One of the buildings we walk by on our way to class. It's very interesting so I thought I would find out about it.
The Imperial Castle in Poznań was constructed in 1910 byFranz Schwechten for Wilhelm II, German emporer. Construction began in 1905, and five years later, on 21 August 1910, during a visit of the emperor in Poznań.
The castle was built in Neo-Romansque style, considered by William to be the most "Germanic". The new residence was intended to reflect the control over Greater Poland by the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire.
The main building located in the southern part of the complex has two wings: the western — the larger one — consisting of apartments, and the eastern with representative rooms. On the ground floor of the western wing were rooms of the court-martial, chamberlain and other members of imperial court. On the first floor were the apartments of the Emperor and his wife. A private chapel in a Byzantine style was located in a tower. Under the chapel, on the western side of the tower was the entrance reserved for the emperor. From the entrance, stairs lead straight to the first floor. The bedrooms of the emperor and the empress were connected by a corridor with four statues of the following rulers: Margrave Gero, Emperor OttoI, Emperor Frederick Barbossa, and Duke Właadysław II the Exile. The second floor was planned to be used by the crown prince (the so-called prince rooms). Most of rooms were connected by a foyer surrounding the inner yard.
The most impressive room of the representative wing was the Throne Room. The room was lighted by huge windows from three sides, positioned between the columns and the arches. Eight statues of Holy Roman Empire were placed under the arches. The thdrone, designed in an oriental style, was situated under the middle arch. Over the windows was a gallery for guests and the orchestra. The entrance to this part of the castle was from Wałowa Street (today Kościuszki Street).
The northern part of the complex, from Berlin Street (now Fredry Street), consisted of service rooms, garage, stable and coach house. Those structures and two wings of the main building surround the roses yard with a fountain, based on the Fountain of the Lions from the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
After the Greater Poland Uprising (1918-1919), the castle became the property of the Second Polish Republic. According to a decision of the Polish government in 1921, the castle became the residence of President of Poland.
After the incorporation of Greater Poland into Nazi Germany in 1939, the authorities decided to transform the castle into Adolf Hitler’s's residence. According to this decision, Albert Speer prepared the project of the reconstruction, which completely changed the rooms of the castle. Most of the rooms were changed into the style of the Third Reich. The chapel was changed into the private cabinet of Hitler, with a characteristic balcony with an electric-heated floor. The cabinet was a copy of Hitler's room in the Reich Chancellory; the architectonic details of this room survivedWorld War II and is often used in films. The Throne Room was also transformed into an audience hall. Under the castle, a bunker for 375 people was constructed. The rebuilding was stopped in 1943 due to the Germans' negativity from setbacks on the Eastern Front.
During fighting in 1945, the castle was a temporary camp for German POWs, and was later used as a barracks by the polish People’s Army. During this period, the communist government considered the demolition of the castle as a symbol of the German occupation and bourgeois style. Due to a lack of funds, only some of the German symbols were removed and the upper part of damaged tower was demolished.
During the war, the city hall and the seat of the town authorities was destroyed. The castle was renamed to "New City Hall" (Nowy Ratusz), and later transformed into a centre of culture. On 6 June 1979 the castle was declared a historical monument under protection of law.Today, the Throne Room is used as a cinema room; other apartments contain art galleries, a puppet theater, pubs, music clubs and restaurants. The courtyard is often a place of concerts and outdoor movie performances during summer. The second floor is still empty and has not been renovated.
(Information from Wikipedia)
Palace chandelier
Emperor's throne
Imperial Castle
Western, representative wing; its entrance was built during World War II
The palace being cleaned
Fountain of the Lions
Stairs in Palace 
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