Station: [23] Entrance Hall of the Princely Apartments

You are standing in the entrance hall between the living quarters of the prince and the princess.

From here, you can access both apartments. This room separated the prince’s residence from the princess’s living quarters. Thus, both had their own distinct, separate areas. Unlike in the royal residence, there is no direct connection between the two bedrooms here.

The only sculptural ornament in this room stands in front of the mantelpiece. It is a statuette of the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon. It is a clear, powerful image. At the same time, it forms a striking contrast to the otherwise rather two-dimensional room decoration.

The large painting is by Gustav Heinrich Eberlein. It depicts the investiture of Burgrave Frederick VI of Nuremberg as Margrave of Brandenburg. This event is connected to the Council of Constance. In 1415, King Sigismund conferred upon him the hereditary title of Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg.

However, this did not happen entirely without compensation. Sigismund demanded 400,000 guilders in return for this investiture. The title served as collateral for the payment. This sounds matter-of-fact, almost businesslike. And yet it shows how closely politics, power, and money were intertwined here.

It also becomes clear why Sigismund was willing to do this. He had seen Frederick’s successes and had come to trust him. At the same time, the line of succession in the House of Luxembourg remained uncertain. Sigismund was the last of his dynasty. In 1422, his daughter Elizabeth was therefore married to the Habsburg Duke Albrecht V of Austria. Thus, the House of Habsburg inherited the claims to the elective thrones of Bohemia and Hungary. This laid the foundation for its long imperial rule in the Holy Roman Empire.

Centuries later, the Habsburg and Hohenzollern dynasties—both of which Sigismund had favored—found themselves pitted against one another in what is known as the “German Dualism.” In this room, then, you are not merely viewing a historical image. You are also witnessing a moment whose consequences extended far beyond the time of the Council.