Jagdschloss Kranichstein is a palace in Kranichstein, now part of Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was built north of Darmstadt from 1578 as a Jagdschloss, a hunting lodge for George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. It served also as a summer residence. In 1917, it became a museum of hunting. From 1946, it was the first location of the Darmstädter Ferienkurse.
| Jagdschloss Kranichstein | |
|---|---|
 Main building | |
 | |
| Alternative names |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Museum, Hotel |
| Location | Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany |
| Construction started | 1578 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Jakob Kesselhuth |
The estate is one of few remaining Baroque hunting lodges in Germany, referred to also as Kranichstein Hunting Lodge.[1] It serves as a hunting museum, and as a hotel with restaurant and event location including for weddings.
History
editJagdschloss Kranichstein was built on a commission from George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt by his master builder Jakob Kesselhuth as a palace with three wings.[2][3] Transformation of a former agricultural estate to a courtly palace began in 1578[3] and was completed in 1580.[4] His successors, Ernest Louis and Louis VIII, held events such as Parforcejagd, expanding the buildings towards more representation and elegance.[2][3] The estate was used for hunting by the landgraves for more than 350 years.[3]
From 1863, Louis IV, the later Grand Duke of Hesse, and his wife Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria, used the property temporarily as their residence, and in the following years as their summer residence.[1] Queen Victoria visited the palace as a summer guest several times.[3]
The estate became a museum in 1917, when Ernest Louis collected all hunting weapons from his palaces and hunting lodges at this location.[2][5] It was installed by Kuno von Hardenberg.[3][4]
It became the venue of the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, courses for contemporary music from 1946.[6] In 1952, the Stiftung Hessischer Jägerhof foundation acquired the estate.[7] In the same year, the museum was reopened,[2] with a focus on the Baroque period. The palace was restored from 1988 to 1996 by the state, Darmstadt and the foundation, restoring the Renaissance version of the first floor.[4] The estate has been used as a hotel, with a wedding venue from the end of the 20th century. In 2008, the museum bioversum in the Jagdzeughaus was opened.[8] It deals with biodiversity and invasive species.[8]
Literature
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- Peter Engels: 600 Jahre Kranichstein, in: Sechste Sommerspiele Jagdschloß Kranichstein, Darmstadt 1999
- Kuno Graf von Hardenberg: Das Jagdschloß Kranichstein und die Jagdmaler des Landgräflichen Hofes zu Darmstadt, Darmstadt 1918
- Eberhard Lohmann: Landgraf Georg I. und die Anfänge von Schloß Kranichstein, Darmstadt 2002
- Iris Reepen: Museum Jagdschloss Kranichstein, Deutscher Kunstverlag München/Berlin 2002 ISBN 3-422-06351-X
- H. Retzlaff: Kranichstein. Renaissanceschloß und Jagdmuseum bei Darmstadt, Darmstadt 1961
- Gisela Siebert: Jagdhäuser der Landgrafen von Hessen-Darmstadt auf Bildern des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts, Darmstadt 2001
- Wolfgang Weitz: Jagdwaffen aus dem Jagdmuseum Schloß Kranichstein, in: Museumsblätter Niddaer Heimatmuseum, Nidda 1990
- Bettina Clausmeyer-Ewers: Wildpark und Schlossgarten Kranichstein, Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV), 2006
References
edit- ^ a b "Historic Places: Kranichstein Hunting Lodge". grinsted.de. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d Krämer-Alig, Annette (8 January 2019). "Die große Sanierung im Jagdschloss Kranichstein beginnt". Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Mainz. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Darmstadt: Neues Konzept im alten Gemäuer". natuerlich-jagd.de (in German). 8 January 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Kessler, Monika. "Jagdschloss Kranichstein". darmstadt-stadtlexikon.de (in German). Darmstadt. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ Joachim, Jens (7 February 2020). "Darmstadt: Neues Konzept im alten Gemäuer". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Frankfurt. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ Krebber, Jürgen. "Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik". darmstadt-stadtlexikon.de (in German). Darmstadt. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ Kessler, Monika. "Stiftung Hessischer Jägerhof". darmstadt-stadtlexikon.de (in German). Darmstadt. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ a b Hein, Rainer (27 September 2008). "Warum die Eidechse überlebt hat". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Frankfurt. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
External links
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- Literature about Jagdschloss Kranichstein in the German National Library catalogue
- Official website Museum
- Official website Hotel
- Renaissanceschlösser in Hessen (project of Germanisches Nationalmuseum)
- "Jagd am Kranichsteiner Teich, 1755". Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS) (in German). Hessian State Office for Historical Regional Studies (Hessisches Landesamt für geschichtliche Landeskunde, HLGL).
- Museum Jagdschloss Kranichstein theplacesihavebeen.com