Herzog Castle Straubing

Construction of the Ducal Castle began in 1356 under Duke Albrecht I, who had an open residence built on the banks of the Danube. The ensemble included princely buildings with a large hall structure between two residential towers, which was raised in 1422. Under Albrecht's son Johann III, the Knights' Hall was created following Dutch models. A castle chapel, dedicated to St. Sigismund and St. George, was started in 1373 and consecrated in 1393, with its nave rebuilt in the 15th century and redesigned in the Baroque period. The gate tower, already part of the city wall before 1356, was integrated into the complex and still shows traces of a portcullis today. The castle served not only as a ducal residence but also as a meeting place for important events, including an Imperial Diet in 1430. After the extinction of the Straubing Wittelsbach line in 1425, the castle became the seat of the Vizedom and later the Rentamt, making Straubing an administrative center.