Voigtsberg Castle

The origins of Voigtsberg Castle date back a long way, with assumptions about the first parts of the building around 1200. Between 1232 and 1249, the verifiable expansion was carried out by the bailiffs of Straßberg and Eberhard de Voitesberk. At that time, the complex consisted of a keep, a palas, a curtain wall, and a moat. After 1300, Bailiff Heinrich III expanded the castle with round towers and the St. George's Chapel. In 1320, the rule of the bailiffs of Straßberg ended, and in 1327, the castle passed into the possession of the bailiffs of Plauen. In 1356, it fell to the Wettins, the margraves of Meissen, under whose aegis the east wing was added and St. George's Chapel was integrated. From 1378, the castle served as the seat of an electoral office. During the Wettin rule, the defensive system was reinforced with five bastions and a zwinger. In 1505, the west wing was added. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle suffered severe damage: it was plundered in 1632 and set on fire in 1633. The subsequent conversion into a castle complex after 1633 led to significant changes in the original building fabric. From 1647, the castle housed the mining office. It served as an official residence until 1855, before being converted into a correctional facility, initially as a workhouse for men and from 1874 as a women's prison.