east gallery. The altar, designed by Junker in 1614, consists of
reddish, black and agate-colored marble and fills the entire height
of the eastern wall. The elaborate and artistic design includes
around 150 figures, which are sculptured or in relief made of
alabaster. The work of redemption and the passion of Christ are
depicted. In the central main picture Christ is shown on the cross.
Above this is the depiction of the resurrection in the essay. Among
other things, there is also a portrait of the client with the model
of the castle. On the pulpit, built in 1618, reference is made to
the prophets Moses David and Solomon on the shaft. The pulpit
cladding contains depictions of the church fathers Ambrosius,
Hieronymus, Augustine and Gregory as well as Christ as a world
teacher accompanied by the four evangelists and Paul and Peter. The
extensive repair and reconstruction work in the castle chapel to
remove the damage from the Second World War could only be completed
in 1989.
A carillon (carillon) made up of 48 bells (4
octaves) has been installed in the east tower of the castle since
1969, which sounds automatically three times a day, but can also be
played by hand. From time to time famous carillon artists perform in
Aschaffenburg.
Also very interesting is the world's largest
collection of architectural models made from cork with 54 numbers in
the inventory catalog, which mainly depict ancient buildings from
Rome, including a model of the Colosseum, which with its three
meters diameter is the largest cork model in the world. It is thanks
to the court confectioner and phelloplasticist Carl Joseph May and
his son Georg, who began building the models in 1792.
Part of
the city collections have been in the castle since 1972. These
include sculptures from the palace construction period, city views,
guild equipment and furniture. The collections of German and foreign
ceramics, especially of faience, stoneware and porcelain, are also
special attractions. The rich collection of earthenware that was
produced in the Dammer manufactory comes from the region. But modern
paintings are also presented, including the works of classical
modernism by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Christian Schad.
On
the second floor there are the electoral living rooms with the
original furniture of Archbishop Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal
from around 1800.
The Aschaffenburg State Court Library,
through which the Aschaffenburg Abbey Library is also administered
with approx. 22,000 volumes, 86 manuscripts and 586 incunabula, as
well as the castle cellars and the castle wine bars are still
located in the castle.
The palace garden stretches from Johannisburg Palace to the
Pompejanum and St. Germain Terrace. Because of the space available
around Johannisburg Castle - with a Capuchin monastery in the
immediate vicinity - a representative castle garden in baroque style
could never be created there. This is how the somewhat angled
complex on the banks of the Main was created with its narrow, curved
paths, arcades and pergolas, walls and seating niches, pedestrian
bridges and other architectural elements. The focus of the planting
is on Mediterranean plants such as fig and agave, which make up the
special Mediterranean flair of Aschaffenburg and which have
contributed to the nickname Bavarian Nice. The breakfast pavilion
built by Archbishop and Elector Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal is
located in the palace garden.
An archaeological investigation
has been carried out on the palace terrace, the narrow strip between
the palace building and the railing on the banks of the Main, since
autumn 2019. The basis was a garden plan from 1744, which provided
for at least a small baroque garden design. It was not clear whether
it was a representation of an existing building or a draft sketch
that was not executed. According to a media report on the progress
of the work, due to traces in the ground, it is considered likely
that there used to be a baroque garden here. The complex had a
"three-dimensionality" that is no longer visible today, with height
differences of up to six meters, which was not shown on the old
garden plan. It was not until the end of the 18th century that the
architect Emanuel Joseph von Herigoyen, who also renewed the
interior of the palace, put an end to the "baroque playfulness" in
the sense of classicism and brought the palace surroundings to a
uniform level.
The city of
Aschaffenburg celebrated the 400th anniversary of the start of
construction on the palace in 2007 as part of the Aschaffenburg
Culture Days. The official reason for the date is that the two by
three meters high, electoral coat of arms of the builder on the
so-called coat of arms wall, which is two by three meters in size,
indicates the year 1607 and is therefore the oldest evidence of the
start of construction. The inscription under the coat of arms reads:
IO[ANN]ES SUICARDUS
D[EI] G[RATIA] A[RCHIEPISCOPUS]
M[OGUNTINUS] P[RINCEPS] E[LECTOR] A[NN]O 1607
(English: Johannes
Schweikard, by the grace of God, Archbishop of Mainz and Elector, in
1607)
According to the official reading, the date 1605
mentioned in every history book for the start of construction is a
historically unproven fiction. The coat of arms wall shows the
oldest date and also serves as the foundation of the castle.
At the beginning of 2014, the city of Aschaffenburg celebrated 400
years of the castle with the inauguration date on February 16, 2014
with a pontifical mass in the collegiate basilica. In addition,
numerous events took place throughout the year in and around the
palace, including multiple carillon concerts that could be heard
from the palace courtyard, as well as parts of the Aschaffenburg
Culture Days in the palace courtyard.