Moritzburg

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Castle Moritzburg, Saxony

Moritzburg is a village in the district of Meissen in Saxony, Germany, between Meissen as early center of Saxony and the today's capital Dresden. It is most famous for its Baroque castle, Schloss Moritzburg. The castle was built from 1542-1546 as a hunting lodge for Duke Moritz of Saxony. The chapel was added between 1661 and 1671 after designs by Wolf Caspar von Klengels and is a fine example of the early Baroque style. Between 1723 and 1733 the castle was remodelled as a pleasure seat with formal park for Friedrich August I (August the Strong), elector of Saxony and king of Poland by the architects Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann and Longeloune.

The village became a market in 1675. The Saxon state stud is located in Moritzburg since 1828. In 1884 a narrow gauge railway was built connecting Moritzburg to the district capital Radebeul and Radeburg. The German painter Käthe Kollwitz lived in the Rüdenhof in Moritzburg from 1944 till her death on the 22. April 1945 at the invitation of Prince Ernst Heinrich von Wettin. In 1995 a small museum was opened in the Rüdenhof.

Moritzburg is twinned with Cochem (Moselle). The Olympic Games in chess will probably be held near Moritzburg in 2008.

See also: Festung Königstein