Crossen Castle

The origins of the current castle date back to the 10th century, when a fortress was erected on this site to protect important trade routes. This initial complex was abandoned around 1150. A second castle, first documented in 1272, served as an administrative seat and court. In the 15th century, it was damaged during the Hussite Wars. After the Reformation, the property came into the possession of the Wettin dynasty. Elector August of Saxony had the castle converted into a Renaissance palace in 1585. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Leipzig merchant David Fleischer, later David von Fletscher, acquired the estate. He had the Renaissance castle demolished and the current Baroque complex built between 1701 and 1712, with only the keep remaining. In 1712, he commissioned the Italian master Giovanni Francesco Marchini to decorate the two-story banquet hall with illusionistic paintings. In 1724, the castle passed into the ownership of the noble family von Flemming, who held it for over 200 years.