Siebeneichen Castle

Siebeneichen Castle stands south of Meissen high above the Elbe on the left bank. The fate of Siebeneichen determined one family for over four centuries - from 1543 until the land reform: the von Miltitz family. The name "Siebeneeichen" probably comes from pre-Christian times and indicates a site of Germanic jurisdiction.
Siebeneichen Palace was built by Ernst von Miltitz, ducal court marshal, chief steward of the duchess and adviser to Prince Ernst Moritz von Sachsen. Favorable circumstances allowed him to take possession of the property: with the Reformation in Albertine Saxony, the state confiscated the properties of the monasteries. Ernst von Miltitz took advantage of this and in 1543 acquired the village and Freigut Bockwen and the associated outwork Siebeneichen from the property of the Meissen Cistercian monastery "Zum Heiligen Kreuz". Although Ernst von Miltitz had just rebuilt his castle in Batzdorf, he decided to turn Siebeneichen into a representative manorial residence. In 1553 he built a castle wing with two towers on the rocky outcrop, which was preceded by a small courtyard.
The castle, originally built in the Renaissance style, remained a massive complex with stair towers and solid masonry, sandstone decorations on the windows and spiral staircases inside, which are still preserved today in the rear castle, until the reconstruction of 1748. In 1745-48, after a fire, the lord of the castle redesigned the building in a baroque style to suit the taste of the time. Heinrich Gottlob von Miltitz built a three-wing complex over the older castle courtyard, which was damaged by fire. The towers were partially demolished and the facades of the palace lost their Renaissance gables.
Siebeneichen Castle was owned by the von Miltitz family until the land reform in 1945. After that, the founding of a natural history museum was followed by various uses as a district administration school, a state adult education center in Saxony, a central school for cultural education and a school for club and cultural house managers. Today Siebeneichen Castle is the training and conference center of the Saxon Educational Institute. There are numerous grave monuments from the 16th and 17th centuries in the castle courtyard.

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Siebeneichen Castle sits high above the Elbe valley and is surrounded by a beautiful park. From 1805 to 1830, one of the first English landscape parks in Saxony was built on over 32 hectares. The green area was accessible to everyone from the start and became a popular excursion destination for the surrounding population, especially the people of Meißen, for more than a hundred years. The park is still worth a visit today and is a nice stop on your hike.

Impressive little castle from the 16th century. Today it is a training and conference center. In front of the castle there are some sculptural works of art for art lovers. There are some park benches that invite you to linger.