Moritzburg Castle

Augustus the Strong rebuilt an older hunting lodge from 1723 into a symmetrical baroque block with four round corner towers, standing on an artificial island in a lake made by damming and shaping the ground around it. The Feather Room holds a bed hanging of about a million bird feathers worked into a pattern over several years; it was rediscovered in poor condition and restored over decades. The Monströsensaal displays deformed and unusual antlers collected as curiosities. A pheasant house and a small lighthouse on an artificial lake stand in the park. The 1973 film Three Wishes for Cinderella was shot here and it is staged as a Cinderella exhibition each winter.

What you actually see

• The Feather Room - a bed hanging of about a million bird feathers.
• The antler hall - a room of deformed and unusual trophy antlers.
• The island setting - a symmetrical palace on made ground in a lake.
• The Cinderella exhibition - a winter display tied to the 1973 film.

When to go

April to October; the winter Cinderella exhibition runs from November to February and is popular. The castle closes some Mondays. The steam railway from Radebeul is seasonal.

Honest expectations

The Feather Room has limited access to protect it. The Cinderella season crowds the castle. Some rooms close in rotation.

Nearby

Dresden lies southeast; Meissen is northwest.