Forderglauchau Castle is the eastern half of Saxony's only double castle complex in Glauchau, built between 1524 and 1534 in early Renaissance style. It is considered the oldest Renaissance castle building in central Germany, joined to neighbouring Hinterglauchau Castle by a stone arched bridge over the moat.

The castle sits on a rocky spur above the Zwickauer Mulde river, separated from the old town by the so-called Short Ditch and protected on its southern side by the picturesque Hirschgrund ravine. Distinctive gabled dormers decorated with pilasters and volutes, a hexagonal stair tower and red Rochlitz porphyry window frames give the building real character, especially striking in autumn when the surrounding trees turn golden, or in winter when snow highlights its sturdy walls.

How to get there

• Glauchau town centre — on foot across three stone arch bridges and through two gate structures, a few minutes, easy
• Via the Hirschgrund ravine — across the restored Hirschgrund bridge, easy

Practical information

• The castle houses the Clara Wieck Music School and the Georgius Agricola Municipal and District Library
• The concert hall on the upper floor of the south wing can be rented for private events
• The so-called White Vault (Weißes Gewölbe) with its Gothic cross-ribbed ceiling can also be hired for functions
• The remains of a 17th-century castle kitchen and an art gallery can be visited by arrangement with the Hinterglauchau Castle Museum

An interesting detail is that beneath the courtyard lies an extensive, partly collapsed network of cellar passages, which never connected to the vaults of neighbouring Hinterglauchau Castle.