Nuremberg Castle is one of the most important imperial palaces dating from the Middle Ages: from 1050 to 1571 all the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire stayed in it at various times during their reign. Friedrich Barbarossa and his successors developed the existing Salian Royal Castle originating from the mid-11th century into an impressive imperial seat, as reflected in particular by the double chapel, which has been preserved in its entirety. The imperial residential and state rooms in the Palas, mostly with their original panelling, are furnished with paintings, tapestries and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Imperial Castle is recorded as having had a number of different gardens during its many centuries of history, none of which have been preserved. The oldest representation of the Imperial Castle, dating from 1425, thus already shows a tree garden with a woven fence. On the south side of the great hall, Emperor Friedrich III (1440-1493) had "hanging gardens" laid out in imitation of the gardens of the Oriental king Semiramis, which were supported on pillars and were planted with vines, flowers and small fruit trees. At the beginning of the 18th century, Johann Christoph Volkamer immortalized these gardens in his copper engraving "Nuremberg Hesperides".
