Rochsburg Castle

Rochsburg Castle, presumably founded in the late 12th century, stands on a rocky spur, three sides of which are surrounded by the Zwickauer Mulde river, above the district of the same name in Lunzenau, Saxony. The medieval complex and its subdivision into the main castle, a bailey, and two Zwinger (outer bailey) systems are still clearly recognizable. In its current appearance, however, the castle dates from the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods. Its main construction phases date from 1470 and 1548; it is a significant example of Renaissance architecture in Saxony. For centuries, Rochsburg formed the namesake center of the Saxon Amt Rochsburg.

Although a Gunteros de Rochsberg is mentioned several times since the 1190s, it is not certain whether the castle was built before 1200. Its first mention was in 1195 in a Wettin document. In the early 13th century, the name of the Rochsburg lordship also appears several times in documents.

1283 is the year of the first mention of the Burgraves of Altenburg as Wettin vassals of Rochsburg. In 1296, the apparently preferred residence of Dietrich II of Altenburg is explicitly called "castrum Burggravii Rochsberg".

Through marriage, the complex came into the possession of Otto von Leisnig in 1329, whose descendant Albrecht II, due to financial difficulties, was forced to sell the Rochsburg lordship to Heinrich, Lord of Gera, on March 10, 1448. The Lords of Gera mortgaged their newly acquired manor just four years later to Zschaslaw von Schönfeld for 1500 Schock Freiberg Groschen for a period of five years. Since he did not get his money back, Rochsburg became a Wettin Amt and Zschaslaw von Schönfeld its Amtmann. On October 28, 1467, the Count of Hohnstein took Rochsburg by surprise attack. What moved him to do so has not yet been determined. He remained unmolested for two years until, in 1469, Electorate of Saxony troops took advantage of the count's absence to recapture it.

In 1470, the complex was pledged for 4000 guilders to the politically influential electoral advisor and chief marshal Hugold IV von Schleinitz (1435–1490), who initiated extensive, 12-year-long expansion and conversion measures to a castle starting in 1470. These works were supervised by the chief provincial architect Arnold von Westfalen, one of the most important architects of his time in Central Europe. But Hugold IV von Schleinitz could not enjoy Rochsburg for too long. After lengthy negotiations before the regional court, a decision was made in 1488 that he had to return the castle to Duke Albrecht of Saxony against repayment of his 4000 guilders pledge sum and another 4000 guilders as compensation for the construction costs.

Again, bailiffs administered the now ducal (Albertine) Amt Rochsburg. In 1503, Rochsburg completely burned down, carelessness in the kitchen was the cause. The brothers Heinrich and Götz von Ende from the neighboring Kriebstein took advantage of the situation and exchanged their Kriebstein lordship for the Rochsburg manor.

When electoral troops plundered and burned down the weakly occupied castle in 1547 during the Schmalkaldic War, Heinrich's son Wolf von Ende sold Rochsburg Castle and lordship for 60,000 guilders to the three lords Georg, Hugo, and Wolf II von Schönburg, who thus expanded their extensive possessions in the upper valley of the Zwickauer Mulde. These not only rebuilt the ruined complex just one year later but also gave it the appearance that still characterizes the complex today with the dormer houses and new window frames. The Schönburgs also quickly remedied the damage from another fire in 1582; at that time, almost all wooden ceilings in the ship's keel forms were renewed, which can still be seen today. In 1574, a two-story pleasure house on a round floor plan was built in front of the castle gates, which today represents the last preserved example of this type of building in Saxony.

In 1637, Christian Ernst von Schönburg became the sole owner of Rochsburg through purchase. His particular focus was on the design of the castle's garden complex.

Increasing financial difficulties prompted the owner in 1911 to make some rooms in the castle accessible to the public as a small museum. In addition, an initially purely Catholic youth hostel was opened in the buildings.

Rochsburg remained in the possession of the von Schönburg family, elevated to the rank of count in 1700, until 1945. In that year, the noble family was dispossessed and expelled by the communists. The complex came into the possession of the state of Saxony. Three years after the end of World War II, the museum was reopened on an expanded area and has since displayed furnishings from the 16th to 19th centuries. The youth hostel also reopened its doors that year.

In 1952, the then district of Rochlitz took over Rochsburg. After it merged into the district of Mittweida in 1992, Mittweida continued its use.

From 1991 to 1997, Joachim Graf von Schönburg-Glauchau lived at Rochsburg. The youth hostel was closed in 1998. Currently, the museum in the castle is being expanded.