Moritzburg in Dresden: From Hunting Lodge to Royal Castle

Moritzburg Castle located on the outskirts of Dresden city, was originally designed as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Saxony. Built in the Baroque style, and built within a symmetrical artificial lake, the castle has seen many additions over the last few centuries and is now considered one of the most beautiful ones in the Saxony state.

Moritzburg Castle near Dresden

A guard outside Moritzburg castle

My trip to Moritzburg Castle

The castle was always a part of my itinerary, but just on the day of the travel many things happened and I almost didn't make it. My boat trip in the Elbe river was longer than predicted, and my wonderful guide Seema and I had to run to catch the tram. Though we did catch the tram, we got down at the wrong station and missed our connecting bus. This was sad as the next one was only an hour later and sun was fast falling (it wasn't even 4pm, but winter sun goes down pretty quick). I almost decided to cancel the trip as it was getting really cold and I was worried about it getting too dark for any photography.

Waiting for our bus...

However, today Lady Luck was with me and when we reached the castle, the sunlight was just perfect and I had about 30 minutes to take pictures. Within that time I walked around the estate, and actually focused more on the space snd was completely enamored by it.

The castle was closed to the public that day but since I was a guest of the state, I could not only go inside but even take pictures. But I was really not so keen photograph, but understand the rich and layered history of this wonderful castle.

As we reached the castle, the light just turned wonderful...

The yellow of the castle simply glowed during the Golden Hour

History of Moritzburg Castle

The castle started off as a much smaller place in the form of a hunting lodge, and saw many expansions under different kings. However, to me the most interesting phase was under Augustus II, also known as Augustus the Strong. Bucking the trend in Germany after reformation, he converted to Catholicism to become the King of Poland. But it's actually the story of his mistress which is closely connected to this castle.

The castle was a prominent part of the royalty till 1945, when Germany was defeated in the World War 2. Soviet troops took over the castle and removed most of the Royal treasures. Many of these were hidden in the ground to save them, but little survived after the war.

Augustus the Strong on the left wall...

Another image of Augustus the Strong

A guard with his favourite dog...

The castle was also used as the castle for the movie "Three Hazelnuts for Cindrella" and day we visited there was actually an exhibition on Cindrella. I can completely understand that as the place is as fairytale-like as it could be. Leaving the chatter of the kids behind us, we walked a little in the lawns and discussed more about Germany's history. I was quite hooked to it already and Seema's lessons were only adding fuel to the fire.

Interiors of Moritzburg castle

If you thought that the castle was majestic from outside, the interiors are even more impressive. It lives up to it's hunting-lodge days by an impressive display of antlers, especially those from red deer. The largest such collection can be seen in the dining room. Some of the other rooms have walls covered with gold gilded leather, while one room has feathers on the walls and is aptly called the 'Feather Room'.

Antlers on the wall...

Gold with leather on the wall...

The bed at the feather room...

The biggest collection of antlers in the dining room...

It was way past the opening hours of the castle and our strict guide was a little restless, so we decided to bid him and castle goodbye.

Moritzburg is not just famous for its castle but is also famed for the best ginger bread in the region. It's a small and charming shop called Grafe and has more variety of gingerbread than you can find anywhere else. So if you are walking away from the castle the shop will be on your right, on the opposite side of swanky part of the town. It's more like a temporary shop and can easily be seen from across the road.

Goodbye at the castle...

And the sun sets over the Mortizburg Castle...

We headed back once it was dark but had to take a coffee break as our bus was about an hour away. It was freezing cold, and I was already looking forward to some good dinner in a warm place.

This is exactly what we eventually reached Dresden. Our reservations were already made at a restaurant called Alte Messier (Old Masters) located within the gorgeous Zwinger itself! It was a fine dining restaurant and I was shabbily dressed, but there was little I could do but enjoy my multiple glasses of red wine and excellent veggie food.

Here is my food tip for the story: If you are in Dresden and in mood to splurge a little on a meal, Alte Messier is a must try :)

Disclaimer: I was in Germany on invitation of the German Tourism. Needless to mention, all views expressed are unbiased and based on my own personal experiences.