Schloss Moritzburg near Dresden
See the Baroque Hunting Palace of the Saxon Kings in Germany
Baroque Schloss Moritzburg Castle, the hunting palace of the kings of Saxony, is a popular day-trip destination from Dresden in Germany.
Schloss Moritzburg Castle near Dresden is one of the most popular day-trip destinations in Saxony, Germany. The Baroque hunting palace absolutely looks the part and its beauty is enhanced by its location in a lovely landscape with both natural lakes and artificial ponds.
The Construction of Schloss Moritzburg Castle
The top sight in the small community Moritzburg to the northeast of the Saxon capital Dresden is without a doubt Schloss Moritzburg Castle. This palace with its typical Saxon Baroque ocher and white walls is located most photogenic on an island in a pond just to the north of the small town.
The first hunting lodge was built here in the mid-sixteenth century by Herzog Moritz of Saxony after whom the present castle is still named. The dukes and later kings of Saxony expanded the lodge to a royal hunting palace and ultimately as a summer residence. Gardens, artificial ponds, and other structures were added to make it fit for the full royal court.
Several notable architects and builders had a hand in the construction of Schloss Moritzburg including Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann – the star architect of Augustus the Strong, elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Balthasar Permoser did some of the statues.
The castle is mostly famous for the mighty round towers built slightly away from the four corners of the rectangular main building. The castle has almost perfect symmetry with the dining hall protruding to the east the largest room in the building to balance out the chapel in the west wing.
- The artificial pond, in which the reflection of the Moritzburg can often be enjoyed, was completed in 1730, around the same time as the castle itself.
Visiting Schloss Moritzburg Palace
Schloss Moritzburg has a Baroque interior with some interesting features and exhibits. Fitting in with its function as a hunting castle, a major feature of the interior décor is hunting trophies including the world’s largest red deer antlers.
The palace also has the world’s largest collection of eighteenth and nineteenth-century leather wall hangings as well as over 100 Baroque chairs with their original leather covers. A main theme of the illustrations on these leather “wallpaper” is Diana, goddess of hunting.
The palace chapel (Schlosskapelle) designed by Wolf Caspar von Klengen was built between 1661 and 1672 and a fine example of early Baroque architecture in Saxony. It was originally a Protestant church but changed into a Roman Catholic chapel in 1699 after Elector August the Strong of Saxony had converted in order to become King of Poland.
In the Federzimmer (Feathers’ Room), millions of bird feathers were used in making the decorations. The canopy above the ceremonial bed of King August the Strong alone required 34,950 feathers.
The palace furthermore has impressive collections of Baroque furniture and porcelain both from Europe and Asia.
Admission Tickets and Opening Hours for Schloss Moritzburg
Schloss Moritzburg is open from April to October daily from 10 am to 5 pm. From November to March, the castle is closed on Monday and can only be seen Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm on hourly guided tours. In January, the castle is only open on weekends. Admission is €6.
- Moritzburg has several further sights worth seeing including die palace gardens and water features, the lovely Pheasant Palace (Fasanenschlösschen), and a memorial dedicated to the memory of artist Käthe Kollwitz who died in Moritzburg in 1945. Public transportation makes Moritzburg an easy day trip from Dresden or nearby Meißen.
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