Schloss Pirmasens

Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg The palace in Pirmasens traces its origins to a hunting lodge built either in 1712 or 1720 for Count Johan Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg. Architect was Leonhard Jennewein (1682-1754), a stone mason from Tirol. However, the Landgrave was deeply caring toward his soldiers and had a particular fondness for military drills and parades. Unlike many rulers of the time, including his relatives, the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel, he did not engage in the common practice of trading soldiers. Louis IX also composed countless military marches, which earned him the nickname Chief Drummer of the Empire. The End Louis IX did not live to witness the destruction of his palace, as he died and was buried in Pirmasens in 1790. Only three years later, during the French Revolution, French troops occupied the city and completely destroyed the palace. The ruins were auctioned off in 1805 and eventually demolished. Several administrative and noble residences that had been part of the palace complex initially survived but were all destroyed during the Second World War. ==Architecture==

The palace stood on what is now the site of the Schlosstreppen (palace steps) and Schlossbrunnen (palace fountain), built on a hillside. To the east runs Schlossstraße, across from which stands St. Pirmin Roman Catholic Church. To the west lies Schlossplatz, where the old town hall is located. The palace’s rectangular main building, a plastered structure with nine window bays and a mansard roof, had four stories on its western side and two on the eastern side due to its sloping location. Two ramps led to a grassy parterre on the west side, enclosed by a small guardhouse. Two mansard-roofed outbuildings created an honorary courtyard on the eastern side. To the south, parallel to one of the ramps, stood a long structure that housed stables and a barn. In 1763, the side buildings were replaced by square pavilions, and the guardhouse was expanded into the main guard post. A large drill house was constructed opposite the palace in 1770, which was demolished in 1806. St. Pirmin Church was later constructed on that site. Schloss Pirmasens was comparable in style to Schloss Wilhelmsthal in Calden near Kassel, Schloss Neuwied, and Jagdschloss Windhof near Weilburg. ==Today==

Today, the only surviving remnants of the palace, such as paintings and furniture, are housed in the Pirmasens City Museum and the Darmstadt Palace Museum. Additionally, a triangular gable from a former noble residence and officer’s casino, dating from 1780 and bearing Louis IX's emblem, can still be seen at Hauptstraße 102. It was incorporated into a building constructed after 1945. ==References==

• • • • ==See also: Other palaces owned by Reinhard III of Hanau-Lichtenberg==

• Hanauer Hof - City palace in Strassbourg • Château de Bouxwiller - The residence in the capital of Hanau-Lichtenberg • Stadtschloss Hanau - The city palace of Hanau • Schloss Philippsruhe - The baroque summer palace in Hanau • Chateau de Brumath - Summer palace constructed for his daughther, the mother of Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt ==External links==

The plans and city views are from the map collections of the Universitätsbibliothek in Darmstadt. File: Pirmasens Stadtplan 1770.png | City plan of Pirmasens published in 1770, before the drill house was constructed. Schloss Pirmasens is in the center of the town File: Pirmasens Stadtplan 1762.png | 1762 city plan of Pirmasens. Schloss Pirmasens is in the middle. Above the palace is the drill house, and right above are Landgravinne Caroline's gardens with a pavilion in the middle File: Pirmasens Stadtplan 20 Februar 1788 von Johann Heinrich Haas.png | 1788 City plan of Pirmasens with Schloss Pirmasens extended compared to the other city plans. Also note that the landscape style of the Landgravinne's garden changed from a French formal style to an English landscape style File: Pirmasens City view from the North 1790 Petzinger.png | 1790 City view of Pirmasens from the North with the palace in the middle, left of the drill house with the large blue roof File: Pirmasens City view from the West 1790 Petzinger.png | 1790 City view of Pirmasens from the West with the palace in the middle, the drill house in the back and the city town hall in the front ==Gallery: Palaces similar to Schloss Pirmasens in Style==

File: Schloss Wilhelmsthal (Calden) P4090402.jpg | Schloss Wilhelmsthal in Calden near Kassel File: Schloss Wilhelmsthal bei Sonnenuntergang (2).jpg | Schloss Wilhelmsthal in Calden near Kassel File: Neuwied, Schloss Neuwied.jpg | Schloss Neuwied in Neuwied File: 2023 Slot fan Neuwied.jpg | Schloss Neuwied in Neuwied File: Windhof Weilburg.jpg | Jagdchloss Windhof near Weilburg File: Weilburg (DerHexer) WLMMH 52465 2011-09-20 13.jpg | Jagdchloss Windhof near Weilburg