Royal Hunting and Moated Castle Schloss Börln
Welcome to the Homepage of Schloss Börln, Clara-Zetkin-Strasse 1, D-04774 Dahlen OT Börln, Province of North Saxony, Free State of Saxony, Germany.
Schloss Börln, built as a hunting lodge castle in 1617-20 for Johann Georg I, the Elector of Saxony (1585-1656), is a fine example of a late baroque building. It stands on the original site of a fort which for more than a thousand years has been surrounded by a moat. Parts of the moat, which is protected by the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum for Ancient History) are still filled with water and the remainder, though laid dry, is well preserved.
From 1620 to 1800, Schloss Börln was a moated castle. Thereafter, piece by piece, the land inside the moat was laid dry, as can be seen from old maps.
Of especial interest is an old chapel in the southern side building, which contains an ancient heathen healing well. The chapel is undergoing restoration for use by pilgrims who walk on the
St. James Pilgrims' Way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. There lie the remains of the Apostle James in a silver casket in the crypt of the cathedral.
Schloss Börln was owned by various aristocrats who lived on the income from the manorial estate having huge tracts of farming and forestry land. In 1945 the invading Soviet army transported Julius Graf (Count) von Zech-Burkersroda to the prison in Bautzen where he apparently succumbed to a lung infection in appalling conditions. This ended a 150-year relationship of the family with the estate in Börln which was bought by their ancestor the Court Chamberlain Julius von Zech-Burkersroda in 1839. The Russians took over the castle which housed many refugees including about 100 children.
Schloss Börln was visited by King Friedrich August II of Saxony on 1st September 1910. Count von Moltke is recorded in the Visitor's Book (visitors up to 1925). German Chancellor Theodor von Bethmann-Hollweg was a regular visitor here; his daughter was the lady of the house.
On 22 July 2003 Schloss Börln was sold by the Province to a private investor, Roderick Hinkel, who has his roots in Saxony and has been a town councillor in Dahlen since 2004. He was born in South Africa. His ancestor Carl Gottlieb Hinkel, a contemporary of the poet Theodor Körner, was born in Chemnitz, was a poet and soldier in the War of Liberation. He studied in Leipzig and was a founder member of the student fraternity
Corps Saxonia Leipzig in 1812, being the author of their constitution. Through the history of the "Bundeslied" (Song of the Confederation) which he discovered as a child in South Africa, and the history of his von Minckwitz
www.vonminckwitz.de ancestors who built nearby castle
Schloss Trebsen and the
Electoral Free House in Torgau (later the residence of the founder of homeopathy Samuel Hahnemann), Roderick Hinkel found his way back to his roots, after first visiting Saxony in 1982.
The privately owned part of the former "English Gardens" and buildings will be restored to their former glory over the next few years.
Schloss Börln is used for music concerts, art exhibitions and many cultural events. Planned events are to be found on the page "Kalender" on the German language website.
24th January 2011
Schloss Börln's Courtyard
Aquarell, April 2010
Steffen Gröbner
Directions
Börln lies between the towns of Torgau, Oschatz and Wurzen and is approximately 45km from Leipzig and 80km from Dresden. From Dresden, take the A14 motorway, exit at Mutzschen, head northwards via Wermsdorf and Luppa past Dahlen Railway Station or from Leipzig take the B6 via Wurzen and Falkenhain. From Torgau follow the Landstraße in the direction of Schmannewitz-Bortewitz to Börln.
