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Schloss Lauenstein – history
Schloss Lauenstein stands in Altenberg-Lauenstein, high above the upper Müglitz valley. A medieval border castle became a splendid Renaissance palace; today it houses the Osterzgebirgsmuseum, the Museum of the Eastern Ore Mountains. Since 2019 the palace and church have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region.
Border castle and Bünau palace
Probably founded around 1200 as a border fortress, it is linked to a “Christianus de Lewensteine” named in 1241; in 1372 Emperor Charles IV declared Lauenstein a Bohemian fief, and with the Treaty of Eger in 1459 it passed to Saxony. From 1517 to 1821 it belonged to the von Bünau family, who turned it into a magnificent Renaissance palace. The Hall of Arms with its stucco ceiling and the Bird Hall with its painted birds and flowers date from around 1600.
Visiting today
In the Osterzgebirgsmuseum you'll see the Bird Hall with its stellar vault and paintings of birds and plants from around 1600, the Turkish Hall with its stucco ceiling and the Hall of Arms, as well as the Gothic palace chapel, a dungeon and the herb garden. Exhibitions tell of hunting, the post milestones, the Müglitztalbahn and George Bähr, the master builder of the Frauenkirche. A real treat for children is the palace falconry with its daily flying display.
Hidden books and the Frauenkirche
From 1943 the most valuable holdings of the Hamburg State and University Library were stored in the cellars; the Red Army took part of them to St Petersburg in 1946, and they only came back in 1991. The museum commemorates George Bähr, the master builder of the Dresden Frauenkirche, who according to the museum lived in Lauenstein. Through the Bünaus, Lauenstein is linked with Weesenstein and Kuckuckstein.
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As of: 09/2026
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