Perched dramatically on the isolated Schellenberg hill at 516 m above sea level, Augustusburg Castle is one of Germany's finest Renaissance hunting palaces — and its nickname, the 'Crown of the Ore Mountains', could not be more fitting. Built between 1568 and 1572 for Elector Augustus of Saxony, it draws visitors with its striking silhouette, sweeping views, and a remarkable collection of museums all under one roof.

The castle sits on a rocky hilltop near the town of Flöha, just 12 km east of Chemnitz. Its somewhat austere Renaissance facades give way to a rich interior full of original fireplaces, wall paintings, and a magnificent palace church — the largest Protestant castle church in Saxony, featuring an altarpiece painted by Lucas Cranach the Younger. In spring and autumn the surrounding forests frame the castle in colour, while winter brings a fairytale atmosphere to the hilltop.

• Augustusburg town (lower cable car station near the railway stop) — funicular railway (Drahtseilbahn), approx. 4 minutes, easy
• By car — road access directly to the castle car park from the town of Augustusburg, easy

• The castle houses a motorcycle museum, a carriage museum, and a hunting and ornithology museum
• A youth hostel and restaurants are located within the castle complex
• The castle well descends over 130 m into the rock — the second deepest in Saxony after Königstein Fortress
• Augustusburg is marketed together with Scharfenstein Castle and Lichtenwalde as 'Die Sehenswerten Drei' (The Three Worth Seeing)
• Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region'

Do not miss the castle linden tree at the north-east corner — planted in 1421, it is one of the few trees in the world whose planting date is historically verified.