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Freiberg

Freudenstein Castle in Freiberg (Schloss Freudenstein in Freiberg)

The castle is located in the town center of Freiberg, Saxony, a town originating from a small village of Christiansdorf, near which silver ore was discovered in 1168. In the early 1170s, Margrave Otto the Rich (Otto der Reiche) had the first castle built here, which was the predecessor of the present one. The first mention of the castle in records dates back to 1312. The full-sale construction works continued from the second half of the 14th century until the beginning of the 15th century.  The complex included three buildings and a house church. Fragments of the old Gothic fortress have survived in the Long House (Langen Haus) and the Church Wing.

In 1505–1539, the castle was used as a residence of Duke Henry the Pious of Saxony (Heinrich dem Frommen) and began to be called as Freudenstein in 1525.  During his reign, the Lutheranism became the established religion. By the mid-16th century, the Freudenstein castle ceased to meet the requirements of the courtly life. In 1566–1577, by order of Elector Augustus I (August I von Sachsen) architect Hans Irmisch built a new castle on the site. The house church was consecrated in 1568 and the old church became the burial place for the Protestant rulers of Saxony.

Varying in size and height, the buildings of the castle are arranged around the rectangular courtyard. The main gate featuring Tuscan semi-columns, corner pilasters, and rusticated masonry stands out against the background of the modestly decorated façade. The structure is abundant with stepped and cross gables.  A particular point of interest is the large staircase in the Long House. Residential rooms of the castle included a lobby, a large heated room, smaller unheated rooms, and a toilet room. The walls and the ceilings in the Long House were decorated with portraits of Roman emperors and their wives.

Peter I was among the latest top guests to the castle. First, his visit to Freiberg was scheduled for June 1698. In anticipation of the honored guest, the state rooms were redecorated and refurnished. However, the visit did not take place. In 1701, Peter employed smelter Wolf Martin Zimmermann from Freiberg to work in Russia.  Zimmermann contributed to building a number of copper smelters in the Olonets Province and in the Ural region in Russia.

Peter I visited Freiberg on September 11/22–12/23, 1711, and stayed in the castle. According to the Travel Journal, during his stay in Freiberg, Peter visited metal works and attended at a miners’ parade in his honor.

In the 18th century, the condition of the castle deteriorated drastically.  Until 1979, the building was used as a granary. This prevented it from demolition, but almost the entire Renaissance appearance of the castle has been gone due to adapting the building to new uses.

After several failed attempts to use the castle for other purposes, it was acquired by the town. By the year 2008, the castle has been restored to become a new cultural epicenter in Freiberg. Nowadays, it houses a collection of minerals and the Saxon mining archives.

Freudenstein Castle in Freiberg (Schloss Freudenstein in Freiberg)

Address:

Schloss Freudenstein, 4 Schlossplatz, 09599, Freiberg, Germany

Schloss Freudenstein, Schlossplatz 4, 09599 Freiberg