Wiki source code of Trausnitz Castle

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 1: 1 Trausnitz Castle
 2: 
 3: Trausnitz Castle is a medieval castle situated in Landshut, Bavaria in
 4: Germany. It was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty, and it served as
 5: their ducal residence for Lower Bavaria from 1255-1503, and later as
 6: hereditary rulers of the whole of Bavaria. The castle was founded in 1204
 7: by Duke Ludwig I.
 8: 
 9: 1.1 Castle Features
10: 1.1.1 Knights' Hall
11: 
12: The Knights' Hall of Castle Trausnitz belongs to the main buildings of the
13: 13th century and there were already around 1260/70. The room is 245 m² and
14: is separated in two naves, to four "Jochen" a nave. The constructions that
15: were used belong to the time period of the so called "Zisterziensergotik".
16: Today the Knights' Hall is used for festival banquets or for short
17: exhibitions.
18: 
19: 1.1.1 Tower Terrace (Söller)
20: The "Loggia", already called so since 1493, was finished in the 16th
21: century. The Tower Terrace sports a great view of the city through the
22: round arcs. On the east side there is a stair tower. The wooden ceiling
23: with shaped rosettes is descended from the time of Wilhelm V. There is a
24: stone walled music platform on the south side of the room. The "Söller" is
25: today used for many different functions, and it holds a maximum of 99
26: people.
27: 
28: 1.1.1 White Hall
29: The White Hall is on the first floor of the "Dürnitz" tract and is
30: directly above the Knights' Hall. The White Hall has probably existed
31: since the 15th century and was probably planned as a big ballroom. It
32: appears that the hall was never finished, because there are no traces of
33: paintings as usual for the castle at this time. The about 240 m² tall
34: room, which is two floors large, is today used for banquets, greetings,
35: concerts and lectures. The visitors can enjoy the great view over the
36: ancient city of Landshut.
37: 
38: 1.1.1 Chamber of art and curiosities
39: A phenomenon in the Renaissance that proliferated Europe throughout the
40: 16th and 17th centuries, the cabinet of curiosities was in essence a
41: personal collection of rare, unknown and marvelous objects. Popular,
42: visual and encyclopedic in their approach, these cabinets, or
43: Wunderkammern, included a diversity of specimens from both known and newly
44: discovered worlds. These collections of curious objects that are seemingly
45: not human in nature require the idea or application of human
46: characteristics and traits to describe their inhuman state.
47: 
48: The Trausnitz Chamber of Art and Curiosities which was arranged by Prince
49: Wilhelm in 1579 and then taken to Munich is a collection of 750 exhibits
50: including works of art, treasures from the Orient and curiosities typical
51: of the collections owned by rulers in the Renaissance era. It was reopened
52: in September 2004 as one part of the Bavarian National Museum. The chamber
53: is divided into four different themes. ARTIFICIALA-wondrous
54: legerdemains-contains sumptuous bronze and painting but also midget
55: carving of plum stones. NATURALIA-the wonder of nature-gets shown stuffed
56: animals, extraordinary horns, mussels and minerals. The hall of
57: EXOTICA-marvellousness from foreign countries-contains craft of corals,
58: ivory and nacre whereas SCIENTIFICA-scientific arranges the world-shows
59: scientific instruments of rational acquisition of the world in year 1600.
60: 
61: 1.1 History
62: 
63: Trausnitz Castle is situated atop a hill above Landshut. Before the 16th
64: century, it had the same name as the town, Landshut, which translates into
65: "protector of the land". Previously, the castle guarded over the city and
66: the surrounding land. The size of the castle has remained almost the same
67: since Louis I of Bavaria in 1204. The castle was completed by the time of
68: Emperor Frederick II's visit in 1235.
69: 
70: During the first half of the 13th century, Trausnitz represented not only
71: the centre of imperial politics but also of Staufer culture. Landshut was
72: visited by famous minnesingers, including Walter von der Vogelweide and
73: Tannhäuser, during this period. The patronage of art by the Dukes of
74: Bavaria was so high that they sent for a sculptor from Strasbourg who
75: created jewellery for a sculpture that now stands in the Castle's
76: Burgkapelle.
77: 
78: The wealthy Duke of Landshut repeatedly renovated and expanded the
79: buildings in Burg Trausnitz during the 15th century. The Dürnitz was built
80: during this time. The outer defensive ring of walls were heightened and
81: extended for the defensive towers.
82: 
83: Duke Louis X of Bavaria furnished the castle in 1516 in the south German
84: Renaissance style, though few examples remain today. The arcades of the
85: courtyard were created 1568-1578 by Friedrich Sustris for Crown Prince
86: William. Many paintings in the Florentine style were added at this time,
87: but most were lost due to fire. Later, Prince Ferdinand Maria (1675-1679)
88: undertook restoration of the burnt paintings and decorated other rooms
89: with paintings.
90: 
91: During the 18th century, the castle was used a barracks and a prison for
92: noble prisoners. At the beginning of the 19th century it was used as a
93: hospital.
94: 
95: King Ludwig II of Bavaria ordered to decorate a new splendiferous private
96: apartment in the second floor of the prince's wing (1869-1873).
97: In 1961, a fire destroyed much of the interior decoration, including the
98: king's rooms.