Lovely Castles and Parks in Saxony
that are worth visiting

Standing on craggy rock near the ancient trade and military road between Meissen and the Kingdom of Bohemia, Weesenstein Castle, with its spectacular architecture, collection of historical wallpapers and furniture, and the beautiful gardens in the baroque style, is one of the most striking castles of Saxony. There are some curiosities that can be explored inside the castle complex: the grand residential rooms in the basement, above them the vaulted cellar, the stables on the fifth floor and the ballroom architecture in the attic. Since the building grew from top to bottom, everything seems upside down. Today a museum is within the "lower castle," exhibiting rooms in the style of the 18th/19th century and conveying an impression of how the noble families lived here for two centuries.

The Renaissance city of Torgau used to be the centre of the political Reformation. Here in Hartenfels Castle Martin Luther consecrated the castle chapel as the first Protestant church building. At the beginning of the 19th century the castle was part of the Saxon-Napoleonic fortress and later the Prussian barracks. Today it is a monument of international importance and a venue for various exhibitions of national importance.

The only completely preserved manor in Saxony is located in Rammenau. Apart from visiting the castle museum, you can also treat yourself to some fine food and exquisite delicacies from the castle kitchen. Furthermore, various events take place there, too.

Colditz Castle looks back to almost 1,000 years of an eventful history. Parts of it were given away, inherited, burned down and rebuilt several times. Throughout the course of history it was a castle complex and served to protect the city, it was a hunting lodge under the reign of the Elector August, later it functioned as workhouse, almshouse, closed institution for incurable mentally ill people and as a hospital. During the Second World War, the castle was used as an internment camp for officers of the Western Allies and became especially well known for the book and identically named movie “The Colditz Story”. Today you can visit the castle’s escape museum and find out more about this part of the castle history.

The currently only UNESCO-World Heritage Site in Saxony sets itself apart from other parks in the region due to its beautifully landscaped garden in the style of romanticism. The excellent new castle is situated in the heart of the complex, which has been almost entirely rebuilt after its complete destruction during the Second World War. And did you actually know that the majority of the territory in not even located in Germany?