Max Dudler adds sandstone entrance building to Hambach Castle grounds
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).
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
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.
Hambach 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.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
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.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
The first two phases involved restoring the castle and wrapping a contemporary restaurant around one side. This, the third and final phase, was to create an ancillary building on the outer northern perimeter of the grounds.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
Dudler chose local Leistadt sandstone for the walls and roof of the entrance building, creating an affinity with the historic structures.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_3.jpg)
Blocks of different sizes and proportions create uneven lines around each of the elevations. They have a smooth finish, but have been arranged in angled sections to give the building a gently zigzagging form.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
"Derived from the archetypical basic shape, the building effectively follows the site's curved morphology and develops an apparently spontaneous and offset geometry," said Dudler's studio in a statement.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
"This 'trick' made it possible to adapt the building's considerable volume... At the same time its special geometry becomes a motor for the design's sculptural vibrancy."
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
Every window is the same size, creating a rhythm across each of the walls, and glazing is set back so that it reveals the thickness of the stone.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
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.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
Both levels feature built-in wooden joinery that creates storage along the walls. Walls and ceilings are painted white, and on the upper level the angle of the roof is left exposed.
![Entrance building for Hambach Castle by Max Dudler](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/12/Entrance-building-for-Hambach-Castle-by-Max-Dudler_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
The keys to the building were handed over in an official ceremony on 3 November.
Photography is by Stefan Mueller.
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