Saxony’s Smallest Castle

Rabenstein Castle is located in the Rabenstein district of Chemnitz and forms part of the Schloßbergmuseum. It was built in the second half of the 12th century during the settlement of the foothills of the Erzgebirge mountains. The frequently used nickname »Saxony’s smallest castle« is somewhat misleading in that the buildings still standing today make up only the heart of a formerly much larger complex.

Visit the castle and its surroundings to discover traces of an eventful history spanning the centuries since the Middle Ages: The small knights’ hall located at the upper level of the palace and adorned with frescoes featuring hunting motifs attests to the castle’s redesign in the first half of the 17th century, the early Baroque period. One example of the Rococo period well worth seeing is the Rabensteiner Schloss palace above Rabenstein Castle; it has since been turned into a hotel. Chemnitz textile merchant Johann Georg Siegert acquired the castle and the property appertaining to it in 1774 and had Rabensteiner Schloss built as a new manor house. Siegert and his successor, notably Maximilian von Welck, were also responsible for reshaping the castle and its surroundings into a Romantic English-style park.

The City of Chemnitz acquired the complex with the incorporation of the village of Rabenstein in 1950. A museum was created in the castle in 1959, following extensive restoration work. In the 1980s and 1990s, the castle complex was subject to further comprehensive restoration measures. Along with a host of other attractions in the local area (including the Rabenstein water reservoir, the Wildgatter game reserve, and the Felsendome show-mine and restaurant), Rabenstein Castle is one of the most popular destinations for excursions in Chemnitz today.

Rabenstein Castle is usually open from 1 May through 31 October

https://www.kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de

Rabenstein Castle (Saxony)

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1776 Das heute als Schloss Rabenstein bezeichnete Herrenhaus wurde vom Chemnitzer Kaufmann Johann Georg Siegert im Stil eines Barockschlösschen erbaut. Es blieb bis 1883 im Besitz der Familie. Danach gab es mehrmalige Besitzerwechsel:
Georg Ludwig von Welk
William Eduard Kraft

Dr. Veit von Ried

1902 Der Chemnitzer Fabrikant Matthee Paul Herfurth erwarb die Burg und das Schloss. Durch umfangreiche Umbauten kamen der Wintergarten und repräsentative Elemente des dekorativen Jugendstils dazu. 1923 Das gesamte Ensemble wurde unter Denkmalschutz gestellt.

1946 Die Sowjetische Kommandatur besetzte das Schloss. Ein Jahr darauf wurde es zu Volkseigentum erklärt.

1951 Das Schloss wurde zum Altersheim umgebaut.

1982 Der VEB „Kombinat Textima“ erwarb das Schloss und nutzte es als Repräsentationsobjekt und Gästehaus.

2000 Die Lebenshilfe Sachsen e. V. erwarb das Schloss und eröffnete es als Bildungsstätte und Gästehaus.

2009 Mit dem Erwerb des Schlosses durch das städtische Unternehmen „Fortbildungszentrum Chemnitz gGmbH“ erfolgte bis ins Jahr

2011 die Sanierung und Modernisierung des Hauses.

2012 Das Hotel und Restaurant eröffnete am 21. Januar - somit bleibt das gesamte Areal für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. 


https://www.hotel-schloss-rabenstein.de

Schloss Rabenstein

The hunting lodge of Augustusburg (German: Jagdschloss Augustusburg) was built from 1568 to 1572 above the town of the same name on a hill called the Schellenberg (516 m above sea level (NN)) on the northern edge of the Ore Mountains of Germany. The castle, which is visible from afar, is a local landmark. It lies about 12 kilometres east of the city of Chemnitz and about 21 kilometres southwest of Freiberg in the Free State of Saxony.

