Burg Wolkenstein, meist Schloss Wolkenstein genannt, ist eine hochmittelalterliche Burg in der Stadt Wolkenstein im Erzgebirgskreis in Sachsen (Deutschland). Seit 1963 befindet sich hier u. a. das Museum Schloss Wolkenstein.

Geschichte

Die Burg Wolkenstein wurde im 13. Jahrhundert erstmals urkundlich erwähnt. Die Herren von Waldenburg saßen als Ministeriale im Auftrag des deutschen Königs auf der Burg im Pleißenland, das im Zuge der Ostkolonisation unter deutsche Herrschaft gekommen war. Ab 1378 war Wolkenstein der Hauptsitz der Waldenburger. Nach dem Tod des letzten Waldenburgers fiel der Besitz 1473 als erledigtes Lehen an die Landesherren, die Wettiner. Nach 1500 war sie im Besitz von Heinrich dem Frommen, der als Nachgeborener die Ämter Wolkenstein und Freiberg zu seiner Versorgung erhielt. Er ließ die Burg ausbauen und nutzte sie als Jagdschloss. Sein Sohn August richtete sich die Anlage um 1550 als Schloss im Stil der Renaissance zum Wohnsitz ein, nutzte sie aber nach seiner Ernennung zum Kurfürsten von Sachsen 1553 nur noch als Nebenwohnsitz. Aufgrund der Schäden des Dreißigjährigen Krieges und der schleichenden Verwahrlosung verfielen einige Teile der Anlage. Bis zum 19. Jahrhundert dienten die Hauptgebäude als kursächsischer Amtssitz und bis in das 20. Jahrhundert als königlich-sächsisches Amtsgericht, später wurde dort eine Strafanstalt untergebracht, die bis 1951 bestand. Nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden die Räumlichkeiten bis in die 1990er Jahre zu Wohnzwecken genutzt, 1963 entstand in einem Teil des Westflügels eine Heimatstube mit Handwerkerräumen, ab 1984 dienten Bereiche des Schlosses als landeskundliches Kabinett mit Volkskunstschule.

Nutzung seit 1990

Die Heimatstube wandelte sich nach der Wende in das Heimatmuseum der Stadt, wurde vergrößert und erhielt den Namen Museum Schloss Wolkenstein. Eine Gastwirtschaft (Zum Grenadier) befindet sich im Erdgeschoss, das Wolkensteiner Standesamt nutzt das historische Trauzimmer. Der Fürstensaal, ein restaurierter Festsaal im Südflügel, erinnert an die Zeit der wettinischen Herrschaft und dient für Veranstaltungen.

Schloss Wolkenstein (Erzgebirge)

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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)

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

Schwarzenberg Castle (German: Schloss Schwarzenberg) was based on a medieval fortification and together with St. George's Church dominates the scene of the large county town of Schwarzenberg in Saxony's district of Erzgebirgskreis.

The castle was probably founded in the 12th century as a fort and was the original base for the settlement of Schwarzenberg and its vicinity. The former castle was given its present appearance by a conversion into a hunting lodge for the Electorate of Saxony from 1555 to 1558. In 1851/52 its keep and south wing were raised and, in 1875/76, an office building extension was added.