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State palaces, castles and gardens of Saxony gGmbH, Moritzburg Castle

About the museum

Between 1542 and 1546, Duke Moritz of Saxony had a Renaissance hunting lodge, the “Moritzburch”, built in Friedewald near Dresden, which was well stocked with game. Along with the creation of ponds, lakes and canals for fish farming, various reconstruction measures took place in the castle until the last part of the 17th century. In 1723 King Augustus II ordered the construction of a larger Baroque castle on the site of the former Renaissance castle under the direction of master builder Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann. Outstanding contemporary artists such as Balthasar Permoser, Christian Kirchner and Louis de Silvestre contributed to the interior design of the new pleasure palace and hunting seat. All the living quarters and the two great reception halls were fitted with sumptuous gilded leather wall coverings and decorated with antlers from the castle’s impressive collection.
The landscaped features around Moritzburg Castle, such as the “New Palace” (Little Pheasant Castle) or the harbour with mole and lighthouse on the Bärnsdorfer Grossteich lake, were completed by the end of the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the castle played only a small role in courtly life. From 1933 until 1945, it served as a permanent residence and family museum to a line from the House of Wettin and since 1947 can again be experienced as a Baroque hunting lodge.

Moritzburg Castle is one of 19 cultural monuments which have been entrusted by the Free State of Saxony to the "State Palaces, Castles and Gardens Sachsen non-profit GmbH" for their care, preservation, management and public promotion.

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