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Leineschloss
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The Leine Palace (German: Leineschloss), situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is a former residence of the Hanoverian dukes, electors and kings. It is now the seat of the parliament (Landtag) of Lower Saxony.
The first building on the site was a Franciscan friary, constructed in about 1300, which was abandoned in 1533 after the Protestant Reformation. In 1636, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, began converting the monastery into a rather small late-renaissance palace as his residence as ruler of the Principality of Calenberg. The former monastery church served as a castle church and royal burial place. His son, Elector Ernest Augustus, had it enlarged and modernized and added a theatre in the late 17th century. The principality was elevated to the Electorate of Hanover in 1692. In 1742 the north-west wing was renewed. On May 28, 1660 Ernest Augustus' son, George I of Great Britain was born at the Leine Palace.
From 1814, the previously electoral palace was the residence of the Kingdom of Hanover. Between 1816 and 1844, the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves fully re-built the palace. The column portico with six Corinthian columns was built during this period. The youngest son of George III, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, officiated as Viceroy of Hanover from 1816. Kings Ernest Augustus and George V were the first and only monarchs to have their main residence in the state capital and in the Leine Palace between 1837 and 1866. Although, it was intended to transfer the main seat to the Welfenschloss palace.
During World War II, the Leine Palace was completely destroyed by fire after Allied aerial raids. King George I of Great Britain was originally buried in the chapel of the palace, but his remains, along with his parents', were moved to the 19th-century mausoleum of Ernest Augustus in the Berggarten of Herrenhausen Palace after World War II.[1] Architect Dieter Oesterlen re-built the palace between 1957 and 1962.
In August 2016 bones were found in the palace during a renovation project; it was believed that the bones were the remains of Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, the lover of the wife of the later king George I of Great Britain who was killed there in July 1694.[2][3] However, subsequent tests proved that some of the bones were from animals, while the human bones came from at least five different skeletons. None have been proven to belong to Christoph.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Weir, Alison (2002). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico. pp. 272–276. ISBN 978-0-7126-4286-6.
- ^ Lewis, Danny (18 October 2016). "A Skeleton Found in a Castle Could Be the Key to Cracking a 17th-Century Cold Case". Smithsonian. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Christian, Isabel; Benne, Simon (27 August 2016). "Lag ermordeter Graf 300 Jahre unterm Leineschloss?" [Did the murdered count lie buried under Leine Castle for 300 years?]. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
- ^ Little, Becky (11 November 2016). "Skeleton Discovery Reignites 300-Year-Old Royal Murder Mystery". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
External links
[edit]Leineschloss
View on GrokipediaThe Leineschloss is a palace situated on the Leine River in Hanover, Germany, originally constructed in 1637 as a modest half-timbered residence by Duke George of Calenberg amid the financial constraints of the Thirty Years' War, serving thereafter as the primary seat for the rulers of the House of Hanover, including electors and kings, before its destruction in World War II and subsequent reconstruction as the seat of the Lower Saxony State Parliament.[1]
The building underwent key expansions and renovations, such as the 1689 additions of a court theatre and opera house under Duke Johann Friedrich with input from philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and a neoclassical overhaul in 1817 by architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves featuring a portico and conservatory, during which it hosted events for King George I of Great Britain—Elector George Louis—and performances by composer George Frideric Handel.[1] Following Hannover's defeat in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, it functioned as Prussian provincial administration headquarters until 1921, when it was repurposed as a municipal soup kitchen, and later marred by National Socialist alterations in 1936 before near-total devastation from American B-17 bombings on 26 July and 8–9 October 1943.[1]
Rebuilt from 1957 to 1962 by architect Dieter Oesterlen after debates over demolition versus restoration, the Leineschloss reopened on 11 September 1962 as the Landtag Niedersachsen's plenary chamber, blending preserved historical exteriors with modern interiors designed for legislative functions, including a 2014–2017 renovation of the plenary hall to enhance accessibility and efficiency.[1][2] This adaptation underscores its transition from royal residence to democratic institution in post-war Lower Saxony, established in 1946.[1]
