Baroque Hall @museum.de

The Baroque Hall is in the castle’s west wing. Once upon a time, fabulous balls and festive banquets took place here – at least, that’s what we like to imagine.

Today we hold concerts in here – hence the grand piano on the podium. But the hall can also be hired for festive dinners or for lectures. One regular event is the Sustainability Conference, which Prince Philipp organises jointly with prominent Green politician Joschka Fischer. In the past, we’ve welcomed Kofi Annan, the Prince of Wales and Madeleine Albright to the conference.

The hall was completed in 1613 – originally in the Renaissance style. Prince Albrecht Wolfgang of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his wife Amalie, née von Nassau-Saarbrücken, had it remodelled in the Baroque style in the late 17th century. The portraits opposite the door show their son, Count Ludwig von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and his wife Eleonore, née von Nassau-Saarbrücken. Both continued the remodelling of the castle in the Baroque style.

One especially handsome feature is the Baroque stucco ceiling. Its corners are adorned with putti with emblems of the four seasons. The coats of arms of the Hohenlohe and Nassau-Saarbrücken families are inset in colour into the end walls. The Hohenlohe coat of arms shows two leopards passant, while the Nassau-Saarbrücken coat of arms shows a lion rampant, that is, rearing up. In the old days, there were mirrors inset into the stucco decorations on the sides, to reflect the light from the chandeliers and the room was especially brightly lit as a result.

Between the two cast-iron stoves, a phoenix spreads its wings. The phoenix is the heraldic animal of the counts and princes of Hohenlohe. Their heraldic motto is: "Ex flammis orior" – "From the flames I rise". Devised in the 18th century, the motto took on even greater significance after fire ripped through the castle in 1963.

Take another look at the small baroque cabinet by the door to the Silver Hall, where your next stop is. The cabinet is designed to hold a coin collection, which is why the drawers are all numbered.