Frankenhausen Castle

Frankenhausen Castle in Bad Frankenhausen, Thuringia, was one of the secondary residences of the House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. The castle now houses the Kyffhäuser district's local history museum.

The castle dates back to a medieval fortress, which was once located on the outskirts of the settlement of Frankenhausen at the water gate of the city fortifications. The small fortress was also referred to as the Lower Castle, analogous to the Upper Castle, of which the so-called Hausmannsturm (Watchman's Tower) can still be found above Bad Frankenhausen today.

At the end of the 14th century, the complex and the settlement came into the possession of the Counts of Schwarzburg, from whom the later princely House of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt emerged. The counts initially expanded the former castle in the north of their dominion into a fortress, in order to be able to contend with the corresponding complexes of the Counts of Mansfeld - Heldrungen Fortress, the Beichlingen Counts, and the County of Stolberg. In addition to its function as a residence, the castle also played an important role in the administration of Frankenhausen and its saltworks.

During the Peasants' War of the 16th century, the majority of the Frankenhausen population joined the rebels and rose up against their authorities. The castle was severely damaged in the process and subsequently rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1533 to 1536. Matthias Merian's city view from 1650 shows a magnificent building typical of the era, with stepped gables and roof extensions. A large part of Frankenhausen's urban development succumbed to the great city fire of 1689, and the castle was directly affected by this. Only the east facade retained its Renaissance-typical appearance. However, there was a lack of funds for the necessary repairs, so efforts were made to be economical in repairing the castle.