Old Castle Dornburg

The origins of the Old Castle date back to 1522, when it was likely built on the foundations of a ministerial castle severely damaged in the Saxon Fratricidal War of 1451. Between 1562 and 1573, the castle underwent alterations and expansions under Duke Johann Friedrich II of Saxony. During the Thirty Years' War, it was plundered and devastated by imperial troops. It served three times as a widow's residence for princely widows of the House of Wettin. After Duke Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach moved out in 1717, it lost its significance and became the administrative center of the Dornburg office. From 1750, it was used for various purposes, including a cotton spinning mill and a school, which led to its decay in the 19th century. Initial preservation efforts began in 1883 under Grand Duke Carl Alexander.