Schloss Philippsburg (Koblenz)

In 1786, Prince-Elector Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony (1739–1812) erected a new electoral palace in Koblenz on the opposite bank of the Rhine, which then became the primary residence.

During the Napoleonic era, the French army blew up the Ehrenbreitstein fortress in 1801, causing the Philippsburg palace to suffer significant damage and necessitating its demolition.

During the Thirty Years' War, Prince-Elector Philipp Christoph von Sötern (1567–1652) found it necessary to relocate his residence away from Trier, which faced constant threats from France.

Positioned below the Ehrenbreitstein fortress, the most formidable stronghold of the Electorate of Trier, directly on the banks of the Rhine River, Philippsburg was built between 1626 and 1632.

Initially aligned with the Catholic League, Sötern's deteriorating relations with the Habsburgs prompted him to switch sides to France, opposing Emperor Ferdinand II.

However, imperial forces under Christopher of East Frisia unexpectedly recaptured Trier in 1635, leading to Sötern's subsequent imprisonment in Linz from 1635 to 1645.

Successive Prince-Electors continued to maintain Philippsburg as their primary residence, solidifying its position as the epicenter of the Electorate's political and cultural life.

Prince-Elector Karl Kaspar von der Leyen (1618–1676) oversaw the construction of a pathway behind the palace, leading up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and carved into the rock.

[1] At the entrance of Philippsburg, Prince-Elector Franz Georg von Schönborn (1682–1756) oversaw the construction of the Dicasterial Building (German: Dikasterialgebäude) between 1738 and 1749.

[1] Designed by Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753) and supervised by his pupil Johannes Seiz (1717–1779), this structure served as the central administration of the Electorate.

[2] Adjacent to the Dicasterial Building, the so-called Curved Stables (German: Krummstall) were erected between 1744 and 1747 to provide accommodations for soldiers, personnel, and workshops.

[2] Following Franz Georg's reign, his successor Johann IX Philipp von Walderdorff (1701–1768) expanded the palace complex between 1762 and 1763 by adding new stables adjacent to the Dicasterial Building.

[2] During a visit in February 1761, Clemens August of Bavaria, Prince-Elector of Cologne and a Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, passed away at Schloss Philippsburg.

As of 2002, the remaining buildings of the Philippsburg are part of the World Heritage Site and Cultural landscape ‘‘Kulturlandschaft Oberes Mittelrheintal’’.

[1] Evidence of this includes the stucco work by Nicolo Carcano and the ceiling painting by Lazaro Maria Sanguinetti in the 400 m2 grand ballroom on the third floor.

A plaque above the gate, set in the parapet of the window directly above it, commemorates the construction of the path by Prince-Elector Karl Kaspar von der Leyen.

The three-axis main floor above is generously fenestrated, with its central axis projecting upward as a dormer before continuing into the mansard roof, added only in 1801.

Inside, a stone spiral staircase, crafted by Master Lorenz Staudacher, features steps made of black marble and a profiled handrail.

Initially utilized as the New Chancellery, the rooms later served as residences for knights, then as living and schooling quarters for pages under Elector Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony, and eventually as an orphanage.

With the construction of the Prussian Ehrenbreitstein Fortress at the beginning of the 19th century, the path was rebuilt with a shallower incline, passing directly behind the Pagerie.

[1] The three-axis central projection, featuring smooth pilasters, houses the main entrance and sports a pediment with a broken curved contour, displaying the coat of arms of Prince-Elector Franz Georg von Schönborn held by crowned double-tailed lions.

The Electoral Ehrenbreitstein fortress looking down on the Philippsburg on its feet, directly at the Rhine river (around 1700) - by Jan van Call ( Rijksmuseum )
The palace location today. Prussia reconstructed the Ehrenbreitstein fortress in the 19th century. The Philippsburg is disappeared, but its outbuildings are still there such as the Pagerie and the Dicasterial building (around 2011)
Philipp Christoph von Sötern
Plan of the Ehrenbreitstein fortress and Philippsburg by Merian (1639)
Plan of the Ehrenbreitstein fortress and Philippsburg by Merian (1639)
Franz Georg von Schönborn
Vessels on the Rhine in front of the Philippsburg by Jacobus Storck (around 1680–1699)
A plan from the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and the Philippsburg from the British Library (around 1760
Clemens Wenzeslaus of Saxony
18th century engraving showing the Ehrenbreitstein and the Philippsburg (Bibliotheque of the Beaux-Arts de Paris )
Schloss Philippsburg by Johann Ackerman (1799) Note that the southern wing is in ruins at this time (now in the Goethemuseum in Düsseldorf )
Engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar. On this engraving, the Philippsburg is named Philipsthal
The Ehrenbreitstein fortress and the Philippsburg from the southwest by Johann Andreas Ziegler (1792)
18th century map of the Ehrenbreitstein fortress and Philippsburg palace. Number 23 is the palace. Number 21 is the way going up from the Pagerie to the fortress. Number 23 is the Krumstall. Number 24 is the Dicasterial building. Number 25 are the stables.
Floorplan of the Philippsburg palace from around 1788 (Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz 702 2318)
The Pagerie (around 2015)
The Dicasterial Building from a distance (around 2008)
Aerial view of the Dicasterial Building, with the curved stables at its back and the stables to the right (around 2011)
The coat of arms of Franz Georg von Schönborn at the Dicasterial Building
The Dicasterial Building with the Pagerie to its left (around 2011)
The Dicasterial Building, with the curved stables at its back and the stables to the right (around 2011)
The Dicasterial Building with the Pagerie to its left (around 2011)