Moritzburg Castle (Zeitz)
Moritzburg Castle is a fortified castle in Zeitz on the Elster in the Burgenland district in Saxony-Anhalt . Based on a royal palace and a fortified bishopric, today's baroque palace was built in the 17th century. The Zeitz Cathedral is also located on the site .
history
In connection with the establishment of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg 968 also was diocese Zeitz suffragan 968 by Otto I. founded. In 976 his son Otto II gave the already existing royal castle to the bishop. So far, no remains of this castle have been archaeologically proven. The unsafe location of the place is evident from the destruction caused by several uprisings of the Slavic population in 983, 1002 and 1028. Therefore, in 1028 the bishopric was moved to the safer Naumburg . In addition to the collegiate monastery that remained in Zeitz , the castle repeatedly served as the residence of the bishops over the next few centuries. In the period that followed, there was a long legal dispute with the Margrave of Meissen over the rights to the bishop's court . In 1259, Bishop Dietrich II had to consent to the destruction of the front courtyard of the palace including its fortifications. In 1271, however, fortification work took place again, which was finally approved by Margrave Dietrich von Landsberg in 1278 .
In 1429 the castle complex was severely damaged by a Hussite invasion. Bishop Johann II von Schleinitz (1422–1434) then had the Gothic fortifications, which are still preserved today, built from an irregular wall ring with eight towers and rondelles and a wide moat. Under his successors, the fortifications were further strengthened between 1470 and 1492.
At the time of the Reformation, the diocese was controversial. The Elector of Saxony tried to bring it under his influence. However, Emperor Charles V was able to prevail initially and install his Bishop Julius von Pflug in 1547. Only after his death in 1564 that were Wettiner administrators of the pin .
In 1644 the castle suffered severe damage from fighting between Sweden and an imperial army during the Thirty Years' War .
From 1657 to 1667 the destroyed bishop's castle was rebuilt as the residence of the Duchy of Saxony-Zeitz . It is (next to the Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha) one of the oldest early Baroque in the group fortress-like residence in the territory of Wettin. Instead of the medieval bishop's castle, a three-wing complex with a tower in the middle of the main wing was built, the cathedral was converted into a castle church, and the heavily damaged Gothic castle wall was repaired and renewed. In addition, the castle received a fastening ring according to the bastionary system . The casemated entrenchments on the city side, with the monumental gatehouse in between, are particularly impressive .
After the Sachsen-Zeitz line had expired, the castle fell back to Kursachsen in 1718 ; In 1815 it came into Prussian possession through the regulations of the Congress of Vienna .
From 1990 to 2004 extensive renovation work took place in the entire castle and fortress ensemble. The State Garden Show 2004 was shown on the castle grounds.
Today the castle and the castle park are part of the Garden Dreams Saxony-Anhalt project .
literature
- Reinhard Schmitt : Sources on the building history of the Zeitz castle . In: Burgen und Schlösser in Sachsen-Anhalt, 10 (2001), pp. 181 - 219
- Reinhard Schmitt: The medieval castle in Zeitz and Bosau monastery near Zeitz . In: Burgen und Schlösser in Sachsen-Anhalt, 11 (2002), pp. 199 - 216
- Reinhard Schmitt: Contributions to the building history of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Moritzburg Castle and Posa Monastery in Zeitz (writings from the Moritzburg Castle Museum Zeitz). Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle 2008.
- Rolf Albert Koch; Hans-Joachim Richter: The cathedral at Zeitz . Union Verlag, 1976
- Christian Pönitz: “That it is necessary to reside” - Investigations into building history, spatial structure and ceremonial at the Zeitz Herzogshof between 1657 and 1717. Projects Verlag 2006
Web links
- Object collection of the castle museum on museum-digital.de
- Information about Moritzburg Castle on the website of the city of Zeitz
Coordinates: 51 ° 3 ′ 8 ″ N , 12 ° 7 ′ 35 ″ E