Saxony

Saxony looks back on one of the most eventful histories of rule in Germany, and the castles and palaces of the Free State are living witnesses to these eras. The Albrechtsburg in Meißen, perched high above the Elbe, is regarded as the first purpose-built palace in the German-speaking world and marks the transition from the medieval defensive tower to the early-modern royal residence. Under the Wettins, a unique culture of architecture and the arts flourished in Saxony, reaching its zenith in the baroque magnificence of Dresden’s Zwinger and the surrounding palaces such as Moritzburg and Pillnitz.

In the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Festung Königstein rises as a stone bulwark above the Elbe valley — one of the largest hilltop fortresses in Europe, never taken by force in battle. Its walls, barracks and cisterns speak of centuries of military strategy and political imprisonment. Not far away, Schloss Lohmen offers a glimpse into the chivalric life of Saxony’s lesser nobility, whilst Burg Gnandstein in the Kohren countryside is considered one of the best-preserved medieval aristocratic seats in the Free State.

Alongside the well-known highlights, Saxony harbours numerous lesser-visited castle ruins in the Ore Mountains, in Upper Lusatia and in the Vogtland. The Saxon castle inventory ranges from Romanesque motte-and-bailey towers through Gothic defensive rings to baroque pleasure palaces set amid lake landscapes. Culturally engaged associations and state palace administrations preserve this heritage and open it to a broad public through exhibitions, festivals and concerts.