Philippsthal Castle

The origins of Philippsthal Castle date back to the Reformation, when the Benedictine convent of Kreuzberg was dissolved. Between 1685 and 1735, the Baroque residence for the Landgraves of Hessen-Philippsthal was erected on its grounds. The complex consists of three wings grouped around a trapezoidal inner courtyard. The west wing, once home to the landgravial library, now houses the municipal library. A sandstone gate with the coat of arms of the Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel adorns this wing. The north wing, which fell victim to a fire in 1976, was rebuilt on its original foundations to preserve the three-wing layout. The archway house in the east served as the main entrance and housed a customs information point until 1998, after which it became the Border Museum.