Station: [9] Library

You are standing in the library. This room serves as a transition from the formal to the private quarters of Their Highnesses.

Above the oak cabinets, you can see murals by the history and court painter Wilhelm Peters. The cabinets once held the family’s books and documents.

The paintings depict legends and historical events from the time of the first two Zollern castles, that is, from the 11th and 15th centuries.

To the right of the fireplace, you can see the siege and destruction of the first castle in 1423. This was triggered by the predatory activities of the castle’s lord at the time, Count Frederick XII, known as “the Öttinger.” This led to a military alliance of Swabian imperial cities. Under the leadership of Henriette, Countess of Mömpelgard and Duchess of Württemberg, they besieged the castle for several months. In the painting, she is riding a white horse. Frederick “the Öttinger” charges through the ranks of the besiegers on his horse. Yet he was unable to prevent the capture and complete destruction of the castle.

The painting to the left of the fireplace depicts his mistress. She is said to have supplied him and his men with food and medicine during the siege. Because of her white gown, the enemy besiegers apparently mistook her for the White Lady, the Hohenzollern family’s ghost. That is why the soldiers let her pass. A rather convenient case of mistaken identity.

A second painting to the right of the fireplace depicts the beginning of the reconstruction following the destruction in the 15th century. It shows Count Jost Niklas von Zollern laying the cornerstone for the second fortress. The year is carved into the cornerstone in Gothic numerals. The second digit looks like a half-eight, but it’s actually a four. So even numbers can have their quirks.

Gradually, the Swabian Hohenzollerns—who had held the title of prince since 1623—moved their residences to Hechingen, Haigerloch, and Sigmaringen, 50 kilometers away. As a result, the second castle was increasingly neglected during the 17th and 18th centuries. Eventually, it fell into ruin.

On the cabinets stand marble busts of Prussian kings associated with the third castle. The bust in the middle depicts the young Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia. As a member of the House of Hohenzollern, he visited the ruins of the second castle in 1819 together with his father, Frederick William III—whom you can see on the far left. Afterward, he decided to have the castle rebuilt once again.

Construction on this third castle began in 1850. By then, he had become King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Friedrich August Stüler was commissioned as the architect. The Prussian master fortifier Moritz von Prittwitz was responsible for the fortifications. You can see both of them on the medallions below the murals.

This third castle was intended less as a residence. Its primary purpose was to serve as a historical monument documenting the origins and rise of the House of Hohenzollern. At the same time, it was planned as a military base.

Now follow the carpet runner into the royal couple’s former private chambers.