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.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Koel Ganguly (12 months ago)
Beutiful castle overlooking the Danube river. We did not get inside but if you want some nice pictures, take them from the adjoining bridge.

Rumyana Lazarova (13 months ago)
Very nice castle and capella

Виктория Зайцева (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle. It looks very good from the Danube, rising on a high bank. The castle has a museum and a good collection of paintings by Flemish masters. The price is quite reasonable. On Sunday the museum is open until 16-00. But there are not many visitors. Worth to visit.

Karthik Kalaimani (2 years ago)
Perfect reflections on the Donau. Nice murals in the castle walls.

Nick Boss (2 years ago)
Beautiful spot on the Danube, the museum was well worth the 6 euro ticket, providing a eclectic, look at thehistory of the area

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

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