Hubertusburg Castle Wermsdorf

Hubertusburg Castle, named after the patron saint of hunting, is one of the most mature examples of Saxon baroque architecture. It is the largest and formerly most magnificent country castle in Europe. The complex was built by Lieutenant Colonel Johann Christoph Naumann (1664 - 1742), who enriched the country's art history with numerous buildings in Saxony, including in Leipzig and Bautzen.

Between 1739 and 1751, the main building of the castle was rebuilt under the direction of the chief architect Johann Knöffel. It was his last building and can be considered one of his major works.

A large number of important artists were involved in the design of Hubertusburg, such as the sculptors Lorenzo Mattielli, Benjamin Thomae and Gottfried Knöffel, the painters JB Grone, JA Pöppelmann, Chr. WE Dittrich or the painter theorist AF Oeser.

The main building with the supposed castle tower is particularly impressive. However, it is not a tower, but a high, four-sided roof turret that rests on the wide central projection. With its almost oversized sound holes and the onion dome, which is crowned by a jumping stag as a weather vane, it is somewhat reminiscent of the Kronentor of the Dresden Zwinger, but is much slimmer and more graceful.

Today, only the preserved Catholic chapel of St. Hubertus remains to testify to the palace's former splendor. All other interior furnishings were plundered in 1761 in retaliation for the partial devastation of the Charlottenburg in Berlin (by Austrian, Russian and Saxon troops during the Seven Years' War) and subsequently altered.

The Hubertusburg Peace Treaties, which were signed by Saxony, Prussia and Austria on February 15.02.1763, 5, ended the Seven Years' War. As a result, the name of the castle entered European history. The end of the Seven Years' War also meant the end of the so-called "Augustan Age" for Saxony. Just a few months after the signing of the peace treaty, Elector Friedrich August died on October 1763, XNUMX.

Guided tours of Hubertusburg Castle can be booked through the Wermsdorf Tourist Information Office.

Janke exhibition:

The museum "Karl Hans Janke – Genius and Schizophrenia" is located on the grounds of Hubertusburg Castle in Wermsdorf and offers an impressive insight into Janke's life's work. In addition to photographs, letters, and drawings, film clips and model airplanes up to four meters in size are on display.

Karl Hans Janke was admitted to the Hubertusburg State Psychiatric Hospital in Wermsdorf on November 8, 1950. His diagnosis was "chronic paranoid schizophrenia" with the symptom of "delusional invention." Janke was a patient with undeniable technical talent, an artist, and a designer. He tinkered and drew, gave lectures, and corresponded with companies and public institutions. During his stay until his death in 1988, he produced over 4000 drawings, models, and photographs.

Contact:         

• Hubertusburg Castle
  
• Building 21
• 04779 Wermsdorf
  
• Tel: 034364/549840
• Email: exhibition@karl-hans-janke.de
• Website: www.karl-hans-janke.de
• Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 13:00 pm – 17:00 pm; Saturday/Sunday 12:00 pm – 17:00 pm (Opening hours may change at short notice. Therefore, it is recommended to call ahead.)