Prinzesshof

The Prinzeßhof stands in Itzehoe, a town in Schleswig-Holstein. It began as a 16th-century residence for a monastery before Otto von Thienen bought the site in 1569 and built a double house called the Thienenhof. The building survived the Thirty Years’ War with little damage while much of Itzehoe burned. In 1674 Niklas von Brüggemann enlarged the house by a third and added a high hipped roof in the Baroque style. The palace was home to various officials, noble families and, briefly, the exiled Elector Wilhelm I of Hesse-Kassel after Napoleon’s invasion. From 1810 it housed three princesses and was renamed the Prinzeßhof. The building now holds the Kreismuseum of Steinburg district. The museum’s rooms trace the region’s past, including displays on the Zement industry once centred in Itzehoe and Lägerdorf. A Biedermeier parlour shows how rooms looked in the 19th century. The Fehrs room preserves the papers of Johann Hinrich Fehrs, a Low German poet. Since 1984 the whole building has been restored and modernised. Temporary exhibitions bring in new themes each year. Beside the museum lies the Prinzeßhofpark, redesigned between 2006 and 2008. Three Corten-steel sculptures by Anthony Newsom stand in the park, each named after one of the princesses who once lived in the house. The park offers a quiet walk among the trees and benches, with views of the old palace walls. Visitors can sit by the water or follow paths lined with seasonal planting. The sculptures catch the light at different times of day, adding a modern touch to the historic setting.