Wildeck castle (Schloss Wildeck)

A former hunting castle located on a cliff top in the town of Zschopau. The first information about the castle dates back to 1299 and at that time it consisted of only one defense tower, located on the site of the present-day Dicken Heinrich tower. Its height was 20 meters and the entrance was at a height of 14 meters, which allowed only one man to defend the tower.


At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, the castle belonged to the lords of Erdmannsdorf and changed owners regularly thereafter. Between 1545 and 1547 it was rebuilt by Duke Moritz von Sachsen as a hunting lodge. Three smaller towers were demolished and the building got one more storey. Today, the south wing and parts of the west wing are the remains of these reconstructions.


From 1506 to 1911, the castle served as the residence of the chief forester. Since 1855, has been the seat of the Zschopau Court Office and since 1952 the Zschopau District Court. Since 1974, Wildeck Castle has been the cultural center.

There is a motorcycle museum inside, and you can see a huge motorcycle on the grounds too. This is no coincidence, motorcycles were manufactured in Zschopau for over 100 years, mostly under the MZ brand. At one point, the local factory was the largest in the world, but it is now closed. Nevertheless, motocross competitions and various motorcycle enthusiast gatherings are regularly held in the city.

It was from this factory, after the war, that the Soviets took (stole) the equipment that allowed them to “invent” the Izh-350 motorcycle, a copy of the DKW NZ-350.


We didn't visit the museum, but walked around the town and walked around the castle.
















Getting there: parking is available near the castle 50.746472, 13.068917. The Zschopau train station is located within walking distance of the castle.