Moritzburg Castle
| Place: | Moritzburg-FR Kreyern (Moritzburg, Meissen) |
|---|---|
| Type: | Castle complex |
| Dating: | since 1542 AD. |
Description
Moritzburg Castle was built in the years 1542-1546 by the Dresden master craftsman Caspar Vogt von Wierandt as a hunting lodge. It was commissioned by Duke Moritz (1521-1553), who valued the surrounding forest for its abundance of game as a hunting ground. Today, the entire ensemble of the palace with its kilometer-long avenue, extensive gardens and park and pond landscape is one of the most important buildings of the Dresden Baroque period. In 1946, a museum was established in Moritzburg Castle, which to this day offers a wide range of exhibitions on Saxon Baroque, the history of building and hunting and Meissen porcelain.
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie ReckFirst construction phases
The rectangular central building dates from the first construction phase in the middle of the 16th century. It is surrounded by a regular four-winged complex and four mighty round towers. The wings were originally half-timbered defensive walls that served as farm buildings and stables. The manorial living quarters, on the other hand, were located in the central building and the towers. After the death of Moritz, who had now become an elector, following a serious wound in the Battle of Sievershausen (1553), his title and possessions passed to his brother August (1526-1586), including Moritzburg Castle. He had the hunting lodge remodeled in 1584 by the court mason Peter Kummer and the Dresden master builder Paul Buchner. Around 1660, a chapel was added to the castle by the Oberland architect Wolf Caspar von Klengel. The rectangular extension was added to the western front of the castle, which had been pierced for this purpose, and was fitted with a tiled roof and tower riders.
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Heynowski, Foto ©LfA 2017.
Baroque redesign
Around 1700, Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) planned to transform Moritzburg Palace into a representative hunting and pleasure palace in the Baroque style. The architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, who was also the master builder of the Dresden Zwinger, the Japanese Palace and Pillnitz Palace, played a key role in the design. The four corner towers of the palace were raised or rebuilt and connected by three-storey wings. At the same time, new ponds and animal enclosures were created. This largely gave the castle its current appearance. The newly laid out, straight avenue now led from the south over a bridge directly to the lower terrace with its gatehouses, water stairs and pavilions and up to the upper terrace via a curved ramp. The interior and exterior alterations were completed around 1733.
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Heynowski, Foto ©LfA 2020.
Landscape extension
In the second half of the 18th century, the wider grounds around the castle were also integrated into the landscape. The pheasant garden and the Bärnsdorf large pond were created in the course of this. Between 1769 and 1782, the little pheasant castle was built by court architect Johann Daniel Schade. From 1933, Moritzburg Castle served as the residence of the Wettin Prince Ernst Heinrich (1896-1971) until the family fled to Sigmaringen in 1945 and was later expropriated. The castle chapel was extensively restored between 1985 and 1989.
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie ReckImage Source Fasanenschlösschen, Teppich um 1790, CC 0.
Emergency recovery of the "Wettiner treasure"
Before the end of the Second World War, Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony instructed his two sons Dedo and Gero and the district forester to bury a total of 43 boxes full of valuables in the forest. The forester later revealed the hiding place to the Soviet occupiers under torture. As late as 1945, 40 of the boxes were dug up again and taken to Russia as looted art. The remaining three were buried elsewhere by the two brothers. In October 1996, they were rediscovered in the Moritzburg forest by two treasure hunters using metal probes. After three days, however, they reported the important find, whereupon an emergency archaeological salvage operation was initiated. The old pits looted by the Soviets were also investigated in the course of this. The treasure was then returned to its owners and some of it was auctioned off. However, some pieces can still be seen in the exhibition at Moritzburg Castle. The majority of the Wettin family treasure is still in Russia. Some special pieces are on display in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie ReckImage Source H. Haßmann, Foto ©LfA 1996.
Literature
M. Donath, Moritzburg. Glückliche Insel im Friedewald. In: Schlösser in Dresden und Umgebung (Meißen 2005) 116–119.
E. Lehmann (Hrsg.), Lößnitz und Moritzburger Teichlandschaft. Ergebnisse der heimatkundlichen Bestandsaufnahme im Gebiet um Radebeul und Dresden-Klotzsche. Werte unserer Heimat (Berlin 1973) 52–56.
Dana Mikschofsky, Jagdschloss Moritzburg. In: Regina Smolnik/Ronny Zienert (Hrsg.), Höhenflüge. Luftbilder und Archäologie in Sachsen (Dresden 2024) 142–143.
Note on monument protection
Archaeological monuments are protected by the Saxon Monument Protection Act. A permit under monument law is required for ground interventions or construction measures.
Permalink
https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/moritzburg-castle/
Citation
Dana Mikschofsky/Annemarie Reck, Moritzburg Castle. In: Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen, Website archaeo | SN (19.07.2024). https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/moritzburg-castle/ (Stand: 20.05.2025)
