Widow's Palace
Encyclopedia
The ducal Widow's Palace in Plön
in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein
was the widow's seat of the Duchess Dorothea Christina (Dorothea Christine). During its history the building has also served as an orphanage
and was modified several times. Today it houses Plön's district museum.
, which was mentioned for the first time around 1385, and was a fief (Burglehen) of nearby Plön Castle
. The original building was renovated around 1540 and was used for various purposes, during the rule of the dukes of Plön, including acting as an orphanage from 1685. From 1756 it was extended to become the widow's seat for Dorothea Christina, the mother of Duke Frederick Charles. In the 19th century the court apothecary was moved to the palace. Since the 20th century the building has housed the district museum for the district of Plön.
The barrel-vaulted basement of the palace dates to 1540, after when the building was converted and extended several times. Other alterations to the structure were made in 1639 and 1685, but it was given its present baroque
style largely around 1756, although the front was redesigned around 1842 in the classicist style. The palace is a two-storey building under a high mansard roof
. It has nine wings and a plastered façade facing the town; its other elevations are in brick. The interior character is that of the 19th century transformation; on the upper floor, the rococo
ballroom of 1756, which faces the garden, has been preserved.
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
was the widow's seat of the Duchess Dorothea Christina (Dorothea Christine). During its history the building has also served as an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
and was modified several times. Today it houses Plön's district museum.
Historical overview
The Widow's Palace was originally a stately home dating to the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, which was mentioned for the first time around 1385, and was a fief (Burglehen) of nearby Plön Castle
Plön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
. The original building was renovated around 1540 and was used for various purposes, during the rule of the dukes of Plön, including acting as an orphanage from 1685. From 1756 it was extended to become the widow's seat for Dorothea Christina, the mother of Duke Frederick Charles. In the 19th century the court apothecary was moved to the palace. Since the 20th century the building has housed the district museum for the district of Plön.
The barrel-vaulted basement of the palace dates to 1540, after when the building was converted and extended several times. Other alterations to the structure were made in 1639 and 1685, but it was given its present 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...
style largely around 1756, although the front was redesigned around 1842 in the classicist style. The palace is a two-storey building under a high mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
. It has nine wings and a plastered façade facing the town; its other elevations are in brick. The interior character is that of the 19th century transformation; on the upper floor, the rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
ballroom of 1756, which faces the garden, has been preserved.
Sources
- Hans und Doris Maresch: Schleswig-Holsteins Schlösser, Herrenhäuser und Palais. Husum Verlag, Husum 2006, ISBN 3-89876-278-5
- Dehio: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein. Deutscher Kunstverlag, München 1994, ISBN 3-422-03033-6