Wildeck Castle

Zschopau, Germany, Germany

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Wildeck Castle in Zschopau, Germany, originated as a 12th-century medieval fortress guarding a ford on the Zschopau River and key trade routes like the Bohemian Steig salt road, with only its massive keep—"Fat Henry"—surviving from that era.

Elector Moritz of Saxony redesigned it into a Renaissance hunting lodge between 1545 and 1547, featuring the distinctive "Slim Margarethe" tower with its curved hood, dominant gables, and elegant parlors, while it served as the seat of Saxon forestry and hunting administration for centuries until 1911.

Extended in the 19th century for courts and prisons, it passed to municipal ownership in 1994, underwent restorations revealing Renaissance interiors, and now functions as a cultural center with museums on local industry, a Baroque garden, and panoramic riverside views.