A castle was erected here sometime around 1200, built with the purpose of defending the border to the Kingdom of Bohemia; it was mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1318.

The oldest part of the presently visible castle is its central round tower, erected sometime around 1300.

In 1934 it was acquired by an association for the protection of the heritage of Saxony (German: Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz).

Because of this, the castle and its contents were spared from destruction during the bombing of Dresden in World War II.

[1] The Baroque chapel, described as the "architectural and artistic highlight of the entire castle", is thought to have been designed by Johann George Schmidt.