2010 Linda & Anna visit Hohenzollern History
The Hohenzollern ancestral seat rises majestically from atop a 855 meter high hill overlooking a breathtakingly beautiful Swabian countryside. The Castle's silhouette can appear stately, romantic, even mythical depending on the weather é viewpoint. Today's castle is the 3rd to be built upon the hill bearing the same name as the family dynasty, Zoller. The origins of the Hohenzollern dynasty can be traced b ack almost 1000 years to the Zoller hill.
As with many other European dynasties, the origins of the Hohenzollern lie in the dark. The first known documentation can be found in a medieval chronical written by Berthold, a monk who noted that 2 knights by the names of Burchard & Wezil von Zollern wer killed in a battle in 1061.
Little is also known of the size & appearance of the 1st Hohenzollern fortress erected in the 11th century. The earliest written document mentioning the castle is found in a church book dated 1267 belonging to Closister Stetten near Hechingen...& mentions the fortress as having been quite large & impressive at that time & judged "the most solid fortress in the German realm", acclaiming it as the "crown of all castles in Swabia".
In 1188 Count Frederick III von Zollern married the daughter of the burgrave in Nuremberg. (I don't know what a burgrave is...perhaps a city notable.) Upon the burgrave's death, Count Frederick inherited all possessions & titles. The succeeding generation divided up these possessions, forming 2 Hohenzollern lineages: The Swabian & Franconian. While the Swabian lineage remained within the region of its ancestral castle, the 2nd line managed to expand its possessions in Franconia. The Franconian descendents were created margraves & prince electors of Brandenburg at the begining of the 15th century. In 1701 Frederick III (1657-1713) crowned himself KING OF PRUSSIA. As victor of the Franco-Prussian War, King William I (1797- 1888) was proclaimed German Emperor in 1871.
Meanwhile, the Swabian lineage became entangled in an inheritance dispute between Frederick XII (died 1443) alias "Ottinger3 & his brother Eitel Frederick I (died 1439). This family dispute let to a 10 month siege & eventually to the complete destruction of the Hohenzollern castle in 1423. Count Jost Nicholas von Zollern (1433-1488) began reconstruction of the castle in 1454. The fortresswas rebuilt as a mighty castle in horseshoe shape with 3 towers facing north-west. The design from 1454 served later as a reconstruction model of the castle in the 19 th century. The sole remnant of this 2nd fortress of 1454 is St. Michael's Chapel which was consecrated in 1451 & can still be seen today.
Fate turned finally in the summer of 1819. Crown Prince Frederick William IV of Prussia (1795-1861) paid a visit to the castle ruin & being an ardent historiah himself, was so impressed by his ancestral seat that he ordered its reconstruction. The project became tangible once Rudolf von Stillfried (1804-1882) a family friend & authority on Hohenzollern history & genealogy, entered the scene. Stillfried managed to solve impending financial difficulties with expertise by drawing up a contract in 1846 between the various family branches. The crown prince carried 2/3rds of the building costs, the 2 Swabian lines 1/3rd. Accordingly, 2/3rds of the castle is still owned by the Prussian line & 1/3rd by the Swabian branch today.
On September 23, 1850 Prince William of Prussia, successor of his brother king Frederick William IV, laid the foundation for a new castle....he died before seeing completion of the work which was on October 3, 1967. Present at its inaugural ceremony were King William I of Prussia, later to become Kaiser William I & his consort, the crown prince & his wife & members of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family.
The architectural designs were influenced by late medieval buildings in Germany, England, France & Italy. He produced a nex type of building structure in the neo gothic style popular of the times. This third & last castle was never to become a residence for the Hohenzollern nobility; up until 1945 family members only visited the sturcture, never actually living there. The castle ensemble had long become a national & dynastic monument, a symbol of the origin & rise of the Hohenzollern.