Weilburg Palace was constructed by Philip III, Count of Nassau-Weilburg from circa 1530. The Orangerie was added 200 years later. The Princes of Nassau-Weilburg used it as their main residence until Charles August, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg moved to Kirchheimbolanden, while the seat of government remained in Weilburg. Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg, daughter of William, Duke of Nassau and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen, was born at the palace and her parents were married at the palace.
The Castle Church contains the remains of over 30 family members. They were buried beneath the altar, which was covered when we visited. There were some tombstones placed against the wall, leading me to think that the tombstones were moved to make way for events held in the church. There was no obvious entrance, though there must be one as there are photos of the crypt.
Royal women buried there are:
1. Adelheid Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (the first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg)
2. Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt
3. Maria Polycena of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Hartenburg
4. Marie of Luxembourg
5. Anna of Nassau-Dillenburg
6. Augusta Maria Karoline of Nassau-Weilburg (daughter of Carolina of Orange-Nassau)
7. Auguste Louise Friederike Maximiliane Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg
8. Auguste Louise Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg
9. Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
10. Magdalena of Nassau-Weilburg
11. Maria Christiana of Nassau-Weilburg
12. Marie Wilhelmine Louise Friederike Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg
13. Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen-Altenburg
14. Louise Isabella of Sayn-Hachenburg
15. Anna Maria of Sayn-Wittgenstein
16. Christiane Elisabeth of Sayn-Wittgenstein
In 1935, the palace was sold to the Prussian state by Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. It is currently open to the public and also hosts a number of events throughout the year. You can visit the castle itself with a tour and I must say it was one of the better tours on this trip. The tour guide asked why we were visiting and adjusted his story accordingly to make it more interesting for us. I was pleasantly surprised by the shop, which also offered books on the family. The staff was really helpful and went out of their way to answer our questions.
The tour costs €5,00, which is a great price. I can’t find any information on English tours but I suppose these can be arranged by prior arrangement. The complex itself is huge and takes a while to explore. Read more on the official website.
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