Karlsburg Castle
Encyclopedia
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.-History:Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession, but afterwards came into the hands of Rudolph of Habsburg.It was chosen by the margrave...
district of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The 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...
characterizes the history of the Baden
Baden
Baden 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....
since 1563. Only the ("Princesses' wing") of the historical building still stands.
Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
was the residence of Margrave Charles II, until he decided in 1563 to move to Durlach. What, if anything, the citizens of Durlach offered him during the negotiations is unknown. Charles decided to extende the medieval Karlsburg Castle into a palace and make it his residence. His successors further extended the castle, until the city was occupied by French troops in 1689. The French burned down the city and the castle. In 1698, Margrave Frederick Magnus returned from exile in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and started rebuilding the castle. Frederick had grandiose plans, but no money and the nargraviate had been devastated by the war. A dispute erupted with the citizens of Durlach, who refused to support the rebuilding effert. By 1703 two wings had been completed and the margrave had moved in, when the project was suspended indefinitely.
Frederick's son and successor, Margrave Charles III William, decided in 1715 to end the discussion and relocate his residence to an new palace outside Durlach. He founded the city of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The 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...
, centered on his new palace. Charles and his court moved into the new palace in 1718. His wife, however, chose to remain in Durlach until her death in 1743.
The Karlsburg was later used as an administrative office and even as a barracks. The Pfinzgau Museum has been housed in the castle since 1924. In 1964, a wing was demolished to make room for the Castle School at Durlach. The castle was extensively renovated from 1973 to 1988. Today, it houses the registry office, the Pfinzgau Museum, the Carpathian-German Museum, classrooms for adult education and the Margrave School, the historic banquet hall and the Durlach city library.