Jerôme Bonaparte (1784-1860), Napoleon's youngest brother, was the king of Westphalia in the years 1807-13, and although in later Germany he was known under the slightly disdainful and condescending nickname of "König Lustik" (the Merry King), because of his numerous love affairs and luxurious lifestyle, he was in fact - and despite his young age - a ruler who treated his kingdom and his subject very seriously. Among his achievements, allowed by the introduction of modern constitution (the first in the German states) are the abolition of serfdom and socage, as well as the emancipation of the Jews; under his rule the kingdom (constructed out of a number of small German states, mostly Hessen) lived through a period of cultural prosperity.
Today's Hessen maybe does not celebrate the short French rule overenthusiastically, but King Jerôme together with his family is present in several local museums, out of which the collection of portraits and memorabilia kept in the Friedrichstein castle near the resort town of Bad Wildungen is the largest.
The Schloss, whose history dates to the Middle Ages, but the main architectural shape is mostly 17th century (with the exception of a 16th century tower), hosts the Hunting Quarters and Hessian Military History museum (Militär- und Jagdgeschichtemuseum, being part of the consortium of Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel), which is focused in the first place on local history (long galleries of portraits of local dukes and commanders; a fine collection of arms and uniforms from the early Modern Age to the end of the 19th century; a small section devoted to hunting traditions - despite the warning about stuffed animals on exposition, there are actually none of these).
Five small rooms on the first floor are devoted to the Kingdom of Westphalia, and they are easy to miss, since they are on a lower level, and accessed by relatively narrow stairs going off the equally narrow corridor (some more portraits) at the end of the visit to this floor. The stairs are to the left if you visit the floor clockwise; if you choose the short way, ignoring the gallery of Fürsts, then go to the left on the landing and the stairs will be on your right.
The first in the suite of rooms hosts the statue of Napoleon in the garb of a Roman emperor; the monument was partly destroyed after the kingdom of Westphalia was dismantled by the Congress of Vienna, which adds to its "ancient" look (for instance part of one of the legs is missing, as in so many ancient statues). There are also two famous painted portraits of Jerôme himself: one on horseback and the other in coronation robes. Two showcases contain military memorabilia.
In the remaining rooms, to the left and at the back of the first one, are the portraits of Joseph and Louis Bonaparte, more military memorabilia, including the uniforms designed by Jerôme for the local regiments, biscuit porcelain busts of Jerôme and his second wife, Catherine of Württenberg, her portrait (which is a short course in how not to dress if you could be Rubens' model), and several more paintings and engravings. Among the most interesting portraits one shows very young Jerôme with his eldest sister Elisa; the siblings are portrayed with the bust of Napoleon in the background, and Elisa is holding a sheet of paper and a quill to emphasize her intellectual attitude. The other painting shows Jerôme's first wife, the American Elizabeth Patterson, with her son, apparently some time after her rather unfortunate arrival to Europe (her marriage was dissolved by the Emperor who had more grandiose plans for his youngest brother).
From the courtyard of the castle splendid views over the surrounding Kellerwald-Edersee National Park; the picturesque views of the castle itself can be admired from the hills facing it from the south-east, in the direction of Homberg.
Practical information
Address: Bad Wildungen, Castle Friedrichstein, Schlossstraße
GPS data:
Opening hours
The official website gives the times for Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., but this varies in winter time (dates not specified), when the castle is open only from Friday to Sunday in the same hours. It is also closed on 24, 25 and 31 of December.
The shop offers a small selection of books and souvenirs, but it does not accept credit or debit cards. Most of the books, but not the souvenirs, can be purchased in the main museum shop in Kassel where card payments are accepted.
Tickets: EUR 3 (concession EUR 2, student concession only for the University of Kassel). Photography is allowed with the fee of EUR 5.
The staff will firmly persuade you to follow the direction of visit but they are otherwise nice and friendly. They do not seem to speak any other language but German, though.
Easy access from Kassel and motorway Dortmund-Kassel (ca. 35 km, less than one hour leisure drive), greater distance from other motorways (up to 90 km drive on very good but winding and slow local roads).
The resort town of Bad Wildungen and nearby communities offer a range of reasonably priced accommodation (from ca. EUR 55 for double room), but restaurants are not numerous and some of them do not open until 6 or 7 p.m. Kaiser Wilhelm on the main street (Brunnenallee) serves some traditional German dishes and plays Heimatmusik mixed with vintage disco hits.
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On all accounts you should have posted the picture of Catherine (the 'how not to dress' one). Also, I may add that, generally, the collection of uniforms in the museum is bvery interesting (from the point of view of someone interested more in costumes than in military history).
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