Photos courtesy of Hotel Schloss Gaussig
History documents that a manor house existed on this site in 1245.
In 1696, Major General and Colonel Rudolph von Neitschütz and his wife Ursula received the property as a fief. Four years later, they built a baroque style palace.
Ursula von Neitschütz was quite an interesting person for her time. She was the mistress of the Saxon Elector Johann Georg III. She gave birth to a daughter, Magdalena Sibylla, and many said Georg was the father. This daughter later grew up and fell in love with one of Johann Georg’s legitimate sons. Horrified at the possibilities, the elector banished both of them from court. When he died unexpectedly, the dowager empress married her son off to an older woman. Sibylla and the now Johann Georg IV continued their affair, however, and this union produced a daughter. Ursula was later accused of being a witch and using her magic to bring about the death of Johann Georg III and making his son fall in love with her daughter.
By 1750, the estate became the property of the Russian envoy to the Saxon Court. He was a patron of composer and harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the first performer of Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations. No doubt this music was played at Gaussig.
In the early 20th century, Saxony’s last king, Friedrich August III, spent every year at Gaussig deer hunting.
At the end of World War II, the property was confiscated by the Soviet Red Army, and during the years of the GDR, professors from Dresden’s Technical University used the estate as a club.
Andreas Graf von Brühl-Pohl bought and restored Gaussig to its former glory in 2005. Three years later it opened as a hotel, with the family maintaining a private residence here as well.
Pamela’s Perspective
Schloss Gaussig can be tricky to find. Take a good map or GPS. The village doesn’t offer much in the way of restaurants, but you’re not too far away from Bautzen if you wish to eat outside the hotel.
Nice clothes are encouraged here. You might want to reconsider tromping through the public rooms in jeans and muddy hiking boots.
Hotel Schloss Gaussig
A 17th-century palace
Contact
Ander Kirche 2
02633 Gaussig
Tel: ++49 (0) 3593 0552 27
Fax: ++49 (0) 3593 0299 32
Hotel website
Reserve with Booking.com
Fast facts
16 rooms
Single rooms: 88–138 euros
Double rooms: 159–189 euros
Suites: 189–259 euros
Rates include breakfast and tax
Open: all year
Getting there
Gaussig is 24 miles east of Dresden and 6 miles west of Bautzen. From the A4, take Exit 88b Salzenforst, and continue on Neukircher Strasse to Bauntzener Strasse.
What to do
On site: spa; swimming pool
Nearby: swimming; bicycling;
golf; horseback riding; fishing;
cross-country skiing; excursions
to Bautzen, Görlitz, Zittau;
Dresden; Bohemian region of
Czech Republic; Castle Rammenau
Weddings
Yes. Chapel on site.
Tucked away in a small village, a short distance away from the historical town of Bautzen, this palace is a fine example of Paladian Classicism.
A perfectly manicured baroque garden filled with rhododendrons and azaleas surrounds the property.
Each guest room is unique, and lovingly furnished with selected antique pieces. Victorian four-poster beds are equipped with excellent mattresses. In some rooms,Oriental carpets cover parquet floors, topped by a chandelier overhead. Most rooms are quite spacious with high ceilings and views of the park.
Bathrooms are fitted with traditional fixtures, such as free-standing bathtubs.
Formal dinners are served in the Hall of Mirrors at a long table where guests can meet each other. There are no individual tables.
A friendly staff provide excellent service.
Something special
The restoration work here has been thoughtfully done. Lots of original details are left to give the guest an idea of life in the 18th century.