Lichtenwalde Palace

Lichtenwalde Palace and Park is a magical place in Central Saxony that charms visitors with a wide range of water features: 335 historical fountains are spread across the baroque garden, all interconnected in an ingenious circuit. In spring, guests can experience a symphony of rustling leaves, bubbling fountains and fragrant flowers. The subtle design of Lichtenwalde Castle and Park makes it one of the prettiest baroque ensembles in Germany. 

The palace houses the Treasure Chamber Museum with exhibits from foreign cultures and even ancient civilizations, such as porcelain and silk embroidery from China and Japan, ritualistic objects from Nepal and spirit masks from West Africa. Another unforgettable attraction is the largest collection of silhouettes in Germany.

History

Around 1230 a castle was built on the left bank of the Zschopau , 60 m above the valley. After the castle was administered by the empire for a short time at the end of the 13th century, it fell back to the margraves in 1307, who pledged the property with all its accessories in 1336 to the burgraves of Meissen and later loaned it to them.

Christoph Heinrich Graf von Watzdorf had the remains of the old castle and the Harrasschen Castle demolished and a large baroque castle built in its place after 1722. His son Friedrich Carl Graf von Watzdorf had an extensive park laid out around the complex from 1730.

When Watzdorf died without descendants, Lichtenwalde came into the possession of his widow, Henriette Sophia, née Countess Vitzthum von Eckstädt, in 1764. With that, the property came back to Vitzthume after more than 300 years. The Counts Vitzthum von Eckstädt remained lords of the castle in Lichtenwalde until they were expropriated in 1945.

References:

• schloesserland-sachsen.de

Address

Schlossallee 1, Lichtenwalde, Germany

Details

Founded: 1722-1730
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Germany
Historical period: Thirty Years War & Rise of Prussia (Germany)