ヴュルクニッツの洞窟・トップ17

To mark its 20th anniversary in 2013, the Elsterschloss-Gymnasium Support Association commissioned the creation and installation of an art installation on the grounds of the present-day Elsterschloss-Gymnasium. As part of the "Art at the Castle" project, a bronze casting model of Elsterschloss Elsterwerda was created. This model provides information about the former and current uses of the building complex, as well as its historical context throughout its existence, thus further enriching the castle's presence. https://www.elsterschloss.de/kunstobjekt.html

The Saxon post milestone stands near the Protestant town church of St. Catherine on the main street. This distance marker, dating from 1738, is considered an important piece of cultural heritage and a landmark that shapes the townscape. In August 2025, the approximately 4.60-meter-high column was dismantled for professional restoration. https://www.elsterwerda.de/kursaechsische-postmeilensaeule-erstrahlt-im-neuen-glanz/

A very beautiful old postal mile marker. Marks the postal route from Berlin to Vienna.

The oldest part of the building, the Knights' Hall between the two mighty towers, which has been preserved as a ruin, dates from 1335. The lower parts date from the 13th to 14th centuries, the late Gothic cell vaults in the upper floors date from around 1530, the gable tops and roof turrets were added towards the end of the 16th century. In the 15th to 16th centuries the castle was rebuilt as a palace and the north wing was rebuilt in 1890 after a fire. The gatehouse to the front courtyard was built around 1560 and decorated with dormer windows and gables. The palace forms a closed square with late Gothic and Renaissance architectural forms, the wing on the Elbe side, built around 1530 for Otto Pflugk, has a late Gothic brick gable with tracery pattern, the stair towers in the courtyard have Renaissance gables. The cell-vaulted "drinking room" in the southwest tower was decorated with rich paintings in 1532, which are attributed to the circle around Lucas Cranach. The castle is surrounded by a spacious English landscape park with some old trees, which stretches down the mountainside to the Elbe. (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Strehla)

Pyramid-shaped post mile post with Saxon-Polish coat of arms. Originally at the northern city gate

One of many preserved post mile posts in the former Saxon territory of Prussia.

Churches are always worth a visit. They give hikers a place to relax and rest.

From April 2024, the castle cafe will be open every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hiking tour around the Tiefenauer ponds, about 6 km, highly recommended for beginners. It's a good walk, you can watch swans, everything is very natural and not crowded. Picnic at the rose garden. The route was easy for my 13-year-old mixed breed dog to manage. Afterwards, coffee in the castle, unfortunately the cake was already gone by about 3:30 p.m. But alternatively we went to the ice cream parlor in Gröditz. Sweet ending!