The history of the Klippenstein castle dates back to 1289 when it was first mentioned as 'Castrum Radeberch' in official records. From 1543 to 1546, Moritz of Saxony had the castle converted into a hunting lodge and residential palace. It is also among the most significant surviving examples of sovereign architecture built during the reign of Moritz Elector of Saxony, a famous ruler from the House of Wettin. Members of the Saxon nobility often resided here. The influence of the Renaissance remains visible in many architectural details at castle.
Both its use as a noble residence and its use as a government administrative building greatly influenced the historical development of the castle complex. The poet August Friedrich Ernst Langbein descends from the dynasty of the Langbein family, who were the Electoral Officials at Klippenstein Castle in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was not until 1952 that the district court was moved to another location, thus ending the era of the castle´s use as a government administrative building and clearing the way for it to house the heritage museum. All of these eras have left their mark on the castle.
Today, Klippenstein Castle attracts numerous visitiors by its museum of the history of the castle and its surrounding town. It is a cultural center for the Radeberg region, offering a wide range of events and exhibitions, rental opportunities, guided tours and educational programs for children.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.