Moritzburg Castle

The origins of the castle date back to 968, when Otto I founded the Diocese of Zeitz. In 976, his son Otto II transferred the existing royal castle to the bishop. Due to the insecure location and repeated destruction by Slavic uprisings in 983, 1002, and 1028, the bishop's seat was moved to Naumburg in 1028. Nevertheless, the castle continued to serve as an episcopal residence in the following centuries. After a legal dispute with the Margrave of Meissen, Bishop Dietrich II had to accept the destruction of the forecourt and its fortifications in 1259, but new fortification work began as early as 1271 and was approved in 1278. A Hussite invasion in 1429 caused damage, after which Bishop Johann II von Schleinitz had the still visible Gothic fortifications, including a curtain wall, towers, rondels, and a moat, erected. These were further strengthened between 1470 and 1492. During the Reformation, Electorate of Saxony attempted to control the diocese, but Emperor Charles V initially prevailed and appointed Bishop Julius von Pflug in 1547.