2018 - Germany - Kaiserswerth - Kaiserpfalz

            Our first view of the Kaiserpfalz (Imperial Palace) ruins in Kaiserswerth.

Where Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth now sits, a fortress of some kind or another has lain in a prominent position on the edge of the Rhine for well over a thousand years. 

Its strategic position meant it’s the best place to defend the city from potential invaders. In some parts of the ruins, walls are up to 15 feet (4.5 metres) thick, and you can only imagine how impressive the castle must have been during its heyday.

Documents suggest that a castle has stood in Kaiserswerth since 1016 when records show the fortress was gifted to Count Palatine Ezzo. 

However, when the count’s son died with no heir read son) just a decade or two later the castle returned to the Kingdom. In the 11th-century the fortifications were transformed into an Imperial Palace when Emperor Heinrich III made major improvements to the older building.

During the 12th-century, the castle was further improved and expanded under the watch of King Barbarossa.  Barbarossa  designated Kaiserswerth a city where taxes for using the Rhine waterways were collected and he wanted to ensure the city would be well guarded in case of invasion. 

Nearly all of the ruins you can see and visit today date from Barbarossa’s time.

Over the following centuries, many groups disputed control of this part of the Rhine, including the ancient settlement of Kaiserswerth. 

The area’s prime position meant that whoever controlled the city, would control access to the mighty River Rhine and beyond. 

Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth was eventually destroyed during the 17th and 18th-centuries by various battles and sieges.

During the 19th and 20th-centuries the castle was used as a kind of ‘ready-made’ quarry for those wishing to get cheap and easily accessible stone to build their houses. 

As a result, many of the houses and buildings in and around Kaiserswerth are constructed of stones taken from the former palace! 

Today, the ruins are owned and maintained by the City of Kaiserwerth.

Some rights reserved

Taken in: Deutschland / Düsseldorf / Stadtteil Kaiserswerth (show map)

Taken on: May 19, 2018

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2018

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Kaiserswerth

NIKON

NIKON D750

NIKON FX

Ted McGrath

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Kaiserpfalz Kaiserswerth

Kaiserswerth Germany

Imperial Palace

Kaiserswerth Imperial Palace

Imperial Palace Kaiserswerth

Ruins

Fortress

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Camera: Nikon D750, f/9.0, 1/1250 sec, 28mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1250)
Focal Length:	28mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Other
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.7 (Macintosh)
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