Schloss Moritzburg
Encyclopedia
Schloss Moritzburg is a Baroque
castle in Moritzburg
, in the German state of Saxony
, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden
. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is named after Duke Moritz of Saxony
, who had a hunting lodge built there between 1542 and 1546. The surrounding woodlands and lakes have been a favourite hunting area of the electors and kings of Saxony.
. Elector John George II of Saxony
had the lodge extended; the chapel was added between 1661 and 1671. Designed by his architect, Wolf Caspar von Klengels, the chapel is an example of early Baroque architecture.
The chapel was consecrated in a Catholic rite in 1697, after the grandson of John George II, Elector Augustus II the Strong
, converted to Catholicism in order to secure his election as King of Poland. Between 1723 and 1733, Augustus had the castle remodelled as a country seat by architects Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
and Zacharias Longuelune, adding a formal park, several ponds and a game preserve.
The surroundings of the castle were further developed by Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
, a greatgrandson of Augustus II the Strong, at the end of the 18th century. The Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle") was built between 1770 and 1776. The grounds were extended to include
a building for the storage of bird nets, the large Well of Venus, living quarters for Count Camillo Marcolini
and a maritime setting on the Great Lake complete with a miniature habour with jetty and lighthouse.
Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony
, who lived in the castle between 1933 and 1945, was the last resident of the House of Wettin. He was dispossessed in 1945 by the postwar Soviet administration
.
The collection of red deer antlers
is one of the most important of its kind. The castle's largest collection of antlers is shown in the Speisesaal ("dining room"). Most of its 71 trophies are between 270 and 400 years old; they were purchased or acquired as presents. Among them is the heaviest red dear antler in the world, weighing 19.8 kilograms (43.7 lb) and spanning almost 2 metres (6.6 ft). In the Monströsensaal ("monstrosity room"), there are 39 contorted antlers. One specimen, a 66-point red deer antler is from an animal killed by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg in 1696.
In 1723, Augustus the Strong acquired a four-poster bed for his Japanese palace
. It had approximately a million peacock, pheasant
, guinea hen
and duck feathers woven into the canvas. Rather than gluing or tying the feathers onto the canvas, they were woven in as weft
. Upon acquisition, Augustus had the curtains removed and turned into wall hangings, inspiring the room's name, Federzimmer, or "feather room". This ensemble was moved to Schloss Moritzburg in 1830. Following an extensive 19-year restoration, the bed and wall hangings have been on view again since 2003.
Examples of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain
are shown in the historical Porzellanquartier ("porcelain quarter"). This exhibition displays porcelain depicting hunting, exotic and mythological motifs as well as animal figurines that are relating to Moritzburg’s original determination as a hunting lodge.
The apartments contain examples of opulence in the lacquered
and ornate furniture, such as the Augsburg
-made silver furniture styled after Louis XIV
's silver furniture at Versailles
. There are also engraved and inlaid weapons for hunting. The Billiardsaal ("billiards hall"), named after a former billiard table in it, contains monumental paintings on leather by Louis de Silvestre
. Eleven rooms are decorated with painted leather wallpaper from the 17th century.
A collection of royal carriages is shown in the entrance hall.
and others were involved in their initial design and planning. The garden layout follows that of other European royal courts of the time.
During the 19th century, rare plants were planted and the garden was developed into a park in the romantic style.
An 8-arm star-shaped system of alleys were cut through the Friedewald, the forest on the northern side of the property. It was designed particularly for royal fox hunting
with hounds. At the intersection of the paths on a raised point can be found the ruins of the Hellhaus ("glade house") built in 1787 and designed by Johann Daniel Schade. It served the court hunting parties because from here the so-called "swan keeper" would indicate the direction of flight of the game they hunted. This was done using flags which he would raise from the top of the building.
One alley running directly east, visually connects the castle with the Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle"), 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) away. Not far from the Fasanenschlösschen is located the Well of Venus
, one of the largest Baroque fountains in Saxony. It symbolizes the eastern end of a canal which runs parallel to this corridor most of the time.
