Residenz
Encyclopedia
Residenz is a very formal, otherwise obsolete, German
word for "place of living". It is in particular used to denote the building or town where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore also carrying a similar meaning as the modern expressions seat of government or capital. As there were many sovereign (imperially immediate) rulers in the Holy Roman Empire
, ranking from Lord (Herr
) to prince elector and king, there are many towns, palaces, and castles in this territory which formerly were a Residenz and are partially still so referred to today. The former residenz status of a town is frequently reflected by the architecture of its center. During the baroque
period especially, many prestigious buildings were erected, sometimes even new towns were founded. Today former residenz towns mostly still serve as cultural and administrative centers.
Examples of buildings/towns:
Residenzes newly founded in the baroque era:
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for "place of living". It is in particular used to denote the building or town where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore also carrying a similar meaning as the modern expressions seat of government or capital. As there were many sovereign (imperially immediate) rulers in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, ranking from Lord (Herr
Herr
-People:* John Knowles Herr, American general officer* Lois Herr, American politician* Traugott Herr , German general-Other:* Herr, Indiana, United States* H.E.R.R., a Dutch band* Herr's Snacks, a Pennsylvania-based snack food and potato chip maker...
) to prince elector and king, there are many towns, palaces, and castles in this territory which formerly were a Residenz and are partially still so referred to today. The former residenz status of a town is frequently reflected by the architecture of its center. During the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period especially, many prestigious buildings were erected, sometimes even new towns were founded. Today former residenz towns mostly still serve as cultural and administrative centers.
Examples of buildings/towns:
- Residenz, MunichResidenz, MunichThe Munich Residenz is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs in the center of the city of Munich, Germany...
, the former residence of the monarchs of BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
remains capital of the German state of Bavaria. - Würzburg Residenz, the former residence of the prince bishops of WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. Würzburg today is capital of the Lower FranconiaLower FranconiaLower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
government districtRegierungsbezirkIn Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Bavaria. - Alte ResidenzAlte ResidenzThe Alte Residenz was the city palace of the Archbishops of Salzburg in the Old Town of Salzburg.-Location:It lies in the historic center of Salzburg between Domplatz, Residenzplatz and Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse.-History:...
, the former residence of the Archbishops of SalzburgArchbishopric of SalzburgThe Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
. Salzburg today is capital of the Salzburg stateSalzburg (state)Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...
of AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Residenzes newly founded in the baroque era:
- The french sun king Louis XIV had moved his court to VersaillesVersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in 1682, where his residence set a new standard for all of Europe. Shortly thereafter, other rulers in Europe were tied up in wars (begun by France or its OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
ally) or in domestic struggles (Great Turkish WarGreat Turkish WarThe Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
1683–1699, War of the ReunionsWar of the ReunionsThe War of the Reunions was a short conflict between France and Spain and its allies. It was fueled by the long-running desire of Louis XIV to conquer new lands, many of them comprising part of the Spanish Netherlands, along France's northern and eastern borders...
1683–1684, Glorious RevolutionGlorious RevolutionThe Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
1688, War of the Grand AllianceWar of the Grand AllianceThe Nine Years' War – often called the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the Palatine Succession, or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch...
1688–97). Only after France was forced to peace and the Ottoman Empire, which in the beginning of the war had threatened even Vienna, had been defeated, did the German rulers, especially in the war devastated south west, take up the example of Versailles. - Louis WilliamLouis William, Margrave of Baden-BadenLouis William, Margrave of Baden was the ruler of Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as Türkenlouis...
, Margrave of Baden-BadenBadenBaden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, general field marshal of the Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, nicknamed Turk Louis for his successes against the turks and now in possession of a great war prize, in 1699 altered plans for a hunting lodge being built near the village of Rastatt since 1697. Aiming to become prince elector, he spent 12 million guilderGuilderGuilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s on Rastatt CastleSchloss RastattSchloss Rastatt is a historical building in Rastatt, Germany. The palace and the Garden were built between 1700 and 1707 by the Italian architect Domenico Egidio Rossi as ordered by Margrave Louis William of Baden.-History:...
. The village grew accordingly and was incorporated as a town in 1700. Louis William lived at the castle from 1702, and the court followed from BadenBaden-BadenBaden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
in 1705. - Eberhard LouisEberhard LudwigDuke Eberhard Louis was the tenth duke of Württemberg, from 1692 until 1733.-Biography:Eberhard Louis was born in Stuttgart the third child of Duke William Louis and his wife, Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt...
, Duke of WürttembergWürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
had similarily in 1704 begun reconstruction of a destroyed hunting lodge north of his residenz of Stuttgart. In 1705 he named the site LudwigsburgLudwigsburgLudwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
. Plans were enlarged in 1706 and again in 1715, resulting in Ludwigsburg PalaceLudwigsburg PalaceLudwigsburg Palace is a historical building in the city of Ludwigsburg , Germany. It is one of the country's largest Baroque palaces and features an enormous garden in that style....
. In 1709, Eberhard Louis moved to the new castle. Beginning in the same year a planned communityPlanned communityA planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
was constructed near the palace which was incorporated as town in 1718. Ludwigsburg officially became Württemberg residenz in 1718. After Eberhard Louis' death in 1733 his successor took the court back to Stuttgart. Once again from 1764 to 1775, Charles Eugene, in quarrelling with the duchy's estatesEstates of WürttembergThe Estates of Württemberg was the Estates of the Duchy of Württemberg, a bicameral parliament lasting from 1457 to 1918 except for 1802-15....
over yet another residenz, the Stuttgart New Palace, moved the residenz to Ludwigsburg. - In 1715, Margrave Charles William of Baden-Durlach chose to build a new residenz in a space in the woods he called KarlsruheKarlsruheThe City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
("Charles' rest"). From 1717 on, Karlsruhe was residenz of Baden-Durlach, later of the grand duchy of Baden, and in 1719 the administration had been completely transferred from Durlach. After 1952, when the states of Baden and Württemberg were merged into Baden-Württemberg, the Württemberg capital Stuttgart becoming capital of the new state, Karlsruhe not only remained capital of a government district of the same name, but in compensation became "Residenz des Rechts" (residence of law) for all Germany, seating the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Court of Justice. - Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine since 1716, in 1720 transferred his residenz from HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
to MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, a fort at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and NeckarNeckarThe Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
which had been destroyed in the war and was now being reconstructed. Construction of Mannheim PalaceMannheim PalaceMannheim Palace is a large Baroque palace in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was originally the main residence of the Prince-electors of the Electoral Palatinate...
began in 1720 in place of the former citadelCitadelA citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
.