Schloss Urach

Schloss Urach stands in the spa town of Bad Urach, in the Reutlingen district of Baden-Württemberg. It grew from a medieval water fortress built in the 11th century to protect the valley. In 1400 a rectangular hall building with saddleback roof replaced part of the old castle for Eberhard III and his wife Antonia Visconti. The ensemble now includes a gate tower, professor’s wing, gatekeeper’s house and the main palace with later additions. The palace holds the Golden Hall, a late-Renaissance chamber lined with gilded panelling. Three sides of the room are lit by tall windows, and Corinthian columns divide the space. The walls and columns gleam with gold leaf, giving the chamber its name. The Dürnitz on the ground floor once served the entire court as a dining hall with a four-aisled ribbed vault. Upstairs a painted frieze displayed the lord’s coats of arms and motto. Visitors walk through the gate tower into a courtyard framed by the professor’s wing and the main palace. The south tower rises above the complex, marking the oldest part of the site. Inside, the Golden Hall and Dürnitz remain the principal rooms open to the public. Outside, the castle overlooks the town and the wooded Swabian Alb beyond.