Herzogschloss Wesel

The Herzogschloss Wesel was a late-medieval ducal palace built between 1438 and 1443 on the edge of the Kornmarkt in Wesel. It served as the local residence of the dukes of Cleves and later became the command post of the fortress of Wesel. The building was finally destroyed in 1945 during the Second World War. The palace’s history reflects Wesel’s shifting political loyalties. After the Klever Herzog sold it to the town in 1445 to raise money, he bought it back in 1464. Emperor Maximilian I stayed there in 1502 and 1512. Spanish, Dutch, French and Prussian forces all used the building in turn. In 1730 Frederick the Great was brought here for a stormy confrontation with his father. The philosopher Voltaire visited in 1750. Today the site holds a modern educational centre that includes the town library and the adult education college. The former palace grounds lie at the junction of the Kornmarkt and Ritterstraße, close to the medieval Johanniter settlement and its church. No traces of the building remain above ground, but the surrounding streets still follow the lines of the old market square where the palace once stood.