Wernigerode Castle

Schloss Wernigerode stands above the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains. The present building dates from the late 19th century in a style similar to Schloss Neuschwanstein. Its foundations go back to a Romanesque fortress built in the 12th century for German emperors on their hunting trips. The castle was enlarged in the late 15th century in Gothic style with large arched windows. In the 16th century it became a Renaissance fortress, and a spiral staircase tower from that period still remains. The castle passed from the Counts of Wernigerode to the County of Stolberg in 1429. During the Thirty Years' War it was heavily damaged and the counts moved to Ilsenburg House. Count Christian Ernest rebuilt it as a Baroque schloss in 1710 and ruled for 61 years. His descendant Count Otto later had the castle rebuilt again in a Neo-Romantic style, finishing in 1893. The complex includes a chapel designed by Carl Frühling based on drafts by Friedrich von Schmidt, inaugurated in 1883. Visitors find a castle with a spiral staircase tower from the 16th century. The Neo-Romantic building completed in 1893 shows historicism with half-timber and stone. The historic hall has built-in galleries and the choir is decorated with stained glass by Carl Christian Andrea. The chapel stands in the same place as the original, rebuilt in 1880–83. The castle circle offers views over the town and the Harz mountains.