Schmalkalden

Schloss Wilhelmsburg was built between 1585 and 1590 as a hunting and administrative residence for the landgraves of Hesse and then barely used, which is why its Renaissance interiors survive largely as built: painted wall decoration, stucco ceilings and a chapel that is among the best-preserved Protestant church interiors of the period, with the pulpit, altar and organ arranged on one axis as Protestant practice required. The organ of about 1590 is among the oldest in Germany still playable. The town below has timber-framed houses and a small iron and mining museum, reflecting the local metal trades.

History

Schmalkalden is first mentioned in a deed of 874 as Smalcalta and received town privileges about 1180; after Landgrave Henry Raspe died without heirs in 1247 it passed to the Counts of Henneberg, who allied with Hesse. In 1531 Protestant princes under Philip I of Hesse founded the Schmalkaldic League in its town hall, and in 1537 Luther, Melanchthon and other reformers drew up the Smalcald Articles here. When the Hennebergs died out in 1583 their share went to Landgrave William IV of Hesse-Kassel, who made the town a residence and built Wilhelmsburg Castle, finished in 1590 (Wikipedia, Schmalkalden).

What's there

• The untouched interiors - Renaissance painting and stucco barely altered.
• The palace chapel - an early Protestant interior with its original fittings.
• The 1590 organ - among the oldest playable organs in Germany.
• The timber town - framed houses below the palace hill.

When to go

April to October; the palace closes Mondays and reduces winter hours. Organ recitals are held in the chapel through the season.

Things to know

The palace closes Mondays. The town is small and quiet. Public transport into the Thuringian Forest is limited.

Nearby

The Rennsteig ridge path runs south; Eisenach is northwest.

Key facts