Hohentübingen Castle rises from the 372 m high Schlossberg as a mighty Renaissance four-winged building with round towers. The Lords of Tübingen, who were elevated to the rank of Count Palatine in the 12th century, resided here until they sold the castle and town to the Counts of Württemberg in 1342.
As the residence of the Württemberg dukes, Hohentübingen Castle lost its importance as early as the 16th century. The triumphal arch of the main portal, built in 1607, is particularly valuable in terms of art history. It is considered a masterpiece of the late Renaissance. The university took over the first rooms in the palace as early as the middle of the 18th century, and in 1816 King Wilhelm I of Württemberg transferred the entire palace to the university. The university library with around 60,000 volumes was temporarily housed in the Knights’ Hall, an observatory was set up in the north-east tower and a chemical laboratory was set up in the castle kitchen, which can now be visited as the “castle laboratory” (see “Tours through museums and collections” ).
The barrel in the castle cellar built by Duke Ulrich in 1549 is considered the oldest surviving giant wine barrel in the world and is officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It measures around 6.80 meters in length and around 4.70 meters in height. Its capacity is around 84,000 liters and was filled twice with wine. Truly an attraction! Can only be visited in the winter months.
