Coat of Arms Hall: This splendid hall with its unique, stucco ceiling from 1609 hosts regularly resound concerts, weddings are celebrated and there are interesting presentations held. It reminds the artistry of the lords of Bünau, who were able to expand the castle at that time.

The castle chapel: Religion played an important role in the life of the once-established lords of the castle. The chapel bears witness to this. It was built around 1500 in the Gothic style and rebuilt in the 19th century. Valuable consoles made of sandstone, which were created around 1600 and adorned the great trumpet hall at the time of its creation, can be admired here.

The Birds Hall: The Vogelsaal impresses with its valuable paintings from the beginning of the 17th century. The double-armed star vault is painted with renaissance ornamentation and animal representations. On the window reveals, restorers were able to remove fragments of wall painting.

Über 800 Jahre ist es her, dass eine erste Burganlage errichtet wurde. Viele Baumaßnahmen folgten in den Jahrhunderten darauf. Die Spuren aus alter Zeit können Sie während eines Rundganges im Schloss entdecken. In einem spannenden Animationsfilm, in Bild und Text sowie im Modell können Sie sich über die Geschichte des denkmalgeschützten Gebäudes informieren.

Die Dauerausstellung zur Baugeschichte wurde mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf der Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.

800 Jahre in 8 Minuten

In einem anschaulichen Animationsfilm erleben Sie die wichtigsten Bauphasen von Burg und Schloss Lauenstein in Bild und Ton. 

Hausgeschichtlicher Leitfaden

Während eines Rundgangs durch das Schloss entdecken Sie in verschiedenen Räumen Informationstafeln, die vor Ort über Besonderheiten des Gebäudes erzählen. So können Sie zum Beispiel erfahren, wo sich das stille Örtchen der Grafen befand, mit welchen Instrumenten Engel musizieren oder wie geheizt wurde.

Das Schloss zum Erfühlen

Am Eingang des Museums erwartet Sie ein Tastmodell der gesamten Schlossanlage. Für Sehbehinderte sind die wichtigen Bestandteile in Brailleschrift erklärt.

The base of the economic of city, whose center was a steeply sloping market square with houses, protected by a three-portal wall, was the trade, the agriculture mostly used in the secondary trade and the mining industry beginning around 1450.

The award of the city rights takes place step by step from 1374 onwards, Lauenstein has the right to hold a weekly market. From 1489 the citizens are allowed to vote for a council and mayor. In 1494, Lauenstein is granted full municipal rights by the lords.

In particular, you will find interesting information about the Saxon postal milestones, which Augustus the Strong (1670-1733) let set up, but also about the surveying of Saxon roads, which took place at that time with measuring carriages and carts.

In the eighteenth century, the first comprehensive European traffic guidance system was built in the electorate of Saxony, following Roman prelims on the former regional transport routes - the Saxon postal milestones. Adam Friedrich Zürner (1679-1742), declared distances information as hours (1 hour = 4.531 km), it was the basis for the survey of the country. The magnificent columns, which can be found in many places in Saxony, still remind us of the elaborate project that August the Strong took.

The biography of George Bährs contains many secrets, and we do not know his appearance, because a portrait of the master builder is not handed down. As the son of a carpenter, he was born in Fürstenwalde on March 15, 1666 and grew up in Lauenstein, probably visiting the boys' school here and learning the carpenter's craft. In 1693 Bähr moves to Dresden and works in the capital city as a carpenter. He calls himself an artist and a mechanic, designs organ props as well as palaces and palaces. At the age of 39, the Dresden city fathers appointed Bähr in 1705 as a council chamberlain.

The first construction was the parish church of Loschwitz near Dresden, which was completed in 1708. Numerous churches followed after such as the orphanage church in Dresden, the village church of the Holy Trinity in Schmiedeberg and the church in Beitzsch (Biecz in Poland). As a builder or consultant, George Bähr was involved in the construction and conversion of the churches in Königstein, Kesselsdorf, Hohenstein and Schmannewitz in the following years. According to his specifications, various residential buildings were also being built in Dresden.

Bähr's main activity was the world-famous Womens Church in Dresden. Boldly and masterfully erected in the 18th century - it was destroyed in 1945, rebuilt from 1991 and completed in October 2005.

The railway line was then 36.1 km long and had to climb an elevation of 470 m from the start to the end. The first timetable provided for four daily pairs of trains, the journey time on the total route was about 150 minutes.

From 1935 to 1938 the conversion to normal track width made. The section Heidenau-Lauenstein was completely redesigned, on the remaining part to Altenberg only the curve radius was enlarged. Due to the new construction the track length was shorten about three kilometers. Today, the route is an important transport connection for professional commuters, students, tourists and winter sportsmen.

