Kaiserpfalz Gelnhausen

The Kaiserpfalz Gelnhausen is the best-preserved imperial palace complex from the Hohenstaufen era, with nearly all of its original structure intact. Here you explore a historical highlight founded around 1170 by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, which also has a special connection to a significant ruler.

The site impresses as a polygonal water castle located on an island in the Kinzig River, once protected by multiple bridges and moats – a truly picturesque gem of history. Particularly exciting is that in 1180 the Imperial Diet of Gelnhausen was held here, where groundbreaking political decisions of the Middle Ages were made.

The Kaiserpfalz houses one of Central Europe’s most important secular Romanesque buildings and is considered a masterpiece of Hohenstaufen palace architecture. Architectural highlights on site include the polygonal keep, the three-zone gate hall with the chapel above it, and elaborate sculptures such as the eagle capital.