Rüstkammer: Raumschiff Hubertusburg

Raumschiff Hubertusburg

Traumschloss im Wandel

Hubertusburg Castle in Wermsdorf, between Dresden and Leipzig, will open its doors again this summer. The imposing complex is one of the largest European hunting castles of the 18th century, but despite its historical significance, it is known to only a few. After many changes of use, the main building of the castle is empty today. However, its rooms are full of memories of people who ruled, hunted, celebrated, worked, but also suffered there.

Exhibition Site Schloss Hubertusburg, Wermsdorf

DATES 15/05/2022—31/10/2022

Raumschiff Hubertusburg Traumschloss im Wandel | Schloss Hubertusburg, Wermsdorf (15.5.—31.10.2022)

Built by order of Augustus the Strong as a hunting lodge for his son (completed in 1728), and expanded into a royal residence for Augustus III from 1743 to 1753, the rococo dream lasted only a few years and was abruptly shattered by war, looting and bankruptcy. It was quickly over, the time of Italian opera, French chic, bombastic hunting pleasures. For a moment in 1763, Hubertusburg was a place of European peace. Then the halls, which had been completely emptied except for the castle chapel, became a military magazine, an earthenware factory and a prison, and eventually a mental hospital, an air force school and a state hospital. Courtly pleasure gave way to pragmatic utility.

The main building of the castle has been empty for 30 years. Therefore, the exhibition is dedicated to the monumental building as a place of dreams and nightmares, as a shell for ideas, with spaces waiting for encounters, art and dialogue. The show focuses on the history of this building and its changing functions, which was prepared in cooperation with the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Sachsen.

Each exhibition room deals thematically with one episode. Richly decorated rifles and weapons as well as graphics are evidence of the original use of the building as a hunting lodge in the 18th century. Representation and ceremonial are reappraised on the basis of a royal birthday celebration and illustrated, for example, by an elaborately carved audience chair. The looting of the castle by the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War can be experienced at an interactive station that provides insights into the auction catalog of the stolen paintings.

Holzstich, der die Plünderung des Schlosses Hubertusburg zeigt — **Adolph von Menzel, Die Plünderung des Schlosses Hubertusburg** Holzstich

In addition, the two-year prison stay of August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht and their reception in the GDR are reviewed. The phase in which the castle housed a mental institution is explained on the basis of the former patient Karl Hans Janke (1909-1988) and a selection of his works. During his almost forty-year stay in the psychiatric institution, he developed and drew flying objects and futuristic spaceships. In addition to photographs of the vacant rooms created by artist Louise Walleneit, the contemporary work "Zweite Haut" (second skin) (2001) by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota complements the show.

farbige Zeichnung einer Raumfähre — **Karl Hans Janke, Raumfähre, 1956** farbige Zeichnung, Größe ca. A4-Format

Historical and contemporary artworks and everyday testimonies invite visitors to reflect on the history, present and future of Hubertusburg. Interactive elements and questions that visitors can answer in the exhibition round off the show. The presentation is complemented by a diverse accompanying program.