Grillenburg Castle

The origins of the complex date back to the 13th century, when an abbey, a hunting lodge, or a pilgrim hospice is presumed to have stood on this site. In the mid-16th century, Elector August of Saxony had an electoral hunting lodge built on the old foundations, completed between 1554 and 1558, which served for hunting and relaxation. In the 17th and 18th centuries, renovations and extensions were carried out, particularly after a fire in 1654. From 1568, Grillenburg became the administrative seat of the Grillenburg-Tharandt office. The castle's current Biedermeier facade dates from 1855, during the conversion of the forester's lodge into a royal hunting castle. After 1945, the castle served various purposes before being used by the Technical University of Dresden from 1953, which opened a forestry and hunting museum there in 1966.