During the reconstruction phase of the palace from 1723 until 1733, the large pond surrounding the castle’s artificial island was built from what was originally four smaller ponds. The other ponds in the Friedewald date back to the 16th century. Since this time, they have been used for carp
production. The channels connecting the ponds allow one to fish out the carp by draining the water.
Shortly after the remodelling of Moritzburg Castle as the country seat of August the Strong, a single-story pavilion was built just 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) away by the architect Johann Christoph Knöffel. The pavilion's foundation was later used for the Chinese-style Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle") in 1770. Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
had the pavilion built in the middle of the gardens. Johann Daniel Schade who had been the architect in charge of the royal building projects, received the commission for the Rococo
design. Construction was completed about 1776.
The shell-pink Fasanenschlösschen is located at the end of an alley leading to the main castle. The square building has five bays wide
on each side. The high roof has an ogee
profile, capped by an open cupola
with a pair of Chinese figures under a parasol as a finial
. Concealed behind plantings to give the pavilion an isolated ambience, were outbuildings used to breed pheasants for use in hunting.
The few rooms, including the elector's study, are furnished with original trappings. The Rococo finishes include murals on canvas, inlaid wood paneling, painted and gilded stucco ceilings, and unique finishes crafted from materials like embroidered silk, straw, pearls and feathers.
On the front of the building, there is a double-flight stairway leading to the lake with a miniature habour and jetty. There is also a painted brick lighthouse 21.8 metres (71.5 ft) high. The miniature harbour was used to stage naval battles for the monarch's amusement. In order to re-enact the famous Battle of Chesma
, the Dardanelles
, a miniature wall representing the original castles at the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey, were also built. Today, the harbour is partly silted because the lake’s water level is approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) lower than before.
On the garden side of the castle, a pair of staircases descend to a sunken parterre
, now planted with turf.
("Three Nuts for Cinderella"), which became a popular German fairy-tale movie.
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
castle in Moritzburg
Moritzburg
Moritzburg is a municipality in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany, between Meißen as early centre of Saxony and the today's capital Dresden. It is most famous for its Baroque castle, Schloss Moritzburg....
, in the German state of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical artificial island. It is named after Duke Moritz of Saxony
Maurice, Elector of Saxony
Maurice was Duke and later Elector of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity....
, who had a hunting lodge built there between 1542 and 1546. The surrounding woodlands and lakes have been a favourite hunting area of the electors and kings of Saxony.
History
The original castle, built from 1542–1546, was a hunting lodge for Moritz of Saxony, then Duke of SaxonyElectorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
. Elector John George II of Saxony
John George II, Elector of Saxony
John George was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680.He was the third but eldest surviving son of the Elector John George I of Saxony and Magdalene Sybille of Prussia, his second spouse....
had the lodge extended; the chapel was added between 1661 and 1671. Designed by his architect, Wolf Caspar von Klengels, the chapel is an example of early Baroque architecture.
The chapel was consecrated in a Catholic rite in 1697, after the grandson of John George II, Elector Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
, converted to Catholicism in order to secure his election as King of Poland. Between 1723 and 1733, Augustus had the castle remodelled as a country seat by architects Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church.Pöppelmann was born in Herford...
and Zacharias Longuelune, adding a formal park, several ponds and a game preserve.
The surroundings of the castle were further developed by Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
, a greatgrandson of Augustus II the Strong, at the end of the 18th century. The Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle") was built between 1770 and 1776. The grounds were extended to include
a building for the storage of bird nets, the large Well of Venus, living quarters for Count Camillo Marcolini
Count Camillo Marcolini
Camillo Count Marcolini-Ferretti was a minister and general director of the fine arts for the Electorate, later Kingdom of Saxony....
and a maritime setting on the Great Lake complete with a miniature habour with jetty and lighthouse.
Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony
Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony
Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony, Duke of Saxony was a member of the Saxon Royal Family. Ernst Heinrich was the youngest son of the last Saxon monarch Frederick Augustus III and his wife Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany...
, who lived in the castle between 1933 and 1945, was the last resident of the House of Wettin. He was dispossessed in 1945 by the postwar Soviet administration
Soviet Military Administration in Germany
The Soviet Military Administration in Germany was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin-Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone of Germany from the German surrender in May 1945 until after the establishment of the German Democratic Republic in October...
.
Interior of the castle
The interior of the castle is furnished with examples of opulent baroque decor from the time of Augustus the Strong. The walls are covered in 17th century gold-gilded leather. Many rooms' furnishings are dedicated to courtly hunting.The collection of red deer antlers
Antler
Antlers are the usually large, branching bony appendages on the heads of most deer species.-Etymology:Antler originally meant the lowest tine, the "brow tine"...
is one of the most important of its kind. The castle's largest collection of antlers is shown in the Speisesaal ("dining room"). Most of its 71 trophies are between 270 and 400 years old; they were purchased or acquired as presents. Among them is the heaviest red dear antler in the world, weighing 19.8 kilograms (43.7 lb) and spanning almost 2 metres (6.6 ft). In the Monströsensaal ("monstrosity room"), there are 39 contorted antlers. One specimen, a 66-point red deer antler is from an animal killed by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg in 1696.
In 1723, Augustus the Strong acquired a four-poster bed for his Japanese palace
Japanisches Palais
Japanisches Palais is a Baroque palace in Dresden, eastern Germany, built in 1715. It was extended in 1729-1731, to store the Japanese porcelain collection of Augustus the Strong , although it was never used for this purpose, and instead was used as a library.The Japanisches Palais was partly...
. It had approximately a million peacock, pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
, guinea hen
Guineafowl
The guineafowl are a family of birds in the Galliformes order, although some authorities include the guineafowl as a subfamily, Numidinae, of the family Phasianidae...
and duck feathers woven into the canvas. Rather than gluing or tying the feathers onto the canvas, they were woven in as weft
Weft
In weaving, weft or woof is the yarn which is drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth. In North America, it is sometimes referred to as the "fill" or the "filling yarn"....
. Upon acquisition, Augustus had the curtains removed and turned into wall hangings, inspiring the room's name, Federzimmer, or "feather room". This ensemble was moved to Schloss Moritzburg in 1830. Following an extensive 19-year restoration, the bed and wall hangings have been on view again since 2003.
Examples of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain
Meissen porcelain
Meissen porcelain or Meissen china is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market...
are shown in the historical Porzellanquartier ("porcelain quarter"). This exhibition displays porcelain depicting hunting, exotic and mythological motifs as well as animal figurines that are relating to Moritzburg’s original determination as a hunting lodge.
The apartments contain examples of opulence in the lacquered
Lacquerware
Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. The lacquer is sometimes inlaid or carved. Lacquerware includes boxes, tableware, buttons and even coffins painted with lacquer in cultures mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere.-History:...
and ornate furniture, such as the Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
-made silver furniture styled after Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
's silver furniture at Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. There are also engraved and inlaid weapons for hunting. The Billiardsaal ("billiards hall"), named after a former billiard table in it, contains monumental paintings on leather by Louis de Silvestre
Louis de Silvestre
Louis de Silvestre was a French portrait and history painter. He was court painter to King Augustus II of Poland, and director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden.-Life and work:...
. Eleven rooms are decorated with painted leather wallpaper from the 17th century.
A collection of royal carriages is shown in the entrance hall.
Park and surroundings
In 1728, a park was added to the castle on the adjacent land to the north. The U-shaped park has an area of approximately 230 by 150 meters. The gardens are of French style and were never completed due to the death of Augustus the Strong. Johann Christian Daniel and Matthäus Daniel PöppelmannMatthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was a German master builder who helped to rebuild Dresden after the fire of 1685, and designed Dresden Castle and the Pillnitz church.Pöppelmann was born in Herford...
and others were involved in their initial design and planning. The garden layout follows that of other European royal courts of the time.
