Podelwitz Castle

Podelwitz moated castle is located directly on the Freiberger Mulde river in the Podelwitz district of the town of Colditz in the Free State of Saxony. The castle is situated on the Mulde Valley cycle path and is also accessible from the Mulde river for canoeists (via a staircase).

The castle houses the Podelwitz Local History Museum of the Knochenmuß family, which displays a collection of household items, economic goods, and postcards. It is one of the most extensive collections of its kind in all of Saxony. The castle also contains a guesthouse and a community center. In the former outbuilding next to the castle, there is a restaurant.

The moated castle was first mentioned in a document in 1487, when a Mr. von Schellenberg borrowed 200 guilders from the pious brothers in Colditz.

However, the moated castle and manor house existed earlier, as the noble family Schellenberg has been traceable in the area since the 15th century.

In all probability, the moated castle and manor house were already in the possession of the Schellenberg family, who were resident in our area, in the 15th century. In 1545, Hans Ernst von Schellenberg became the manor owner in Podelwitz, and in 1588, it was Hans Rudolph von Schellenberg.

At the end of the 16th century, the era of the Schellenbergs ended, and in 1596, Hermann von Heynitz was named as co-owner and tenant. After that, the owners changed frequently. In 1691, Ulrich Maximilian Rechenberg bought the castle and had it rebuilt. He moved the main entrance from the west to the east side and created a new portal with his coat of arms.

The interiors were also redesigned. In the rooms south of the entrance hall, he commissioned Italian stucco masters to depict the legend of Io (daughter of the river god Inachus) in three large medallions on the flat ceilings that replaced the cross vaults.

The three medallions showed:

• Hera sits on a cloud, triumphantly observing the cow Io, guarded by Argos.
• Zeus sends his Hermes with the familiar little wings on his wrists and ankles.
• Hermes has just cut off the head of the guardian, which he holds in his hand, while a veritable waterfall of blood pours from Argos' neck.

The remaining ceiling areas were filled with arabesques, the Rechenberg coat of arms, and intertwined monograms "MR". These stucco works were destroyed in the 1950s.

The costly renovations ruined Maximilian Rechenberg, and he sold the castle and estate of Podelwitz in 1693 to Moritz von Ankelmann, who died in 1722. From 1723 to 1781, the estate belonged to the von Kötteritz family. Then it was sold to the Electoral Saxon Chamber Councillor Johann Gottfried Lorenz.

His daughter Johanne Wilhelmine Freiin von Lorenz was considered a great benefactor for Podelwitz; she established a kindergarten and founded charities. She died unmarried in 1850. After her death, her closest relative, Auguste Freiin von Reiswitz, inherited the manor. In 1867, she had the Mulden Castle, located on the Freiberger Mulde, built. Her eldest son, Stenzel Gottlob Alfred Freiherr von Reiswitz und Kadersin-Holzbrinck, had the extension on the northern side of the castle built in 1893. He then moved from Collmen to Podelwitz Castle.

The last owner was Wenzel Freiherr von Reiswitz und Kadersin, who inherited the property in 1923 at the age of 14. His mother managed the estate until he could take over himself in 1931.

In 1945, the family was dispossessed and expelled by the communists.

A machine rental station was built at the moated castle, and apartments were created within the castle itself. From 1952, the moated castle became the property of the municipality of Podelwitz and was used as a kindergarten and for apartments. The castle nursery was continued by the GPG "Muldenperle". After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, the castle nursery was privatized again.

After 1991, the renovation and reconstruction of the building, which had become very dilapidated, began. By 1995, the renovation of the roof, the roof turret, and the exterior facades was completed.

In 1996, the interior work began, with the community center being established on the ground floor and a guesthouse and a local history museum on the second floor.

The castle nursery was taken over by the Bildungs- und Sozialwerk Tanndorf in 2001, and the municipality acquired the outbuilding opposite the castle, establishing a training kitchen there and, in 2005, the restaurant "Schlossgewölbe".

On August 13, 2002, Podelwitz Castle was also hit by the century flood on the Mulde river. The water level reached the ground floor, and the north gable of the adjacent outbuilding collapsed due to undermining. The damage was repaired by 2004.