Wiederau Castle

Wiederau, first mentioned in 1080 as Widerhowe, was originally a Slavic settlement that later expanded into a linear village. The basis of the first settlement was the fertile riverside of the White Elster southwest of Leipzig.

The history of the present-day castle, however, begins at the start of the 18th century. After the fire of the old manor house in 1614, the Baroque Wiederau Castle was built in 1705 by Johann Gregor Fuchs - master builder in Leipzig from 1696 to 1715 - on behalf of the Leipzig merchant David von Fletscher. The castle is a three-story rectangular building with a mansard hip roof and two slightly protruding wings on the north side. The entrance portal is located in the central risalit, which is crowned by a round-arched clock tower. A grand staircase leads to the portal.

The interior design of Wiederau Castle is attributed to the renowned Italian painter Giovanni Francesco Marchini and a stucco artist from Milan. The richly structured and lavishly decorated walls of the two-story ballroom display scenes from ancient mythology. Dominating the room is the monumental ceiling painting, which directs the gaze upwards over perspectively shortened columns. Female figures, representing divine wisdom and human virtue, surround a celestial landscape. In its entirety, the ballroom, with its stucco decorations, wall and ceiling paintings, is particularly valuable and probably unique in Saxony.

Wiederau also became known through music. In 1737, Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata "Angenehmes Wiederau, freue dich in deinen Auen" (Pleasant Wiederau, rejoice in your meadows) was performed on the occasion of the homage ceremony for Johann Christian von Hennicke, a favorite at the Dresden court, who had acquired Wiederau Castle in 1737 and initiated extensive construction measures.

In the 1920s, the then owner, Konrad von Holleuffer-Kypke, himself a KPD member since 1926, made the outbuildings of Wiederau Castle available to the working youth of Leipzig and the surrounding area. However, even the "red baron" could not prevent the land reform at the end of World War II.

After the war, displaced persons moved into the castle. Later, the building served as a municipal administration and kindergarten. Slated for demolition for the benefit of lignite mining, the building was cleared out in 1975. The end of the GDR prevented this intention. In the meantime, the neglected building was restored. The castle, now completely restored, is to be made accessible to the public.