Donaustauf Palace (German : Schloss Donaustauf) was a summer residence of the princes of Thurn und Taxis in Donaustauf, Bavaria in Germany. The palace was destroyed during a fire in 1880. Today, only the gardens with a Chinese teahouse remain.
Donaustauf Palace (German : Schloss Donaustauf) was a summer residence of the princes of Thurn und Taxis in Donaustauf, Bavaria in Germany. The palace was destroyed during a fire in 1880. Today, only the gardens with a Chinese teahouse remain.
In 1812, Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1770-1827) acquired a monastery building, which formerly belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg. Between 1817 and 1819, this building was transformed into a princely summer palace overlooking the Danube river. [1]
Under the 6th prince, Maximilian Karl von Thurn and Taxis (1802-1871), who married to Princess Mathilde Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg (1816-1886) in 1839, the palace became the preferred summer residence as they were drawn to the romantic scenery of the Danube valley. [2] Seven of their twelve children were born at the Donaustauf palace. [2]
Between 1829/1830 and 1841/1842, the palace was rebuilt to mark the construction of the Walhalla (memorial), whose foundation was laid in 1830 and inaugured in 1842. [1] [2] After completion, the palace counted a total of 112 rooms. Various ancillary buildings were erected between 1831 and 1832, such as the stables and a riding hall. [2]
A neogothic rebuilding of the palace was considered in 1843, but did not materialize. Only the designs by Ludwig Voltz remain, the architect responsible for the neogothic renovation of the other princely summer residence, Schloss Taxis.
On 4 March 1880, the palace and many other buildings on the Danube banks in Donaustauf became victim of a large fire. [1] [3] Afterwards, the palace was not reconstructed. Princess Mathilde started to use Schloss Neueglofsheim in Thalmassing as her summer residence.
Today, the princely gardens including a Chinese teahouse (constructed in 1842) and the forestry office belong to the small reminders of the princely palace in Donaustauf. [1] [2] In addition, the head of the princely house of Thurn and Taxis still bears the title 'Duke of Wörth and Donaustauf', which was bestowed to them by the King of Bavaria in 1899.
Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg and the 8th largest of all cities on the Danube river. From its foundation as an imperial Roman river fort, the city has been the political, economic and cultural centre of the surrounding region. Later, under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, it housed the Perpetual Diet of Regensburg.
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a family of German nobility that is part of the Briefadel. It was a key player in the postal services in Europe during the 16th century, until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and became well known as the owner of breweries and commissioner of several castles. The family has resided in Regensburg since 1748 with their seat at St. Emmeram Castle from 1803. The family is one of the wealthiest in Germany, and the current head of the House is Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis.
Donaustauf is a market town in Bavaria, 5 km (3 mi) east of Regensburg at the foothills of the Bavarian Forest. The ruins of a medieval castle, presumably erected between 914 and 930, tower above the small town. Situated nearby on a hill rising from the Danube is the imposing Teutonic temple of fame, Walhalla, a costly reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens. The Walhalla was commissioned by Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, and inaugurated on 18 October 1842.
Saint Emmeram's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded around 739 at Regensburg in Bavaria at the grave of the itinerant Frankish bishop Saint Emmeram. The original abbey church is now a parish church named St. Emmeram's Basilica. The other buildings on the site form a large complex known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis or Schloss St. Emmeram, which has served as the main residence of the Thurn und Taxis princely family since the early 19th century.
Albert Maria Joseph Maximilian Lamoral, 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis was the eighth Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 2 June 1885 until his death on 22 January 1952.
Franz Joseph Maximilian Maria Antonius Ignatius Lamoral, 9th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Franz Josef Maximilian Maria Antonius Ignatius Lamoral Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the ninth Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 22 January 1952 until his death on 13 July 1971.
Maximilian Maria Carl Joseph Gabriel Lamoral, 7th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Maximilian Maria Carl Joseph Gabriel Lamoral Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the seventh Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 10 November 1871 until his death on 2 June 1885.
The Order of Parfaite Amitié is a dynastic order of knighthood of the princely House of Thurn and Taxis.
Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Maximilian Karl Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the sixth Prince of Thurn and Taxis, head of the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post, and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 15 July 1827 until his death on 10 November 1871.
Baroness Wilhelmine Caroline Christiane Henriette of Dörnberg, was a member of the House of Dörnberg and a Baroness of Dörnberg by birth. Through her marriage to Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Wilhelmine was also a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis. Wilhelmine was known to her family and friends as "Mimi."
Father Emmeram of Thurn and Taxis OSB, until his profession Prince Max Emanuel Maria Siegfried Joseph Antonius Ignatius Lamoral of Thurn and Taxis was a German Benedictine and member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis.
Duchess Therese Mathilde Amalie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg. Through her marriage to Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Therese was also a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis.
Prince Ludwig Philipp Maria Friedrich Joseph Maximilian Antonius Ignatius Lamoral of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Ludwig Philipp Maria Friedrich Joseph Maximilian Antonius Ignatius Lamoral, Prinz von Thurn und Taxis, also Louis Philippe was a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis and a Prince of Thurn and Taxis by birth.
Paul Maximilian Lamoral, Prince of Thurn and Taxis, was the third child of Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his second wife Princess Mathilde Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg. He was buried in Cannes, at the Cimetière du Grand Jas, Allée du Silence no. 33 under the name of Paul de Fels.
Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Karl Anselm Fürst von Thurn und Taxis was the fourth Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Postmaster General of the Imperial Reichspost, and Head of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis from 17 March 1773 until his death on 13 November 1805. Karl Anselm served as Prinzipalkommissar at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Regensburg for Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1773 to 1797.
Princess Mathilde Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg was a member of the Princely House of Oettingen-Spielberg and a Princess of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg by birth. Through her marriage to Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Mathilde Sophie was also a member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and Princess consort of Thurn and Taxis.
Duchess Auguste Elisabeth of Württemberg was a member of the Ducal House of Württemberg and a Duchess of Württemberg by birth. Through her marriage to Karl Anselm, 4th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Auguste was also a member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and Princess consort of Thurn and Taxis.
Prince Gustav Otto Maximilian Lamoral of Thurn and Taxis, full German name: Gustav Otto Maximilian Lamoral Prinz von Thurn und Taxis, was the sixth child of Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his second wife Princess Mathilde Sophie of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Spielberg. He was born on 2 February 1848 in Regensburg, Kingdom of Bavaria.
Prince Nikolaus of Thurn and Taxis was a member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and a Prince of Thurn and Taxis. Nikolaus was a Lieutenant in the German Imperial Navy.
