Max Dudler adds sandstone entrance building to Hambach Castle grounds

Project credits:
Architect: Max Dudler
Project managers: Simone Boldrin, Julia Lapsin
Team: Kilian Teckemeier, Thomas Back, Patrick Gründel
Construction supervision: Plan Art
Structural engineers/fire protection:
SCHENCK Beratender Ingenieur
Building services: Gebäudetechnik
Building physics and acoustics: ITA Ingenieurgesellschaft für Technische Akustik
Landscape architects: Latz Riehl Partner Landschaftsarchitekten, LOMA architecture Related story: Sparrenberg Castle visitor centre by Max Dudler boasts striated concrete wallsHambach Castle   originated as a Roman hilltop settlement, but also provided the venue for the foundation   of the German democracy movement when it   hosted the Hambacher Fest of 1832 – a political festival disguised as a county fair. They have a smooth finish, but have been arranged in angled sections to give the building a gently zigzagging form. Castle specialist   Max Dudler has completed his latest German fortress project – a new entrance building for the historic Hambach Castle on the edge of the Palatine Forest (+ slideshow). The first two phases involved restoring the castle and wrapping   a contemporary   restaurant around one side. Dudler chose local Leistadt sandstone for the walls and roof of the entrance building, creating an affinity with the historic structures. «This ‘trick’ made it possible to adapt the building’s considerable volume… Both levels   feature built-in wooden joinery that creates storage along the walls. Max Dudler, who has previously built structures for Heidelberg and Sparrenberg Castles, designed the two-storey building to provide a ticket shop and offices for the fortified site   in southern Germany. In 2004, the Swiss architect won a competition to   renovate the building and its grounds, with the aim to make it more attractive and accessible to tourists. Photography is by Stefan Mueller. Inside, the ground floor contains a small information centre where visitors can buy tickets, while the upper level is occupied by the offices of the castle’s foundation and the company that manages the building. Blocks of different sizes and proportions create uneven lines around each of the elevations.