Batzdorf Castle

Batzdorf is located between Meißen and Dresden in the Meißen Uplands. It lies on the edge of the Rehbocktal, through which the Riemsdorfer Wasser flows, and the breakthrough valley of the Elbe through the Spaargebirge. The village is surrounded by Meißen to the north, Bockwen to the west, Reichenbach to the south, Scharfenberg and Reppnitz to the southeast, and Reppina and the Coswig district of Sörnewitz to the east.

Batzdorf was first mentioned in a document in 1272 as part of the name of a "Heinricus de Batensdorph". The place name changed over the centuries from "Batanstorf", "Bothensdorph", "Batilsdorf", "Watzdorff" and "Baxdorff" to its present form. The village was administered by the Meißen hereditary office. The manorial rights were exercised by members of the noble family von Miltitz as lords of Batzdorf Castle. As a manor settlement that developed around this knight's estate, Batzdorf had a 195-hectare block of land in 1900.

The core of Batzdorf Castle dates back to Romanesque architecture. Due to structural changes, it now presents an appearance from the 16th and 17th centuries. Important parts of the winding castle complex are the manor house, the hall building, and the chapel. In 1945, the owners were dispossessed and expelled by the communists.

The castle is now owned by the association "Schloß Batzdorf e. V." and is known as the origin of the Batzdorfer Hofkapelle, which has been organizing the Batzdorfer Baroque Festival here annually since 1993. Large parts of the castle have been converted for residential purposes, and actor Tom Quaas, among others, lives here.