In building a new castle, Prince Elector Augustus wanted not just to create a prestigious palace for his hunting trips, but also to underline his leading position in Central Germany. The immediate occasion for its construction was his victory in the Grumbach Brawl (Grumbachsche Händel). By enforcing the imperial ban on his Ernestine rivals - John Frederick the Middle and outlawed knight, Wilhelm von Grumbach, who sought refuge with John Frederick - the Albertine elector, Augustus, was able secure his supremacy over the Ernestines. He was also given the Ämter of Weida, Ziegenrück and Arnshaugk, which belonged to what later became the district of Neustädter Kreis. Thanks to the thriving economy of the Electorate of Saxony under Moritz and Augustus, the necessary finance for the construction of the castle was available.

Background

Before the hunting lodge was built, an old castle owned by the von Schellenberg family was located on the same spot.

This had been built around 1210/30 and was granted in 1324 to the House of Wettin after the so-called Schellenberg Feud. It was further fortified in the late 14th century. For example, an outer wall (Zwingermauer) and a well and wellhouse were built. Between 1528 and 1547 the castle was severely damaged by fire and lightning. An illustration in the altar picture of the castle church could be of the Schellenburg at that time, but it is not clear.

For a long time the design of the palace was attributed to the master builder and mayor of Leipzig, Hieronymus Lotter. It is clear, however, that when Lotter was appointed, a finished model of the castle already existed. According to current thinking, he only had the role of chief architect, responsible for executing the completed design. The two plans made by him are based on the already finished wooden model and the annotated changes he proposed were mainly declined by the Elector. The Italian style stairs with their straight flights (instead of the usual spiral staircases) and details in the design of the roofs are assigned to his influence. The design of parts of the north portal and chapel of the hunting lodge are traceable to Erhardt van der Meer, Lotter's senior clerk of works. The first clerk of works during the construction was Paul Widemann until his death in 1568.

Current understanding is that it was most likely that the overall design was prepared at the court of Elector Augustus under the supervision of the architect, Hans Irmscher. Since there are gaps in the sources relating to the authorship of the designs of Augustusburg Castle, it has even been attributed to Augustus himself. What is clear is the Elector's great interest in matters concerning construction and architecture. His library contained many architectural documents and template books of architectural elements. The architecture of the castle does not match that of traditional palace buildings in the rest of Saxony. Rather, it may be assumed that the Elector took the inspiration for his creation from the theoretical documents in his library.



Augustusburg Hunting Lodge

Scharfenstein Castle (German: Burg Scharfenstein) lies on an elongated hill spur above the village of Scharfenstein, in the municipality of Drebach in the Ore Mountains of Saxony, Germany. The castle is one of 24 sites run by the state-owned State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony (Staatliche Schlösser, Burgen und Gärten Sachsen).

History

The original structure was built in 1250. It is suspected that the von Waldenburgs ordered its construction, but only its first owner occupant is known for certain.
The von Waldenburgs had in their possession the estates of Waldenburg, Rabenstein, Scharfenstein, and Wolkenstein, which covered a contiguous area extending from the middle reaches of the River Pleiße to the Ore Mountain crest. Nine villages paid duties to the lord of the castle, including Grießbach, Großolbersdorf, Drebach and Herold. When, in the 15th century, Greifenstein Castle was destroyed, Scharfenstein also took over the guardianship of Thum, Ehrenfriedersdorf and Geyer. As a result, its value increased, so that in 1439 the Elector acquired the area from the Waldenburgs who were heavily indebted to him.
On 26 January 1492 Henry of Einsiedel bought Scharfenstein Castle and its associated villages of Grießbach, Großolbersdorf, Grünau, Hohndorf Hopfgarten and Scharfenstein It remained in the family until 1931.

Following a fire during the night of 1/2 June 1921 the entire residential wing and part of the domestic wing was destroyed. From 1921 to 1923 the damaged wings were partially rebuilt to plans by Bodo Ebhardt, based on the old design.

