Altenburg

Skat was developed in Altenburg between about 1810 and 1817 by a group of local players adapting older games, and it became the most widely played card game in Germany; a Skat court sits in the town to rule on disputed points of play, and a fountain in the market square commemorates the game. Playing cards have been manufactured here since 1832 and the factory still produces them, with a card museum in the castle covering four centuries of card making. The castle itself sits on a rock above the town with a Gothic chapel holding an organ Bach examined in 1739, and a Renaissance hall.

History

Altenburg was first mentioned in a deed to the Bishop of Zeitz in 976, and remains of a Slavic castle on the Schlossberg suggest a Slavic foundation; on the Via Imperii between Halle and Cheb it gained importance in the salt trade, and the 11th-century Mantelturm of its castle still stands. In the middle of the 12th century the Hohenstaufen emperors made it one of their palaces, with a market and a mint; Frederick Barbarossa visited several times between 1165 and 1188 and much building went on around the market, and the parish church was finished in 1172. In 1307 the town passed to the Wettin margraves of Meissen, in 1455 it gave its name to the division of the Meissen lands, and in the division of 1485 it fell to Ernest; from the 17th century it was the residence of Ernestine duchies, among them Saxe-Altenburg (Wikipedia, Altenburg).

Highlights

• The Skat origin - the game invented here, with a fountain and a court.
• The playing card museum - four centuries of card production in the castle.
• The castle chapel - an organ Bach tested in 1739.
• The rock position - a castle above the town with a bottle-shaped tower.

When to go

April to October; museums close Mondays. Skat tournaments are held in the town through the year. It is quiet and rarely crowded.

Good to know

The card factory itself is not open to visitors. Museums close Mondays. The town is small with limited services outside the centre.

Nearby

Leipzig lies north; Chemnitz is east.

Key facts