Schloss Friedrichstein

About the museum

A castle stood on the Schlossberg above Altwildungen from around 1200 and passed to the Counts of Waldeck in 1260. In 1663 Count Josias II of Waldeck began replacing it with a Baroque palace; when he fell fighting the Ottomans on Crete in 1669, the building was unfinished. His nephew Friedrich Anton Ulrich had the complex completed between 1707 and 1714 and gave it the name Friedrichstein. Around 1715 to 1719, the stucco work by Andrea Gallasini and the ceiling paintings by Carlo Ludovico Castelli were created in the banquet hall.

After the court moved to the new residence palace in Arolsen in 1720, Friedrichstein was only occasionally inhabited, and much of its furnishings were lost. A variety of uses followed, including as a military hospital in 1870/71, a summer residence of the princely family, a youth hostel and a hotel, and as a training center during the Nazi era. In 1920 the palace passed to the Free State of Waldeck, and after World War II to the state of Hesse.

After extensive restoration, it is now run as a museum by Hessen Kassel Heritage (formerly Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel). On display are weapons, uniforms, orders and paintings on Hessian military history from the 16th to the 19th century, as well as the so-called Turcica: Ottoman objects that the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel captured, received as gifts or purchased – above all a magnificent audience tent. Since 2023 a permanent exhibition on the upper floor has added Empire-style furniture from Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Kassel Residenzpalais.

Highlights

• Richly decorated Ottoman audience tent from the Landgraves' “Türkenbeute” (Turkish spoils)
• Weapons, uniforms and orders on Hessian military history (16th–19th century)
• Empire-style rooms with furniture from Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Kassel Residenzpalais
• Baroque banquet hall with stucco and ceiling paintings (1715–1719)
• Gothic round tower of the medieval castle

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlung Hessische Militärgeschichte – Weapons, uniforms, orders and paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, often magnificently crafted status symbols of their time.
• Turcica – Ottoman weapons and equipment owned by the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel, with a richly decorated audience tent as the centerpiece.
• Schlossräume im Stil des Empire – Since 2023, furnished rooms have displayed early 19th-century furniture from Kassel's residences, complemented by clothing, ceramics and paintings.

Operated by

Hessen Kassel Heritage

Admission & discounts

Free admission with, among others, Meine Card+ and Auszeit Card+, the FamilienApp Hessen, for refugees, and for members of ICOM, the Deutscher Museumsbund and the Museumsverband Hessen.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to Hessen Kassel Heritage, not accessible; parking spaces for holders of a disabled parking permit are available, and assistance dogs are allowed.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit