Jever Castle

Jever Castle in Jever, Lower Saxony, is founded on a castle of the East Frisian chieftains and was the seat of the Lordship of Jever. It is the most significant secular building in the city.

A fortified castle, which formed the core of the later city, stood on the site of the present castle since the Middle Ages. The old fortress was completely destroyed in 1427 as a result of disputes between the chieftain families. From 1428, a new castle was built under Hajo Harlda and subsequently expanded by Tanno Düren and Edo Wiemken. The centerpiece was a mighty keep, which was integrated into a four-winged castle complex surrounded by moats and ramparts from the 16th century onwards. From 1560 to 1564, the then regent Maria von Jever had various renovations carried out in the Renaissance style. Among other things, she had the carved coffered ceiling installed in the audience hall.

In 1667, the Lordship of Jever and the castle came into the possession of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The Anhalt rulers, whose own principality in present-day Saxony-Anhalt was many days' journey from Jever, rarely stayed at the castle and therefore carried out hardly any major changes. It was only under Prince Johann August that the mighty central tower, which completely dominates the small castle courtyard, was crowned with its baroque dome from 1731 to 1736. The 67-meter-high tower is now the landmark of the city and can also be found, along with the castle, as the trademark of Jever Pilsener.

After the Zerbst partition in 1793 until her death in 1796, Johann August's granddaughter, Empress Catherine the Great, was the owner of the castle. However, due to her obligations in Russia, she did not inhabit the castle during this time. In 1818, Jever fell to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. The castle was used by the Oldenburg dukes as a secondary residence, and the old defensive structures were demolished in this context. A part of the former farm buildings was also demolished, and the immediate area of the castle island was transformed into a landscape garden.

Since 1921, the Jever Castle Museum has been located in the castle, dedicated to both the history of the building and the Lordship of Jever. In addition, changing exhibitions take place in the castle.