Bärenstein Castle

Even today, the castle high above the Müglitz on the road between Dresden and Altenberg seems to exude a mystical aura, its white buildings hidden behind tall, dark trees, revealing little of its facade. Only the narrow road leading to the castle courtyard opens up a view of its beauty.

South of Pirna, on the way to the border with the Czech Republic, lies the small town of Bärenstein with its massive white castle not far from the center. The building site is well chosen: on a rocky spur, the plateau drops steeply towards the Müglitz valley. The oldest castle access winds up from the valley to the current castle.

The history of the old castle is largely unknown. Scientific building investigations have never been carried out, and the documentary evidence is also incomplete. Therefore, speculations about the castle's founding range between the early 13th and 15th centuries. It is probable that Bärenstein Castle, in its dominant position above the Müglitz valley, owes its origin to tin mining on the Geisingberg, which enabled the Lords of Bernstein - a family that probably existed here as early as the 11th century - to build the original castle complex. From here, the settlement of the upper Ore Mountains and the development of mining also began. Thus, the Lords of Bernstein were able to expand their originally rather modest knight's seat over time. The family gained particular importance in the 13th to 15th centuries due to its numerous possessions.

In the following period, the users changed frequently. After the death of Damm von Bärenstein in 1638, the possessions fell under sequestration until Siegfried von Lüttichau bought them in 1676. Other owners of Bärenstein Castle included the Lords of Schönberg (1699-1711), von Holzendorf (1711-55), Countess von Bünau (1795-1816), and until their expropriation and expulsion by the communists in 1945, the von Lüttichau family. Later, the castle was used as a training and holiday home by the NDPD. Since 1995, the property has been privately owned by Dr. Georg Thaler, who has restored the castle and the castle park.

Just like the history of the castle, its historical appearance also gives rise to further speculation. The alterations from the 15th to the 19th centuries have thoroughly blurred the original form, so that only assumptions about its former appearance can be derived from the foundations. Conclusions about a former two-core castle can probably be drawn from filled ditch remnants and stone deposits on the slope towards the Müglitz valley. In the north, a tower-like building might have stood, which is still evident in the foundations of the north wing today. The current castle tower of the south wing might have constituted the southern castle core. Both cores were probably connected by the construction of the connecting wing over the moat.