Oberau Castle

Oberau Castle is a moated castle located in the village of Oberau, municipality of Niederau, in Saxony near Meißen, which for centuries belonged to the Saxon noble family of Miltitz. The castle is one of the oldest preserved moated castles in Saxony.

In 1274, a defensive tower was built on the site of the present castle, around which a moat was laid out. The first conversion of the defensive tower into a fortified residential tower is known from 1286. The special feature of this residential tower is the internal staircase and the external living quarters. In 1550, Ernst von Miltitz had an impressive, elongated new building in the Renaissance style with emphasized gable attachments constructed next to the residential tower. In 1594, a thorough redesign of the buildings into a Renaissance castle took place. In the 17th century, painted wooden ceilings were installed in the castle, but their planks were used in a different way from 1807 onwards. However, the painting remained preserved. In 1803, the construction of Oberau Castle was renewed. As part of these construction works, valuable stucco work was created. In the period from 1807 to 1878, the manor house received its present distinctive shape. Especially at the beginning of this period, the castle acquired its striking appearance. Traditions from the period towards the end of 1853 report of a single bridge – probably a drawbridge – that led over the moat to the castle. In 1860, the northeast wing was erected, which was adapted in style to the existing parts of the building. The castle thus received an L-shaped floor plan and a neo-Gothic stair tower.

The castle was placed under monument protection in 1937. After the end of the war, displaced persons were quartered in the castle. The entire building was occupied from the cellar to the roof. After some families moved away again, some rooms were converted. Subsequently, ten displaced families still found accommodation in the castle. These conversions were later also used by a children's home. Since there were not enough places for the children's home, the demolition of the castle was planned. However, the demolition was delayed because resettled families still lived in the castle. In 1946, the manor house building was redesigned to be used for other purposes. The large castle park was also significantly affected by the conversions.

In October 1994, the roof of the castle, which was severely threatened by decay, was made winterproof. The castle renovation received funding from the German Foundation for Monument Protection in 1997. Subsequently, in the spring of 1997, mold was removed throughout the castle. However, black spots remained. On September 13, 1998, the renovation of the castle roof began. In 1999, the castle was taken over by the Working Group for Monument Preservation. In the summer of 2000, the renovation of the castle pond began. In late summer 2001, the first half of the roof was almost finished. However, the work has repeatedly stalled since then.

In the summer of 2002, further historical evidence was uncovered on the lower floors (1st floor and ground floor). In addition, the renovation of the walls of the castle pond was continued. The renovation work on the roof was stopped in November 2002, as the job creation measure involved expired. In 2003 and 2004, work was carried out to secure the roof truss. In March and April 2004, part of the roof area was sealed with used tiles. The renovation of the castle pond was largely completed this year. In the period from 2006 to 2012, the tower cap was restored.

The Förderverein Wasserschloss Oberau (Friends of Oberau Moated Castle) offers guided tours of the castle grounds, the proceeds of which benefit the preservation of the area.