Built between 1585 and 1590 as a secondary residence of the Hessian landgraves, the castle is considered a unique jewel among Germany's Renaissance castles.

Wilhelmsburg Castle is a jewel among Renaissance castles. Landgrave Wilhelm IV of Hesse-Kassel had his "new castle" in Schmalkalden built on the south-western foothills of the Queste. Wilhelmsburg Castle was handed over for use with the consecration of the castle church on May 23, 1590. Remarkable rooms in the castle from 1590 onwards have been preserved. The castle chapel closely follows the model of the castle church in Torgau. In Schmalkalden, the altar, pulpit and organ were arranged one above the other in a single axis for the first time. The banqueting hall, known as the Riesensaal, is of particular importance. It is one of the most prestigious and largest banqueting halls of the late 16th century in Germany.  The light-flooded palace church from the end of the 16th century is one of the most impressive Protestant church buildings of its time. It meets the requirements of a Protestant church building in an outstanding way. The table altar, pulpit and the small, extremely fine "wooden" organ are ideally arranged vertically one above the other.

Today, the Renaissance organ is one of the most important organs still playable in Europe. Daniel Meyer, the famous "organ maker" from Göttingen, created his instrument especially for the Wilhelmsburg chapel between 1587 and 1589, commissioned by Landgrave Wilhelm IV of Hesse-Kassel. 252 wooden organ pipes, one manual (no pedal), 6 stops, consisting of lip and reed pipes give the organ its unusual timbre between the soft southern sounds and the harsher sounds common in the north. The museum has been organizing the international concert series with the Renaissance organ in the castle church since 1976. Today, in our fast-moving times, the concerts make it possible to trace the original unique sound of this queen of instruments and to enjoy the spatial impression of the castle church with all its facets.

The outdoor facilities were created during the reign of Landgrave Moritz: the rabbit garden around 1600, the bakehouse in 1609, the brewery in 1620, the prison tower around 1590, the palace gardens around 1600, the palace palace in 1610, the stables and rent courtyard around 1400 (rebuilt in 1618), the chancellery in 1604 and the gatekeeper's house in 1600. These almost completely preserved facilities round off the impressive overall impression of Wilhelmsburg Palace.


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