In 1185 the Knights of Nuzzin were first mentioned as the owners of the Nossen castle. In 1315, the Bishop of Meissen acquired the castle. It was sold in 1436 to Altzella Monastery. Until the dissolution of the monastery in 1540, the castle remained a retreat for the abbot.
After the Reformation, theformer monastic property of Altzella became the Nossen Office. It was given its seat at Nossen Castle, which the Elector had converted from 1554 with the rubble from the monastery into a representative Renaissance castle. The west wing with the three round towers reminding us of the Moritzburg Castle towers originate from that time as well as the 'Giant Hall', parts of which part serve still today as venues for events. The castle has preserved its present shape since the end of the 17th century.
In 1630, the castle became the seat of the bailiff and served mainly administrative purposes unti the 19th century. It was the seat of the tax office as well as the judicial office with the court and dungeons. From the 19th century on, it became increasingly abandoned and was, among other purposes, used as a subsidiary of the Weildheim correctional institution, as a Saxon regional museum and for residential purposes.
Nossen Office was dissolved in 1945. The Regional Museum ectended to further rooms in the west wing. In 1993, the Free State of Saxony took the castle over merging it into one administrative unit with the Altzella Monastery. Since 1996, permanent and special exhibitions have presented the eventful history of the place and commemorate the almost forgotten nobility of Saxony.
References:Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.
History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.
Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.
Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.