Weilburg Palace and Palace Garden
Weilburg Palace and Palace Garden tell of the courtly attitude to life at the beginning of the 18th century. Count John Ernest zu Nassau-Weilburg made a vision come true in his residential town. This vision still characterises the centre of the small town, later called the “Pearl on the Lahn”.
At a glance
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Schloßplatz
35781 Weilburg
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Opening Hours
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Palace garden is freely accessible
History
The story that Weilburg Palace and Palace Garden tell its visitors could almost be a fairytale: The young count of a dwarf state on the Lahn, John Ernest zu Nassau-Weilburg (1664-1719), arrives at the magnificent court of the French Sun King Louis XIV in Versailles on his cavalier tour – the educational trip for young men of noble status. Like all the guests, he is overwhelmed by the lavish architecture of the palace and the splendour of the huge park. It is here that his vision is born, the realisation of which he begins in 1702.
Through his services to the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and the Elector Palatine, John Ernest is financially well off and so he commissions his architect Julius Ludwig Rothweil to give the small residential town a major makeover. In the years to come, the medieval town, scarred by the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War, is transformed into a flourishing residential town. Since then, it has been referred to as a “pearl on the Lahn”.
Weilburg Palace Garden: View of the Lower Parterre and the Lower Orangery.
Photo: Michael Leukel
Weilburg Palace Garden: Upper Orangery
Photo: Michael Leukel
Weilburg Palace: Elector’s Chamber
Photo: Michael Leukel, 2017
Weilburg Palace: Paris Room
Photo: Michael Leukel, 2017
Photo: Michael Leukel, 2017
Museum Palace
The display rooms offer a unique insight into courtly living culture from four centuries. Highlights of the tour include the Baroque rooms furnished under Count John Ernest: the so-called Elector’s Chamber, the early 18th-century state bedroom, and the princess’s Grand Cabinet.
Foto: Michael Leukel
Meetings & Celebrations at Weilburg Palace
Weilburg Palace and Palace Garden offer you an exclusive ambience for private celebrations, corporate events and special occasions.
