Old Castle Weimar

The Old Castle is first mentioned in the 10th century as a moated castle owned by the Counts of Orlamünde (Counts of Weimar). In 1299, the castle was destroyed by a fire and subsequently rebuilt. In 1424, the castle burned down again. The reconstruction was carried out by Duke Wilhelm III (the Brave) of Saxony until 1439. From 1485, the castle was owned by the Ernestine line of the Dukes of Saxony and served as a secondary residence from 1513. From 1535 to 1604, the castle was converted into a Renaissance palace by the master builders Konrad Krebs and Nikolaus Gromann on behalf of Elector Johann Friedrich I of Saxony. On August 2, 1618, half of the castle burned down. In 1619, it was rebuilt as an Italian-inspired four-wing complex. In 1651, the New City Palace (Wilhelmsburg Palace) was added to the Old Castle. In 1728, the Old Castle received a new baroque tower dome based on a design by Gottfried Heinrich Krohne. Today, the Old Castle is part of the Weimar City Palace.