Castles & Palaces
Weikersheim Castle – a blend of baroque and Renaissance
Weikersheim Castle is one of the highlights along Germany's Romantic Road. Boasting a unique triangular floor plan, the ancestral seat of the Hohenlohe dynasty is considered to be a masterful countryside residence.
During the 16th century, the princely residence was transformed from a moated fortress into a magnificent Renaissance palace. The decor in the lavishly furnished rooms has largely been preserved, as has the huge Great Hall measuring 40 metres in length and dating back to around 1600. And then there's the audience room belonging to Princess Elisabeth Friederike Sophie, which became known as the 'Beautiful Room' thanks to its exquisite furnishings. The baroque interior design within the castle and gardens started to come about in 1710.
The gardens have an axial layout, making them a prime example of baroque landscaping. The orangery, an arcaded structure with two wings dating back to 1723, measures just under 100 metres in length in total and separates the palace garden from the open natural surroundings. The Weikersheim Castle grounds are famous for their imaginative figures, with the four seasons, the four elements and the four winds, the gods of the planets and a number of other classical gods and a court of dwarfs inhabiting this garden kingdom.