Kiel Castle

The origins of Kiel Castle date back to 1242, when Adolf von Schauenburg had a castle built to secure the newly founded settlement. In the 15th century, the complex came into the possession of Danish King Frederick I, who expanded it into a castle. His son Adolf I further enlarged the complex with a Renaissance building. From the 16th to the 18th century, the castle served as a dower house and was occupied multiple times during the Thirty Years' War. In 1665, the founding ceremony of Kiel University took place here. After a wing partially collapsed in 1685, the west and south wings were rebuilt by Domenico Pelli. Following the Great Northern War, the castle briefly became the main residence of the Dukes of Gottorf and was the birthplace of the later Tsar Peter III. Under Catherine the Great, the Renaissance building was transformed into a Baroque palace.