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Hohenzollern Castle – Prussia's ancestral seat in Swabia
Hohenzollern Castle
17 August 1991. On the 205th anniversary of his death, the sarcophagus containing the remains of King Frederick II of Prussia were moved from Hohenzollern Castle in Swabia to Potsdam in accordance with his will. Escorted by a guard of honour of the German military, he will first be laid out in the courtyard of Sanssouci Palace before being buried in the crypt on the highest vineyard terrace in the park.
An odyssey led up to this transfer, which was arranged by top government officials. Discovered by American GIs in a salt mine in Saxony, the remains of “Alter Fritz”, the symbol of the conscientious, philosophical yet militarily successful king, were taken to Baden-Württemberg in 1952 and remained at Hohenzollern Castle for almost 50 years. The reason: the castle was considered the family residence of the Hohenzollern, making it a political monument par excellence. Due to their relation to the Swabian nobility, the young Prussian dynasty had the necessary line of tradition extending back to the 11th century.
Hohenzollern Castle is located in one of Europe's most beautiful areas, with a spectacular view over the Swabian Alb. Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, the romantic on the throne, restored the crumbling castle in neo-Gothic style in the mid 19th century. Priceless art objects from the Prussian palaces of Berlin and Potsdam that survived the chaos of World War II are on display here. They provide an insight into how the Hohenzollern dynasty shaped Prussian and European history for over 500 years. The crown of the Prussian kings and pieces from Frederick II and many other personalities from German history can be seen here.
It is not a widely known fact that the Prussian and later German dynasty of Hohenzollern originally stems from Swabia - a pity, because the castle from which the dynasty assumed its name is one of the most impressive on the Swabian Alb Mountains.
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