History
In 1542, Duke Moritz of Saxony had a Renaissance-style hunting lodge built on a granitic elevation within the Friedewald forest which was rich in game. Soon, the lodge, which later was named after the Duke, became then central place where the Saxon court met for hunting. The castle chapel was built in 1661 under Elector Johann Georg II and was sanctified to Catholicism in the course of Augustus the Strong’s coronation as King of Poland. Up to our time, church services have regularly been held in this chapel. But, regarding Moritzburg Castle, the Elector had still other plans in mind. In 1723, huge reconstruction work began in order to turn the former Renaissance building into a Baroque hunting and pleasure lodge. Augustus the Strong assigned architect Matthaeus Daniel Poeppelmann with this project. In the course of reconstruction, new lakes and game reserves were laid out, as well as the pheasantry, east of the castle. The best Saxon craftspeople and artists of that time worked on the interior design of the seven halls and over 200 rooms. The complete artwork is of gorgeous constructional clarity and scenic harmony. Upon the death of Augustus the Strong, the reconstruction works came to a halt.
As late as about 1800, the Elector’s great-grandson further integrated the ambience of the castle into the landscape. The Little Pheasant Castle, the miniature harbor and the lighthouse with pier on the Lower Great Lake at Baernsdorf were constructed. From 1933, Moritzburg Castle was used by Wettin Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony as his residence, until 1945 when the Wettins were dispossessed. Some of the most valuable artworks were buried by Ernst Heinrich of Saxony and his sons in the Castle Park, but, except for just a few, most of them were found and removed by Soviet troops. In 1996, several crates with jeweled goldwork were discovered by hobby archaeologists and attributed to the Wettin treasures. Today, Moritzburg is a popular meeting place for lovers of the Saxon Baroque and of Meissen porcelain.