In 1931, a factory owner, Captain Eulitz from Fährbrücke, acquired possession. By his efforts in 1932 in a bird observatory was established. Hundreds of nest boxes were put up throughout the 325 hectares of woodland on the estate; bird banding was carried out and scientific reports published, with the support of the Chemnitz Ornithological Society.

In 1945 this forest was seized and made public property, the castle was initially used as the mining school for the state-owned Wismut mining company and, in 1951, a special children's home was established here for maladjusted boys. In 1967, it was converted into a detention centre for juvenile delinquents. Ornithological work was undertaken by the museum at Augustusburg Castle.

In 1993 the castle was taken over by the Saxon Palace Department of the Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen – Sächsische Schlösserverwaltung). In the period that followed the castle was renovated as a historic monument and converted into a museum. In 1995, on the completion of the renovation work, various exhibitions were opened - and for the first time since 1945, the castle was again open to the public. The bergfried is still used today as an observation tower.

Scharfenstein Castle (Ore Mountains)

Stein Castle (German: Burg Stein or Burg und Schloss Stein) is a Saxon castle located southeast of Zwickau in the village of Stein in the municipality of Hartenstein on the rocky banks of the Zwickauer Mulde in the east German state of Saxony.

History

The settlement of the Ore Mountains began in the 12th/13th centuries, especially along the rivers. River crossings and religious orders (Niederlassungen) were protected by fortified sites. Along the Zwickauer Mulde river, numerous castles were built.

Construction and layout

Construction of the castle was probably started around 1200 on a rock made of hornblende right on the southern banks of the Mulde. This oldest part of the site form the upper ward (Oberburg) today, consisting of a round bergfried, a palas, with its great hall, and defensive walls. Its architecture still has Romanesque influences. The fortifications probably also served as an outer ward of Hartenstein Castle which had not at that time been converted into a stately residence or schloss.

The remaining elements of the building are younger. The pointed round tower in the southwest may have been erected in the 14th century; the other parts of the lower ward (Niederburg) at the end of the 15th century. The bergfried of the upper ward were enhanced in the 16th century by an additional storey (Aufbau).

There used to be a ford by the castle and, later, a ferry as well as various wooden and stone bridges, some of which, in old drawings, are portrayed as covered. A bridge toll was still charged until 1924. A more modern steel arch bridge (Stahlbogenbrücke) was blown up in 1945 by the SS; since 1950 there has been a concrete bridge on the site. The predecessor of the old Stein Castle is located on the steep northern banks of the Zwickauer Mulde above the station.

Northwest of the castle lies the remains of another very clearly visible fortification with a round mound (diameter ca. 30 metres), inner ditch (10 to 12 metres wide, 2 metres deep), rampart (ca. 5 m to 8 metres wide) and an outer ditch. On the steep slope towards the south-southwest the ditches do not run at the same depth and width. The site was mostly referred to as a motte-and-bailey castle (Turmhügelburg) and the predecessor to Stein Castle, and was sometimes referred to as Ur-Stein ("Ancient Stein"). More recent research discovered, however, that it is the remains of a medieval siegeworks.

Vassals

In 1233 the castle was mentioned in the records for the first time: like the entire County of Hartenstein it came under the suzerainty of the burgraves of Meissen. Lord Heidenreich of Grünhain (Heidenricus miles de lapide, lapide meaning "rock castle") is its first known owner and he was the member of a family of the lesser nobility. The farming villages of Langenbach and Wildbach were bound by socage service.

The castellans (Burgherren) of the 14th century were notorious robber barons. One in particular, a certain Conradus de lapide, is accused in a 1320 document of numerous misdeeds. From 1406 the Schönburgs and their vassals were enfeoffed with the castle. The best known story by far revolves around Kunz von Kaufungen and the Kidnapping of the Saxon Princes in 1455: Kunz is described as a worthy and righteous knight. However, he felt unfairly treated by his lord, Elector Frederick the Gentle and wanted compensation. So he kidnapped the children of the Elector, the princes Ernest and Albert with the help of two accomplices. Prince Ernest was hidden in a nearby cave, subsequently called the Prince's Cave.

