Moritzburg – A Magnificent Hunting Lodge for the Elector of Saxony
Once filled with life, the palace Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, stands elegantly above the waters of the pond that surrounds it. Once filled with boats, the pond surrounding the Saxon House of Wettin has not seen its family since it was pried away from the during he Soviet occupation. Today the castle is a museum making it an indispensable destination for those who seek to better understand the history of Saxony and its rulers.
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Public Transportation
For those of you without a car, you can take Bus 477 from Dresden, Neustadt station. It comes every half hour and takes a half hour to get to its destination. If you wish to make the most of your day, a connection exists to Meissen from the same bus stop as the castle. I strongly recommend this!
Town of Moritzburg and Surroundings
The town is home to the bus stop. It is built on the south side of the castle pond. There is little of interest with the exhibition of the old castle stables.
On the north side of the castle you will find a forested park and on the east side of this park you will find the Little Pheasant Castle and a lighthouse.
The Castle
From the town you will find the castle. The baroque structure is connected to the town and gardens to the north by a causeway crossing the water intersecting with the palace island at its center point.
While you see a grand palace today, this was originally the site of a hunting lodge for Moritz of Saxony, hence the name of the castle today. As previously mentioned its expansion was undertaken by Frederick Augustus II (“The Strong). He was also the King of Poland. The original structure dates from 1546 while the later palace was constructed from 1723 to 1733. The grounds around the castle were modeled during the time of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony. There are docks off to the side of the castle.
Today the massive building can be explored with an interactive walking tour. Frederick Augustus II (“The Strong) modeled its interior to his tastes, a fact that can plainly be seen in its massive reception hall. Here the monarchs hunting trophies are displayed to greet guests. Our dear Augustus was a lover of the finer tings quite literally, as he had many illegitimated children!
The gold gilded rooms with painted scenes are testament to the richness of Frederick Augustus II’s reign.
The billiards room is superb for its part, especially the hunting scenes of the upper gentry painted on the walls.
One of the pre-Augustus the Strong buildings that is part of the complex is the baroque chapel dating from the time of John George II of Saxony, completed in 1671.
The castle is home to many other trophy rooms and not just antlers (but mostly!). A monstrosity room (Monströsensaal), exists with 39 contorted antlers but the castle’s largest collection of antlers is in the dining room (Speisesaal). Around the dining table, hung on the walls are a collection of 71 trophies. These antiques are between 270 and 400 years old and have been acquired by the various rulers of the palace. One of them is a red deer antler, the heaviest in the world. This beast weighs 19.8 kilograms and spanning almost 2 metres.
A highlight of the castle is a four-poster bed commissioned by Augustus the Strong once located in the Japanese palace in Dresden, and part of the “feather room”. Its fabric is made and woven of a million feathers belonging to birds peacock, pheasant, guinea hen and duck it was moved to Moritzburg in 1830. Just imagine how many illegitimated babies were consumed in this brilliantly restored historic piece of furniture!
Before you leave check out the collection of royal carriages in the hall.
Conclusion
Although a tad off the usual tourist trail, this palace is intimately tied with the history of Dresden and its patron king Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. A visit to this palace brings you right into the history of Saxony itself and its colorful rulers.
