Imperial Castle in Poznań
| Imperial Castle | |
|---|---|
| Zamek Cesarski | |
Façade of the castle
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 Location within Poland
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| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Neo-Romanesque |
| Location | Poznań, Poland |
| Country | Poland |
| Coordinates | 52°24′28″N 16°55′07″E / 52.40778°N 16.91861°E |
| Current tenants | ”Zamek” Culture Centre |
| Construction started | 1905 |
| Completed | 1910 |
| Inaugurated | 21 August 1910 |
| Demolished | 1945 (castle tower) |
| Cost | 5 million German mark |
| Client | Wilhelm II |
| Owner | Polish government |
| Height | 75 meters |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 25.127 m2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Franz Heinrich Schwechten |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
The Imperial Castle in Poznań, popularly called Zamek (Polish: Zamek Cesarski w Poznaniu, German: Königliches Residenzschloss Posen), is a palace in Poznań, in Poland. It was constructed under the German rule in 1910 by Franz Schwechten for William II, German Emperor, with significant input from William himself. Since its completion, the building has housed government offices of Germany (to 1918 and during the Second World War) and Poland (1918–1939, 1945–present).
The name of this structure is misleading, as the building is a palace rather than a castle. Another difference arises from the adjective imperial (cesarski) preferred by the Poles and royal (königliches) used by the Germans. The German name refers to William II as King of Prussia, in this function he built the palace as his provincial residence, while the Polish name refers to him as Emperor of Germany because the term "royal" is reserved to Poznań's Royal Castle of the Kings of Poland.
The location of the castle was not accidental. After the deconstruction of the polygonal part of the Stronghold Poznań, Poznań was transformed to a residential city (Haupt- und Residenzstadt). On the new lands, Prussian authorities - who acquired the city in the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 - decided to build a new Germanic heart of city, known as the "Imperial District". The projects of the new districts were prepared by Josef Stübben. Monumental buildings of the Imperial Districts surrounding the castle included:
The castle was built in Neo-Romanesque style, considered by William to be the most "Germanic" and representing the glory of the Holy Roman Empire. The new residence was intended to reflect the control over Greater Poland by the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire
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Wikipedia