Schloss



Schloss (pl. Schlösser), formerly written Schloß, is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house.

Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate word slot/slott is normally used for what in English could be either a palace or a castle (instead of words in rarer use such as palats/palæ, kastell, or borg). In Dutch, the word slot is considered to be more archaic. Nowadays, one commonly uses paleis or kasteel. But in English, the term does not appear; for instance, in the United Kingdom, this type of structure would be known as a stately home or country house.

Most Schlösser were built after the Middle Ages as residences for the nobility, not as true fortresses, although originally, they often were fortified. The usual German term for a true castle is Burg, that for a fortress is Festung, and — the slightly more archaic term — Veste. However, many castles were called Schloss, especially those that were adapted as residences after they lost their defensive significance. Many adaptations took into account new tastes arising during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Like a castle, a Schloss often is surrounded by a moat; it is then called a Wasserschloss (water castle). Other related structure types include the Stadtschloss (a city palace), the Jagdschloss (a hunting lodge), and the Lustschloss (a pleasure palace or summer residence).

Examples of Schlösser


Although they appeared much earlier than the period defined by this term, medieval Carolingian Kaiserpfalzen structures are sometimes considered as being Schlösser in nature. Among those that would qualify are the Palace of Aachen and the Imperial Palace of Goslar.


 * Gothic
 * Schloss Albrechtsburg in Meißen, considered to be Germany's oldest Schloss
 * Schloss Allner
 * Schloss Blutenburg in Munich, a "castle" in English, but a Schloss in German


 * Renaissance
 * Schloss Glücksburg
 * Schloss Güstrow
 * Schloss Johannisburg
 * Schloss Mespelbrunn
 * Schloss Neuburg


 * Baroque
 * Schloss Belvedere in Vienna
 * Schloss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt
 * Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg
 * Schloss Ludwigsburg
 * Schloss Ludwigslust
 * Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg
 * Schloss Moritzburg
 * Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich
 * Schloss Pillnitz
 * Stadtschloss Potsdam
 * Schloss Rastatt
 * Schloss Sanssouci
 * Schloss Schleißheim in Oberschleißheim, a northern suburb of Munich
 * Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna
 * Schloss Schwetzingen


 * Neo-Baroque
 * Schloss Linderhof
 * Schloss Herrenchiemsee


 * Neoclassicism
 * Schloss Charlottenhof
 * Schloss Glienicke
 * Schloss Weimar
 * Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
 * Schloss Bellevue


 * Historicism
 * Schloss Babelsberg
 * Schloss Callenberg
 * Schloss Drachenburg
 * Schloss Granitz
 * Schloss Marienburg
 * Orangerieschloss Potsdam
 * Schloss Schwerin
 * Schloss Stolzenfels
 * Burg Hohenzollern, a "castle" both in English and German, when really a fully-flung Schloss
 * Schloss Ringberg in Kreuth, Bavaria

(Relating to places in use for long periods of times, having been extended and perhaps having had renovations in different styles than those of their respective eras – and therefore, displaying at least two and often, multiple styles)
 * Cross overs
 * Stadtschloss Berlin
 * Münchner Residenz
 * Stadtschloss Darmstadt
 * Schloss Weilburg

Note
In another context, Schloss is also the German word for a lock.