Trausnitz Castle Trausnitz Castle is a medieval castle situated in Landshut , Bavaria in Germany . It was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty , and it served as their ducal residence for Lower Bavaria from 1255 – 1503 , and later as the seat of the hereditary rulers of the whole of Bavaria . The castle was founded in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I . Castle features . Knights ' Hall . The Knights ' Hall of Castle Trausnitz belongs to the main buildings of the 13th century and there were already around 1260 / 70 . The room is 245 m² and is separated in two naves , to four " Jochen " a nave . The constructions that were used belong to the time period of the so - called " Zisterziensergotik " . Today the Knights ' Hall is used for festival banquets or for short exhibitions . Tower Terrace ( Söller ) . The " Loggia " , already called so since 1493 , was finished in the 16th century . The Tower Terrace sports a great view of the city through the round arcs . On the east side there is a stair tower . The wooden ceiling with shaped rosettes is descended from the time of Wilhelm V . There is a stone walled music platform on the south side of the room . The " Söller " is today used for many different functions , and it holds a maximum of 99 people . White Hall . The White Hall is on the first floor of the " Dürnitz " tract and is directly above the Knights ' Hall . The White Hall has probably existed since the 15th century and was probably planned as a big ballroom . It appears that the hall was never finished , because there are no traces of paintings as usual for the castle at this time . The about 240 m² tall room , which is two floors large , is today used for banquets , greetings , concerts and lectures . The visitors can enjoy the great view over the ancient city of Landshut . Chamber of art and curiosities . A phenomenon in the Renaissance that proliferated Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries , the cabinet of curiosities was in essence a personal collection of rare , unknown and marvelous objects . Popular , visual and encyclopedic in their approach , these cabinets , or Wunderkammern , included a diversity of specimens from both known and newly discovered worlds . These collections of curious objects that are seemingly not human in nature require the idea or application of human characteristics and traits to describe their inhuman state . The Trausnitz Chamber of Art and Curiosities which was arranged by Prince Wilhelm in 1579 and then taken to Munich is a collection of 750 exhibits including works of art , treasures from the Orient and curiosities typical of the collections owned by rulers in the Renaissance era . It was reopened in September 2004 as one part of the Bavarian National Museum . The chamber is divided into four different themes . " ARTIFICIALA " — wondrous legerdemains — contains sumptuous bronze and painting but also midget carving of plum stones . " NATURALIA " — the wonder of nature — gets shown stuffed animals , extraordinary horns , mussels and minerals . The hall of " EXOTICA " — marvellousness from foreign countries — contains craft of corals , ivory and nacre whereas " SCIENTIFICA " — scientific arranges the world — shows scientific instruments of rational acquisition of the world in year 1600 . History . Trausnitz Castle is situated atop a hill above Landshut . Before the 16th century , it had the same name as the town , Landshut , which translates into " protector of the land " . Previously , the castle guarded over the city and the surrounding land . The size of the castle has remained almost the same since Louis I of Bavaria in 1204 . The castle was completed by the time of Emperor Frederick II ' s visit in 1235 . During the first half of the 13th century , Trausnitz represented not only the centre of imperial politics but also of Staufer culture . Landshut was visited by famous minstrel singers , including Walter von der Vogelweide and Tannhäuser , during this period . The patronage of art by the Dukes of Bavaria was so high that they sent for a sculptor from Strasbourg who created jewellery for a sculpture that now stands in the Castle ' s " Burgkapelle " . The wealthy Duke of Landshut repeatedly renovated and expanded the buildings in Burg Trausnitz during the 15th century . The Dürnitz was built during this time . The outer defensive ring of walls were heightened and extended for the defensive towers . Duke Louis X of Bavaria furnished the castle in 1516 in the south German Renaissance style , though few examples remain today . The arcades of the courtyard were created 1568 – 1578 by Friedrich Sustris for Crown Prince William . Many paintings in the Florentine style were added at this time , but most were lost due to fires over the years . Later , Prince Ferdinand Maria ( 1675 – 1679 ) undertook restoration of the burned paintings and decorated other rooms with other paintings . During the 18th century , the castle was used a barracks and a prison for noble prisoners . At the beginning of the 19th century it was used as a hospital . King Ludwig II of Bavaria ( who was the creator of Neuschwanstein Castle in Füssen ) ordered the decoration of a new splendid private apartment in the second floor of the prince ' s wing ( 1869 - 1873 ) . In 1961 , a fire destroyed much of the interior decoration , including the king ' s rooms .