Kunz was caught and then beheaded in Freiburg on 14 July 1455.

In 1525 – at the time of the Great Peasants' Revolt – the castle was besieged by its socage farmers. The farmers took advantage of the absence of their socage lord, Ernest II of Schönburg. When he returned, however, with his troops from the Battle of Frankenhausen, the siege came to an abrupt end. The farmers were severely punished and many were executed.

When the Barony of Stein became independent of the County of Hartenstein the castle became a lordly residence in 1701/1702. In 1732 a great fire destroyed the lower ward, which was partially rebuilt and subsequently renovated in 1846.

Recent history

The castle was owned by the aristocratic family of the Princes of Schönburg until their estate was confiscated in 1945 as part of the socialist land reform in East Germany. Since 1954 it has housed a castle and local history museum. In the newer part of the lower ward a convalescent home was established.

In 1996, following German reunification the castle and surrounding Poppen Forest were reprivatized and the castle was renovated after prince Alfred of Schönburg-Hartenstein (b. 1953) bought it back. It is, however, still partly accessible to the public and still houses a museum.

Burg Stein

Stein Castle (German: Burg Stein or Burg und Schloss Stein) is a Saxon castle located southeast of Zwickau in the village of Stein in the municipality of Hartenstein on the rocky banks of the Zwickauer Mulde in the east German state of Saxony.

Just above the castle is a weir on the River Mulde. The impounded river drove a mill with four large water wheels. In 1788 its milling rights (Mahlzwang) were transferred from an older mill to this one. As a result of its exclusive milling rights, several mill tracks led to Stein. In 1912 the construction of a stately home, Wolfsbrunn House (Schloss Wolfsbrunn), began on the opposite bank of the river. The ruins of Isenburg castle are located only two kilometres upstream. Towards Langenbach were once the villages of Ober- and Niederopritz, which used to belong to Stein Castle, but were probably destroyed during the Hussite Wars.

The settlement of the Ore Mountains began in the 12th/13th centuries, especially along the rivers. River crossings and religious orders (Niederlassungen) were protected by fortified sites. Along the Zwickauer Mulde river, numerous castles were built.

Construction of the castle was probably started around 1200 on a rock made of hornblende right on the southern banks of the Mulde. This oldest part of the site form the upper ward (Oberburg) today, consisting of a round bergfried, a palas, with its great hall, and defensive walls. Its architecture still has Romanesque influences. The fortifications probably also served as an outer ward of Hartenstein Castle which had not at that time been converted into a stately residence or schloss.

The remaining elements of the building are younger. The pointed round tower in the southwest may have been erected in the 14th century; the other parts of the lower ward (Niederburg) at the end of the 15th century. The bergfried of the upper ward were enhanced in the 16th century by an additional storey (Aufbau).

There used to be a ford by the castle and, later, a ferry as well as various wooden and stone bridges, some of which, in old drawings, are portrayed as covered. A bridge toll was still charged until 1924. A more modern steel arch bridge (Stahlbogenbrücke) was blown up in 1945 by the SS; since 1950 there has been a concrete bridge on the site. The predecessor of the old Stein Castle is located on the steep northern banks of the Zwickauer Mulde above the station.

Northwest of the castle lies the remains of another very clearly visible fortification with a round mound (diameter ca. 30 metres), inner ditch (10 to 12 metres wide, 2 metres deep), rampart (ca. 5 m to 8 metres wide) and an outer ditch. On the steep slope towards the south-southwest the ditches do not run at the same depth and width. The site was mostly referred to as a motte-and-bailey castle (Turmhügelburg) and the predecessor to Stein Castle, and was sometimes referred to as Ur-Stein ("Ancient Stein"). More recent research discovered, however, that it is the remains of a medieval siegeworks.

