Augustusburg Hunting Lodge

In building a new castle, Prince Elector Augustus wanted not just to create a prestigious palace for his hunting trips, but also to underline his leading position in Central Germany.

Before the hunting lodge was built, an old castle owned by the von Schellenberg family was located on the same spot.

For a long time the design of the palace was attributed to the master builder and mayor of Leipzig, Hieronymus Lotter.

The Italian style stairs with their straight flights (instead of the usual spiral staircases) and details in the design of the roofs are assigned to his influence.

The design of parts of the north portal and chapel of the hunting lodge are traceable to Erhardt van der Meer, Lotter's senior clerk of works.

Current understanding is that it was most likely that the overall design was prepared at the court of Elector Augustus under the supervision of the architect, Hans Irmscher.