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Schloss Weesenstein – history and legends
Schloss Weesenstein stands on a rock above the Müglitz valley, not far from Pirna. Over the centuries it was rebuilt layer upon layer, which is why Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical styles all mingle here. Today it is a museum of the Free State of Saxony – with unusual architecture and precious historic wallpapers.
The von Bünau family
The castle is first mentioned in 1318, when it belonged to the burgraviate of Dohna. In 1406 Margrave William I of Meissen handed it over to Günther von Bünau – the Bünaus stayed for twelve generations, until 1772, and were among the wealthiest noble families in Saxony. Between 1526 and 1575 they converted the fortified castle into a residential palace; the main portal of 1575 is one of the finest Renaissance portals in Saxony.
King John and the Friend of Truth
In 1772 Johanna Christiana von Uckermann bought the palace – remarkable for a woman at the time; her son collected, among other things, 9000 books and 700 minerals. In 1830 King Anthony of Saxony acquired Weesenstein, and its most famous owner was his nephew, later King John. Under the name “Philalethes” – Friend of Truth – John published a German translation of Dante's “Divine Comedy” in 1849.
Hiding art in wartime
In 1917 the royal house sold the palace; in 1933 the Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz, the Saxon heritage society, bought it with donations and founded the museum in 1934. From 1942, Dresden's art treasures were stored behind its walls, up to four metres thick – among them almost the entire Kupferstich-Kabinett (the collection of prints and drawings), the Maya Codex and works by Rembrandt and Caspar David Friedrich.
Curiosities
Weesenstein was built, so to speak, from the top down, starting at the tip of the rock: on the fifth floor you come across a stable for horses, and every fifth window is merely painted on. From 1517, under a family law, male Bünaus were only allowed to be called Heinrich, Rudolf or Günther – a legend explains this with three knights who were the only ones to survive a battle. Because of its many historic wallpapers, Weesenstein is also called the “Wallpaper Museum of the East”.
Visiting today
On the rock above the Müglitz, a palace full of winding staircases awaits you: a horse stable on the fifth floor, painted false windows and precious wallpapers in the living rooms of the 18th and 19th centuries. The highlight is the Baroque palace chapel of 1741. Children have their own audio guide with Arabella the bat, and down in the valley the Baroque park invites you for a stroll.
Legend The Devil fetches the lord of the castle
A former lord of Weesenstein, who had grown rich in the war and was versed in the secret arts, is said to have made a pact with the Devil. When his time was up, a coach drawn by six black horses drove into the castle courtyard one evening; two gentlemen dressed in black had themselves announced, and the lord climbed in with them without a word. He was never seen again – the family spoke of a journey abroad, the common folk of the Devil.
Legend Mönchsgang and Nixentumpf
In Schloss Weesenstein, behind the church, a passage leads from the little prayer room to the organ loft – the “Mönchsgang”, the Monk's Passage. A monk in a black habit is said to appear there by day and by night, carrying his head under his arm – nobody knows why. And in a marshy meadow below Falkenhain, on the road to Weesenstein, water nymphs used to dance at night; it is called the Nixentumpf, the Nixies' Pool.
Links to other places
The von Bünau family also owned Schloss Kuckuckstein in Liebstadt and Schloss Lauenstein further up the Müglitz valley. From 1830 Weesenstein belonged to the Wettins – from 1846 King John also had the Baroque garden of Großsedlitz safeguarded. During the Dohna Feud, the Burgrave of Dohna fled via Weesenstein.
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