In 1233 the castle was mentioned in the records for the first time: like the entire County of Hartenstein it came under the suzerainty of the burgraves of Meissen. Lord Heidenreich of Grünhain (Heidenricus miles de lapide, lapide meaning "rock castle") is its first known owner and he was the member of a family of the lesser nobility. The farming villages of Langenbach and Wildbach were bound by socage service.

The castellans (Burgherren) of the 14th century were notorious robber barons. One in particular, a certain Conradus de lapide, is accused in a 1320 document of numerous misdeeds. From 1406 the Schönburgs and their vassals were enfeoffed with the castle. The best known story by far revolves around Kunz von Kaufungen and the Kidnapping of the Saxon Princes in 1455: Kunz is described as a worthy and righteous knight. However, he felt unfairly treated by his lord, Elector Frederick the Gentle and wanted compensation. So he kidnapped the children of the Elector, the princes Ernest and Albert with the help of two accomplices. Prince Ernest was hidden in a nearby cave, subsequently called the Prince's Cave.

Kunz was caught and then beheaded in Freiburg on 14 July 1455.

In 1525 – at the time of the Great Peasants' Revolt – the castle was besieged by its socage farmers. The farmers took advantage of the absence of their socage lord, Ernest II of Schönburg. When he returned, however, with his troops from the Battle of Frankenhausen, the siege came to an abrupt end. The farmers were severely punished and many were executed.

When the Barony of Stein became independent of the County of Hartenstein the castle became a lordly residence in 1701/1702. In 1732 a great fire destroyed the lower ward, which was partially rebuilt and subsequently renovated in 1846.

The castle was owned by the aristocratic family of the Princes of Schönburg until their estate was confiscated in 1945 as part of the socialist land reform in East Germany. Since 1954 it has housed a castle and local history museum. In the newer part of the lower ward a convalescent home was established.

In 1996, following German reunification the castle and surrounding Poppen Forest were reprivatized and the castle was renovated after prince Alfred of Schönburg-Hartenstein (b. 1953) bought it back. It is, however, still partly accessible to the public and still houses a museum.

The Barony of Stein became independent of the County of Hartenstein in 1701/1702, when the castle became the seat of the barony. The barony contained the following villages:

Stein Castle and the present day village of Stein in the borough of Hartenstein
the village of Wildbach in the municipality of Bad Schlema with the castle of Isenburg, destroyed in 1320
the present day villages of Langenbach and Fährbrücke (founded in the 19th century) in the municipality of Langenweißbach
the two abandoned villages of Nieder- and Ober-Opritz between Stein and Langenbach
In 1740 the House of Wettin agreed a recess with the lords of Schönburg, by which the Schönburgs had to recognise the suzerainty of the Saxon royal house over the hitherto imperially immediate baronies of Waldenburg, Glauchau, Lichtenstein, Hartenstein (the lesser county) and Stein. The five recess lordship remained under Schönburg rule until 1878. Thereafter they were fully integrated into the Kingdom of Saxony. The Barony of Stein and the lesser County of Hartenstein (without the district of Lößnitz) went to the Amtshauptmannschaft of Zwickau.

Stein Castle (Saxony)

Rochlitz Castle or Rochlitz Palace (German: Schloss Rochlitz) lies in the west of the town of Rochlitz in the county of Mittelsachsen in the Free State of Saxony. It was built on the site of an imperial castle, erected in the second half of the 10th century, which fell into the possession of the Wettin margraves in 1143. Its appearance, which includes several Romanesque wings, is considerably influenced by its remodelling into a margravial schloss in the fourth quarter of the 14th century. Further conversions and additions followed at the end of the 15th and in the 16th centuries, when the castle became a secondary residenz, dower house and hunting lodge for the Wettin family. The castle or palace was the residence for members of the Saxon princely house eight times. From the 18th century the castle served as an administrative centre (justice department and district court); in 1852 it became a gaol, which necessitated considerable alteration. The museum founded in 1892 was gradually expanded and, today, takes up almost the entire castle.

