History

From a guard cottage to Churfürstliche Waldschaenke

Elector Prince Johann Georg the First

1500

Already at the beginning of the 16th century, Duke Moritz of Saxony had a hunting castle erected on the peninsula of the Mosebruchteich-pond. The castle was later called Moritzburg after him.

1690

At the end of the 17th century, Elector Prince Johann Georg the Fourth laid out a park for keeping animals and for hunting purposes. About one hundred years later deer hunts took place in this famous Saxon hunting area.

1723

August the Strong tore down the hunting castle completely. In its place arose the representative baroque hunting castle“, along with the parks and ponds, under supervision of Matthew Daniel Pöppelmann, the builder of the „Zwinger“. This is the cultural Moritzburg landscape as we know it today.

Hunt with Elector Prince Christian the Second on November 15th, 1606 in the Annaberg Heath

1728

A pheasant palace was built within this unique forest and lake area. It became indispensable to built supplemental farm buildings as well as maintaining the game preserve, the pheasant palace and the property as a whole. The original guard cottage and the colt stable have been preserved at the entrance to the former game preserve and the pheasant palace. Later the guard cottage was enlarged into a hunter's lodge to be used for hunting events and it was given a full restaurant license.

1769

Elector Prince August the Third, great-grandson of August the Strong, commissioned architect Johann Daniel Schade to build the small pheasant palace called Neues Palais or hunting building within this impressive landscape. The building emphasized the new middle-class lifestyle of the elector prince. He withdrew from the big impressive baroque castle into the more private atmosphere of this small rococo-style palace.

Summer boat-trip in Moritzburg in the year 1718

1926

The historical building of the Waldschaenke was rebuilt and enlarged and was a restaurant until 1945.

1967

A restoration and further enlargement of the building complex took place.

From 1992 to 1995

The historical buildings were thoroughly renovated, taking into account factors for the preservation of the historical nature, as well as modernization according to today's standard.

1996

A new wing was added to the building complex (Moritz House) with large rooms – some of which have their own terrace. This new building fits well into the cultural landscape, blending into the heritage site of this conservation area. The historical character of the Waldschänke has remained unchanged due to carefully implemented reconstruction works.

Last but not least the long and ever changing history of the house is illustrated by the fact, that at first it was the elector princes and their successors (the Wettin family), later after the war and during the times of the divided Germany, others such as Erich Honecker, Franz-Joseph Strauß, as well as Fidel Castro, and in recent years, Kurt Biedenkopf and Kurt Masur have stayed in these historical rooms.