During the 19th century, rare plants were planted and the garden was developed into a park in the romantic style.
An 8-arm star-shaped system of alleys were cut through the Friedewald, the forest on the northern side of the property. It was designed particularly for royal fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
with hounds. At the intersection of the paths on a raised point can be found the ruins of the Hellhaus ("glade house") built in 1787 and designed by Johann Daniel Schade. It served the court hunting parties because from here the so-called "swan keeper" would indicate the direction of flight of the game they hunted. This was done using flags which he would raise from the top of the building.
One alley running directly east, visually connects the castle with the Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle"), 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) away. Not far from the Fasanenschlösschen is located the Well of Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, one of the largest Baroque fountains in Saxony. It symbolizes the eastern end of a canal which runs parallel to this corridor most of the time.
During the reconstruction phase of the palace from 1723 until 1733, the large pond surrounding the castle’s artificial island was built from what was originally four smaller ponds. The other ponds in the Friedewald date back to the 16th century. Since this time, they have been used for carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
production. The channels connecting the ponds allow one to fish out the carp by draining the water.
Fasanenschlösschen
Shortly after the remodelling of Moritzburg Castle as the country seat of August the Strong, a single-story pavilion was built just 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) away by the architect Johann Christoph Knöffel. The pavilion's foundation was later used for the Chinese-style Fasanenschlösschen ("Little Pheasant Castle") in 1770. Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I of Saxony
Frederick Augustus I was King of Saxony from the House of Wettin. He was also Elector Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and Duke Frederick Augustus I of Warsaw...
had the pavilion built in the middle of the gardens. Johann Daniel Schade who had been the architect in charge of the royal building projects, received the commission for the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
design. Construction was completed about 1776.
The shell-pink Fasanenschlösschen is located at the end of an alley leading to the main castle. The square building has five bays wide
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
on each side. The high roof has an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
profile, capped by an open cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
with a pair of Chinese figures under a parasol as a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. Concealed behind plantings to give the pavilion an isolated ambience, were outbuildings used to breed pheasants for use in hunting.
The few rooms, including the elector's study, are furnished with original trappings. The Rococo finishes include murals on canvas, inlaid wood paneling, painted and gilded stucco ceilings, and unique finishes crafted from materials like embroidered silk, straw, pearls and feathers.
On the front of the building, there is a double-flight stairway leading to the lake with a miniature habour and jetty. There is also a painted brick lighthouse 21.8 metres (71.5 ft) high. The miniature harbour was used to stage naval battles for the monarch's amusement. In order to re-enact the famous Battle of Chesma
Battle of Chesma
The naval Battle of Chesma took place on 5 -7 July 1770 near and in Çeşme Bay, in the area between the western tip of Anatolia and the island of Chios, which was the site of a number of past naval battles between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice...
, the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
, a miniature wall representing the original castles at the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey, were also built. Today, the harbour is partly silted because the lake’s water level is approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) lower than before.
On the garden side of the castle, a pair of staircases descend to a sunken parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
, now planted with turf.
Trivia
In 1972 Schloss Moritzburg was one of the locations of the Czechoslovak-German film Tři oříšky pro PopelkuTri oríšky pro Popelku
Tři oříšky pro Popelku is a Czechoslovak-German fairy-tale film from 1973.It was directed by Václav Vorlíček in co-production between DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme and Barrandov Studios. The story was based on a fairy tale written by Božena Němcová . Main roles were played by Libuše Šafránková and...
("Three Nuts for Cinderella"), which became a popular German fairy-tale movie.
See also
- Dresden CastleDresden castleDresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
– Residence of the electors and kings of Saxony - Pillnitz CastlePillnitz CastlePillnitz Castle is a restored Baroque castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz...
– Summer residence of the electors and kings of Saxony - List of castles in Saxony