Schloss, Castle in Apolda, Germany

Schloss Apolda stands on the site of a medieval castle on a north-facing spur south of the town centre. The present building was erected after 1451, with 16th- and 17th-century additions including the Vitzthum building, and a 19th-century south-west wing. Remnants of the earlier castle remain in the walls.

An ancient fortress at this site once protected settlements along the Ilm River until its destruction in 1451 during the Saxon Fratricidal War. The present castle complex developed through gradual reconstruction and expansion over subsequent centuries.

The Vitzthum building, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, now houses the city's registry office, a branch of the Ottmar Gerster music school from Weimar, the Apoldaer Kulturverein and the prop store of the Apolda amateur theatre. The Vitzthum family, ministerials of the archbishops of Mainz, died out in 1631, after which the estate passed to the University of Jena; its judicial function ended in 1833.

The castle stands in the southern part of Apolda's town centre, on the site of the former hilltop castle; the Katharina-Brunnen fountain marks the approach up to it. The Vitzthum building now holds the registry office, the cultural department of the town administration and a branch of the Ottmar Gerster music school in Weimar. A hotel adjoins the grounds.

The Vitzthum line died out in 1631, after which the estate passed to the University of Jena; its judicial function ended in 1833. The castle stands on a north-facing spur above the Katharina-Brunnen spring at the approach to the building.