Kaiserpfalz Goslar

The Kaiserpfalz stands on a rise above Goslar's old town, one of the largest surviving secular buildings of the Romanesque period, begun in the 1050s under Emperor Heinrich III as an imperial residence for the Salian emperors' court. The palace's great hall, the Reichssaal, is the main draw inside, restored in the 19th century with large historicist murals depicting scenes from German imperial history along its walls, giving the room a dramatic scale even though the paintings themselves postdate the medieval structure by centuries. Beneath the hall, the Ulrichskapelle chapel holds the heart of Emperor Heinrich III, interred there according to his wishes, and preserves earlier Romanesque architectural elements than the hall above. The terrace in front of the Kaiserpfalz offers a wide view over Goslar's old town roofscape and the Harz hills beyond, one of the better vantage points in the area for orienting a visit before heading down into the timber-frame streets. A visit to the Reichssaal, chapel, and adjoining exhibits on imperial history takes about an hour to ninety minutes. The building is generally quieter than the Marktplatz below, making late morning to early afternoon a comfortable time to visit without needing to compete with old-town foot traffic. Combined with the Rammelsberg Mine and the old town's timber-frame streets, the Kaiserpfalz forms one of three closely spaced UNESCO-linked sights in Goslar that fit naturally into a single day.