Hubertusburg Castle, Saxony’s baroque hunting lodge of the Polish kings and Saxon electors, became the place of a historic event: on 15 February 1763, the Seven Years’ War (which today’s historians also refer to as the actual First World War) between Austria, Prussia and Saxony was ended here with the “Peace of Hubertusburg”.

A masterpiece of Dresden Baroque, the former hunting residence of the Saxon electors is considered one of the largest hunting lodges in Europe. The palace was built between 1721 and 1724 for the son of Augustus the Strong. From 1736, Johann Christoph Knöffel converted the castle into a royal hunting residence for the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III.  Since then, Hubertusburg has been an impressive testimony to Saxon Baroque and one of the most important hunting lodges in European Baroque culture. Hubertusburg was plundered during the Seven Years’ War and for a long time was only used for purely pragmatic purposes. The Free State of Saxony has invested over 100 million euros in the castle complex since 1991.

Following this extensive renovation work, it now shines again in all its splendour. The Catholic chapel, which is considered the castle’s treasure trove, is very impressive. It has been preserved with its original paintings and sculptures and shows off its historical beauty after extensive restoration work. There is a 400 m² ceiling painting by Johann Baptist Grone with the Hubertus legend, the largest in Saxony from this period.

An extensive cultural programme consisting of concerts, events, readings and lectures as well as annually changing exhibitions by the Dresden State Art Collections enlivens the castle and attracts thousands of visitors.