Nestled at the foot of Rammelsberg hill, the Imperial Palace of Goslar is an ex-tensive complex of historical buildings and one of the most impressive tourist attractions in the Harz region. The grounds include the magnificent Kaiserhaus, the Collegiate Church of St. Simon and St. Jude and the Palace Chapel of St. Ul-rich. Together with Goslar’s Old Town and the Rammelsberg, the Imperial Pal-ace of Goslar has been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Imperial Palace was built between 1040 and 1050 during the region of Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich III and is unique in being one of the few secular archi-tectural monuments dating from the period. Its location was selected due to the proximity of the Rammelsberg Silver Mines and was later used primarily as a summer residence for the royal family.
The palace stood strong for more than 200 years but by the late 13th century, it was beginning to fall into disrepair. Fires destroyed some areas while the stone was quarried for other buildings and it wasn’t until 1868 that a concerted effort was made to save the palace and reconstruction efforts began.
Today you can join a guided tour of the Kaiserhaus to see where the emperor and his immediate entourage once resided, with the interior of the upper hall having been decorated with monumental murals by Hermann Wislicenus. They depict scenes from old German legends and royal figures, including the infamous warri-or king Barbarossa. There’s a fascinating exhibition on imperial rule on the ground floor while the Palace Chapel of St. Ulrich houses the royal sarcophagus of the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich III with his heart visible in the golden cap-sule.