Top 20 Castles around Doberschütz

Information at https://www.thallwitz.de/thallwitz_schloss.htm

In 1968, the nave received a new roof covering. Gutters and lightning protection were also renewed, and a new cross was attached to the roof. In 1971, the renovation of the nave began, during which a new altar was built and equipped with a new cross. This was followed in the spring of 1972 by the reinstallation of the organ and the external re-plastering of the nave. The festive rededication of the technically outdated organ took place in August 1992. In September 1998, the church tower was renovated, and the tower crowning was completed on January 23, 1999. Since autumn 2000, visitors have been able to climb up to the church tower's viewing platform and enjoy the panoramic view Source https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirche_Thallwitz

The church was built in the 15th century; the foundation walls and the base of the church tower from this period have been preserved. Bishop Johann VI. von Saalhausen commissioned the expansion of the choir and the raising of the church tower. Its spire above the octagonal upper section was created in the 17th century. The inscription on the weather vane indicates the reconstruction of the nave in 1626, which likely incorporated older masonry. The ceiling was given a flat barrel vault. In 1896, extensive renovations were carried out according to plans by the architect Oswald Haenel from Dresden. The church and church tower were completely replastered on the outside, the church and tower roofs were re-covered, repaired, and secured with lightning conductors. Inside, the second gallery was removed in 1896, and in its place, the remaining gallery received double rows of seats. The organ loft was widened. The windows were fitted with colored cathedral glass, and new paraments made of green, red, and black cloth with gold embroidery were acquired. After the restoration, the rededication was celebrated after the Totenfest, the old church consecration festival of Thallwitz, with the participation of the patronage, the church inspection, and numerous pastors from the region. Source https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirche_Thallwitz

As state property of the GDR, the palace, which had survived the war largely undamaged, served as a retirement and nursing home until reunification. During this time, the complex began to deteriorate progressively, which was only barely halted. Thanks to the work of a group of Polish restorers since the early 1980s, the palace's garden facade was largely restored to its original condition. In the early 1990s, the municipality sold the palace complex to a private investor named Grimm. It later became a holding company, which is gradually restoring the late Baroque palace complex. To date, the facade of the courtyard, the adjacent orangery and administration buildings, as well as the teahouse in the park, have been restored. Extensive restoration work has taken place inside, including the ceiling and wall paintings, as well as the late neoclassical staircase. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Nischwitz

After further changes of ownership, extensive renovations were carried out on the ground floor in the mid-19th century under the direction of Gustav Adolf Boenisch. During this time, the Baroque staircase was replaced by a prestigious late-classical staircase and adorned with large wall and ceiling paintings. At this time, the Rococo park, designed by Friedrich August Krubsacius, was also transformed into an English landscape garden with tea pavilions, stone statues, and vases. In 1848, the von Ritzenberg family had a family crypt built in the form of a Doric temple in this park. Towards the end of the century, in 1888, Kurt von Zimmermann[3] purchased the Nischwitz Palace and Estate. In the final days of World War II, the von Zimmermann family fled from advancing Soviet troops and was expropriated during the Soviet occupation of 1945–1949. Later efforts by the family to regain their property after German reunification were unsuccessful, except for the return of some furniture. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Nischwitz

The history of the castle dates back to the late Middle Ages.[2] The village, along with the associated manor, was acquired by the von Nischwitz family in 1450, and received its name from them. In 1714, after the old manor had fallen into disrepair, the then owner, Baron von Rackwitz, Chamberlain of the Electorate of Saxony, commissioned the construction of a new castle with appropriate outbuildings and a park. Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann was the architect. After its completion in 1721, the property changed hands several times over the years. Finally, Count Heinrich von Brühl acquired the property in 1743. Around 1750, he had the property converted into his summer residence in the Rococo style under the direction of the chief architect, Johann Christoph Knöffel. The extensive extensions and renovations created an ensemble that has survived to this day, with its spacious courtyard, orangery, administrative buildings, and the palace park adjacent to the garden. However, much of the original, precious interior furnishings has been lost. The late Baroque wall and ceiling paintings in the garden and ballroom, attributed to the Italian painter Stefano Torelli, are worth seeing. They depict hunting scenes and mythological scenes. During the Seven Years' War, Prussian troops marched into Saxony in 1758. They occupied and plundered the palace. After the death of Heinrich von Brühl, his heirs sold the property to the Leipzig lawyer Philipp Heinrich Lastrop. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Nischwitz

Although Protestant services were already being held in the cathedral in 1542, the Catholic bishops still occupied the palace. The last bishop, Johann IX von Haugwitz (1524–1595), dissolved the Diocese of Meissen by transferring it to the now Protestant cathedral chapter. The new canon in Wurzen was the Saxon Elector Augustus (1526–1586). Neo-Gothic interior around 1900, choir stalls seen from the altar. To increase the space, galleries were added to the north aisle in 1555 and to the south aisle in 1593. Except for minor alterations and repairs, the cathedral remained unchanged until 1817. In that year and the following year, a comprehensive remodeling in the Neo-Gothic style took place. The leading builders were the Wurzen cathedral provost and architectural researcher Christian Ludwig Stieglitz (1756–1836) and the dean of the chapter, Immanuel Christian Leberecht von Ampach (1772–1831). The existing fixtures, including the galleries, were removed. The walls were painted light and new windows were installed, making the cathedral much brighter overall. A new altar with Gothic carvings and a large altarpiece "Christ's Baptism in the Jordan" by Friedrich Matthäi (1777–1845), as well as Gothic choir stalls, were installed. The organ was renovated, and the floor and pews were replaced. The final remodeling of the interior took place between 1931 and 1932. It is characterized primarily by the radical removal of the neo-Gothic elements and the insertion of numerous expressionist sculptures by the sculptor Georg Wrba, as well as the installation of the Jehmlich organ. In February 1943, the large bronze bell from 1521 was lowered from the bell tower to be melted down for wartime purposes and taken to a bell cemetery in Hamburg.[2] It escaped destruction and melting down and was brought back to Wurzen in May 1950 – it has since hung in its original place in the north tower.[3] In 1986, Eberhard Burger, canon in the chapter of Wurzen Cathedral, took on a new task: Under his leadership, Wurzen Cathedral, which was in a desolate state at the time, was completely renovated, first from the outside and then from the inside. The work was completed under his direction in 2004. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_St._Marien_zu_Wurzen

The first church, the predecessor of today's cathedral, was consecrated on August 16, 1114[1] by Herwig († 1119) of Meissen in honor of the Virgin Mary. It was the collegiate church for the collegiate foundation of Wurzen, which he founded in the same year. It was a flat-roofed Romanesque pillar basilica, roughly equivalent in size to the present-day nave. The first major expansion was the addition of the four bays of the east choir between 1260 and 1290. In the mid-14th century, the nave was vaulted and the southern aisle was converted into a hall, before a fire destroyed large parts of the church in 1470. After reconstruction, the next expansions took place after 1500 under Bishop Johann VI of Saalhausen (1444–1518). In 1503, he had the west choir built, which he intended as his burial place, and in 1508, he added two bays to the east choir, the present chancel. From 1491 to 1497, he had the neighboring Wurzen Castle built as a bishop's residence, so the church now became a cathedral. The collegiate chapter became the cathedral chapter. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_St._Marien_zu_Wurzen