Rochlitz Castle

Schloss Wildenfels erhebt sich auf einem Bergsporn über der Stadt Wildenfels nahe Zwickau in Sachsen. Es ist vor allem für seine einmaligen Papier- und Seidentapeten aus dem 18. Jahrhundert bekannt, welche sich in den ehemaligen Wohnräumen der gräflichen Familie befinden.

Geschichte

Die Herren zu Wildenfels begannen noch vor dem Jahr 1200 mit dem Bau ihrer Burg, die zum Sitz der Herrschaft Wildenfels wurde, welche sie von der reichsunmittelbaren Grafschaft Hartenstein zu Lehen nahmen. Nach der Trennung von der Grafschaft im Jahr 1440 war die Herrschaft Wildenfels bis 1706 ein sehr kleines, aber eigenständiges und reichsunmittelbares Reichsafterlehen, das nur die Stadt Wildenfels, zwei Dörfer und sechs Dorfanteile umfasste. Der älteste Teil der Anlage befindet sich am westlichen Ende der Anhöhe. Er bildete den Palas einer Burg, wurde später aber zum Kornhaus umgebaut. Die übrigen Gebäude, die den Hauptteil des heutigen Schlosses bilden, wurden später errichtet. Vorgelagert befinden sich Wirtschafts-, Wohn- und Verwaltungsgebäude.

Von 1602 bis 1945 befand sich das Schloss im Besitz der Grafen zu Solms-Wildenfels. Die Linie des ursprünglichen Adelsgeschlechts endete mit dem Tod Anarg Friedrichs von Wildenfels. Im Zuge dessen ging 1602 die Wildenfelser Herrschaft, mit allen Besitzungen und Rechten, an das Solmsche Grafenhaus über. Besonders unter Friedrich Magnus I. und seiner wohlhabenden Gattin Caroline Sophie von Leiningen-Hartenburg entwickelte sich die kleine Residenz zu einem kulturellen Kleinod der Region. Das Grafenpaar war der freigeistigen Gesinnung und den schönen Künsten zugetan und widmete sich daher intensiv dem Umbau der Anlage, des Schlossparks und der zeitgemäßen Ausgestaltung der Räume. Da der Graf den Grundsätzen des Humanismus und dem aufgeklärten Absolutismus verpflichtet war, gründete er 1776 die Freimaurerloge "Zum goldenen Apfel".  Dichter, Denker und Maler wurden auf das Schloss eingeladen. Am Fuße des Erzgebirges entstand ein Musenhof. Die Söhne Friedrich Magnus I. hielten am kulturellen Schwerpunkt der Familie fest.

1945 wurde das Schloss enteignet und Volkseigentum. Seither werden Teile als Wohnraum vermietet. Seit 1990 wird das Schloss grundlegend instand gesetzt. Ein Teil der Gebäude wird für öffentliche Veranstaltungen, Hochzeiten und weiterhin zum Wohnen genutzt. Zudem befindet sich eine Außenstelle der Kreismusikschule "Clara Wieck" des Landkreises Zwickau sowie die Stadtbibliothek der Stadt Wildenfels in dem historischen Gemäuer. Im Jahr 1998 wurde der gemeinnützige Verein "Freundeskreis Schloss Wildenfels e.V." gegründet, welcher sich für die Restaurierung der kostbaren Räumlichkeiten und Ausstattung engagiert. Einzigartig sind die im "Blauen Salon" und im "Chinesischen Kabinett" zu besichtigenden Seidentapeten aus dem 18. Jahrhundert. Es handelt sich hierbei um ehemals sehr verbreitete, aber nur noch äußerst selten erhaltene Wandbespannungen. Stück für Stück wurden und werden diese wieder zu altem Glanz erweckt.

Der vordere und hintere Burghof sowie der Schlosspark sind für eine Besichtigung zugänglich.

