page_title: Friedenstein Palace
section_title: Building history
hierarchical_section_title: Friedenstein Palace / Building history and architecture / Building history
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Friedenskuss-Darstellung am Nordportal von Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha.
context_page_description: Friedenstein Palace is an early Baroque palace built in the mid-17th century by Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha at Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. In Germany, Friedenstein was one of the largest palaces of its time and one of the first Baroque palaces ever built. Friedenstein served as the main seat of the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and later as one of the residences of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, closely linked with the Royal Family of Great Britain through the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The final two ruling Dukes were both princes of the United Kingdom.
  The palace complex today houses several museums. It is also notable for hosting the Ekhof-Theater, one of the oldest theatres in operation in Germany, still featuring the original Baroque machinery for changing the scenery.
context_section_description: The castle built for Ernst I was constructed according to general principles favoured by Protestant rulers in the 17th century. It took the form of a so-called "sub-ordinated" palace, meaning that the four wings are not on an equal footing but that there is one dominating main wing. At Friedenstein that is the four-story north wing, facing the town. The two side wings have three floors (but end in the four-story towers or pavilions) and the final wing had just one floor. Initially, all the state apartments were housed in the four-storied sections of the palace.
  The palace dominates the town by its sheer size: the main wing is 100 metres long, the two side wings are 140 metres long. Although the interior of the palace has been significantly altered since the time of Ernst I, the exterior has remained largely unchanged. The simple, unadorned exterior was originally selected to contrast with the palaces of Catholic princes, which at the time were still mostly influenced by the elaborate Renaissance style. The only major embellishment at Friedenstein were four larger-than-life statues located at the four corners of the palace, showing Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and Martin Luther. Other external features were a few reliefs salvaged from the old Grimmenstein and some decoration above the main gate to the courtyard, located in the centre of the north wing. The austere facades are structured not by ornamental features but only by the symmetrical arrangement of the windows and a cornice running around the whole building between the first and second floors. On the side facing the courtyard, an arcade was constructed running around all four wings of the palace. The major later change to the external appearance of the palace has been the addition of the two buildings on the left and right of the main wing facing the town, known as Pagenhaus and Wachthaus, added in 1778/79. At that time the four statues were also removed.
  None of the original state rooms constructed for Ernst I remain today. The palace sections that have maintained their original use include the chapel and the Geheimes Archiv on the ground floor of the north wing. Otherwise the ground floor of all the wings housed servants' and storage rooms as well as an armoury, a stable, a mint and a smithy. The fourth wing contained a riding hall. The first upper floor of all the wings is slightly lower than the others – it used to house the offices of the Ducal administration. The second floor contained the main representatives areas reached by two staircases located at the juncture between the north and the side wings.
  The palace interior was completely rearranged as early as the reign of Friedrich I, Ernst's son. In 1677, the east pavilion was struck by lightning and burned down. Fire walls helped to contain the fire to that part of the palace. It was realized that the Great Hall in the north wing, stretching over two floors and reaching above the chapel, prevented the addition of fire walls to the main wing. The hall was thus demolished and replaced by a new fire wall along with new state apartments: a flight of five rooms each for Duke and Duchess. These rooms were finished by around 1685. After that a new main hall, the Tafelgemach or Hauptsaal was added. After 1687, a crypt for the burial of the Ducal family was created beneath the chapel and the chapel itself rebuilt. In 1681/82, the former ballroom in the west pavilion was replaced by a theatre (see below). In 1684-87, the east pavilion was rebuilt and crowned with a rounded roof, distinguishing it from the west pavilion which retains its original roof shape. Friedrich III had the rooms of the Duchess renovated in 1747/51 and some years later, rooms for Friedrich III were added to the east pavilion. Friedrich's son Ernst II moved out of the Baroque state apartments in the main wing and into new rooms in the east wing, between the Mirror Hall and the east pavilion. Ernst II also had various other changes made to the palace and its surroundings, including tearing down some of the original gate buildings and ramparts a
caption: "Kiss of peace" above the main gate:Friede ernehret, Unfriede verzehret
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