Freudenstein Castle

The Freudenstein Castle is located on Castle Square on the edge of the city of Freiberg in Saxony. Its history is closely connected with the house of Wettin. After several modifications, the castle is now considered a four -leaf plant from these buildings: Long House, New House, Church Wing, Great Tower and Narrow House.

History

After the silver finds in Christian village Margrave Otto of Meissen in 1168 built a castle to protect the silver mining. On 31 July 1312 castle was first referred to in a source other than " Hus ". Described in later documents with the name " Marx ", " Castrum ", " flos " and " Castle ". As a " joy stone " the Freiberg castle is referred to only in the year 1525. From 1505 resides Duke Henry the Pious mostly in Freiberg. During his reign, his sons, who later Elector of Saxony Moritz and August, were born in the castle.

The construction of the castle started in 1566 under the supervision of Rochus to Lynar by architect Hans Irmisch. The completion of the structural style of the Renaissance is terminated 1577. In the Thirty Years' War, it is part of the defense system of the city of Freiberg and is temporarily used as a military base. 1762 the interior of the castle was completely ruined as a result of the Seven Years War.

With the ownership takeover by the military treasury in 1784 the second major reconstruction of the castle starts to the magazine. This will provide strong intervention takes place in the building structure. The Renaissance windows are replaced by small-sized memory window. Inside the installation of low memory projectiles takes place in a simple design. From 1800 part of the remodeling continues to Mount Magazine. In the time of the Napoleonic occupation (1813 ) the castle was a hospital for wounded 1,500.

With the transfer of legal ownership to the city of Freiberg 1957 to 1979 is used as a granary. 1973 Youth Club will be opened in the basement. From 1980 to 1990 at the castle of the historic preservation operation was housed. In a return to the state of repair in 1577 the facade of the new building was reconstructed under his direction in the Renaissance style. In 2004, the castle was again transferred to the ownership of the town of Freiberg. Between 2005 and 2008 it was the result of a Europe-wide competition, led by AFF architekten Berlin / Chemnitz rebuilt. It was the gutting of the church wing to accommodate there in a set sculptural building the mining archive. In the adjacent Long House, the "terra mineralia " was housed.

Architectural history traces

Example of the Romanesque building phases is the stump of a round tower on the southeast side of the center front of the Long House. This is with the top approximately at a depth of 30-40 cm below the current level of the forecourt and is marked next to the old castle floor plan on the court surface.

Remains of the medieval castle are preserved in the form of two large basement tonnes below the Long House and the church wing. In some areas of the north west facade of the Long House are testimonies of window frames in an exposed plaster box.

Much of the rising masonry of the building's exterior walls, the staircase of the Long House, which was documented as the first geradeläufige staircase in Saxony, stairwells at the gatehouse and the spiral stones on the round tower and a few stone versions of windows and doors, give testimony of the design during the Renaissance.

Use

The structural fabric of Freudenstein Castle was repeatedly adapted time-specific user requirements and changes. The Romanesque round tower clearly bears the traits of valor. This also applies to the Gothic castle, but here the residential character is pronounced. Presumably, the margrave's mint was established here before 1244. At times, the castle served as the residence of the Electors of Saxony. The Renaissance castle was built for representation purposes. It served the temporary accommodation, in the halls was celebrated, the Elector took from here hunting trips in the Tharandter forest. A Permanent housing was the exception. Importance for the Saxon court had the castle as a stopover on the ride from Dresden to Augustus Castle and as the starting point of the funeral in the Freiberg Cathedral.

After the Thirty Years' War, the idea of ​​conversion was to demolish the building next considerations, studied and realized for the granary. This usage was maintained until 1979. Since 1973 there were first signs of cultural uses. Part of the cellar was converted into a youth club. Further plans foresaw the conversion into a cultural center. The gradual structural implementation began in 1982. As a first section was a restaurant " castle cellar " was opened in the Long House. The construction activity and further conversions were set in 1989.

The Saxon State Government agreed on 16 December 2003 on a new castle concept, which provided for the use as an exhibition and archive building.

Since 20 October 2008, the permanent exhibition " terra mineralia " presents a Swiss private collection of minerals in the Long House. This world's largest private collection consists of approximately 80,000 mineral specimens, mainly cabinet pieces, part of which is presented on an exhibition area of around 1,500 m². She was commissioned as a permanent loan erected by Erika Pohl- Ströher Pohl Ströher minerals foundation of the TU Freiberg available in 2004. In addition to the exhibition will introduce you to the world of minerals experience and information areas.

Other tenants of the castle is since May 2008, the Mining Archives of the Saxon State Archive Special Archives of Saxony for the coal and steel industries. It preserves archival materials for mining history of Saxony and Germany since the 15th century and held about 4,600 m files and 106,000 cards. The archive has a presentation foyer, where a permanent exhibition will be shown.