Augustusburg Hunting Lodge

Elector August had this built between 1568 and 1572 on a basalt hill above the Zschopau valley, a symmetrical Renaissance block with four corner towers around a courtyard, intended as a hunting lodge and a statement. The well in the courtyard is cut a hundred and thirty metres down through hard rock and took years to complete. The Hasenhaus holds a painted hunting frieze in which hares hunt and cook the hunters, a reversal image of a kind found in the period. The lodge now holds a motorcycle museum with a large collection, a carriage museum and a display on birds of prey. A funicular of 1911 climbs from the valley.

What you actually see

• The 130-metre well - a shaft cut through granite in the courtyard.
• The hare frieze - painted scenes of hares hunting and cooking the hunters.
• The motorcycle museum - a large collection filling several floors.
• The 1911 funicular - a line climbing from Erdmannsdorf in the valley.

When to go

April to October; the funicular runs seasonally with reduced winter service. Museums close some Mondays in winter. The hill is exposed and cold in winter.

Honest expectations

The funicular is seasonal. Museum sections have separate or combined tickets. The lodge interior is partly bare.

Nearby

Chemnitz lies west; the Ore Mountains rise south.