The displays in the exhibition tell the story of the interesting railway line. If the model of the narrow track steam lokomotive (a Saxon VI K) travels over the rails of Geising to Altenberg, not only children's get excited.

For the Lords of Lauenstein, hunting has always played an important role. As early as in the Middle Ages, hunting became more and more the sole privilege of the nobles. The Counts of Bünau had the right of hunting of small and big game. Numerous trophies, animal preparations and hunting weapons can be seen in the permanent exhibition.

In Lauenstein, the bite-hunting has probably a longer tradition. So tells the famous Lauensteiner Tell a spectacular kidnapping:

The castle owner of Lauenstein died on a journey around 1651. His wife, Agnes Katharina von Bünau, who was now the owner of Lauenstein, gave birth to a boy whom she loved very much three months after the death of the lord of the castel. When the boy was two years old, the mother and the child stayed on a beautiful spring day on a hill near the castle. The boy was sleeping on the soft lawn. The mother moved away to pick flowers. Suddenly a huge bird of prey flew out of the forest, which grabed the sleeping child with its talons and rose with him into the air. Slowly he carried the heavy load to the nearby rock.

Fortunately the falconer at the castle had witnessed. He then sent his bravest falcons to rescue the child. He pressed the mighty bird of prey so much that this one had to let go of the child. Since the eagle could not fly very high due to the the considerable load, the child fell onto the meadow undisturbed and could be handed over to his mother.

Visitors can learn more of what the forrest what it is today by visiting the rooms of exhibition. They are taken into the once virgin jungle of the eastern Ore Mountains, hear as before in the dense forests of the region the wolves howled and the brown bears muttered. The visitors can also test whether they can correctly recognize the voices of some wild animals.

In addition, you will see how mankind has changed the nature of the eastern Ore Mountains over the centuries. In the Middle Ages people began to clear the forest for the construction of castles and settlements, because Saxony and Bohemia had silver and tin found, therefore the borders had to be secured. This took place between 1200 and 1400. Mining was followed by two further clear cutting trees periods, which endangered the forest in the end. Only in the 18th century did a regulated forestry develop in the Eastern Ore Moutains. Today, sustainable forestry is a key element in securing the main functions of our forest for the future.

Heribert Fischer-Geising (1896-1984) was a painter and artist, who repeatedly expressed his love for the landscape of eastern Ore Mountains in his numerous works, but also later on to the Black Forest and Tessin. He was particularly fond of Geising and its surroundings. Since his childhood, Heribert Fischer-Geising has felt a deep attachment to this place in the Eastern Ore Mountains. So he settled down in 1919, after returning from the First World War, traumatized and seriously wounded. He then worked as a freelance artist and teacher.

The approximately 50 works on display come from the collection of Museum of Eastern Ore Mountains Schloss Lauenstein and Heribert Fischer-Geising Foundation, which is affiliated to the museum. This permanent exhibition is intended to remind us of the representatives of the New Objectivity, who are still too little noticed today. In addition, the Heribert Fischer-Geising Foundation is keen to make the work of the artist accessible, at least in parts, to the public.

Until the middle of the 19th century, court was held at Lauenstein castel. Numerous files from the 17th and 18th centuries allow us to take a look at the time of the Counts of Bünau, which had the privilege of the low and high jurisdiction, which meant that they were allowed to judge about money fine, and even sentence people to death.

A dark dungeon from the Middle Ages on the grounds of the castle also bear witness to the handling of guilty ones so as the detention cells and the guard room of the 19th century in the cellars in the east wing of the castle.

To the south side of the castle is the terraced garden. Prairies and herbs thrive on the beds. Let yourself be surprised by the variety of plants, enjoy the fragrance of the herbs and let yourself and be enchanted by the sight of the beautiful flowers.

Mineralien aus dem Erzgebirge und aller Welt

Die  ausgestellten Mineralien sind ein kleiner Teil der großzügigen Schenkung von Emmerich Pavlik an das Osterzgebirgsmuseum Schloss Lauenstein. Der Frohburger war sein Leben lang mit Leidenschaft auf der Suche nach diesen Kostbarkeiten der Erde. Der Quarz blieb immer das zentrale Auswahlkriterium für seine Sammlung. Ein besonderes Augenmerk legte er dabei auf Stücke, die aus dem Erzgebirge stammen. Quarze kommen in den prächtigsten Farbvarietäten und verschiedenen Verbindungen in unserer Natur vor. Die reinste Form des Quarzes ist der Bergkristall. Die faszinierenden Farben machen Quarze wie beispielsweise den Amethyst zu beliebten Schmucksteinen. Aber auch aus der
modernen Industrie ist der Quarz als Rohstoff nicht wegzudenken. So benötigen wir ihn als Schwingquarz in Uhren und Funktechnik, zur Glasherstellung oder verwenden ihn in der Halbleiterindustrie.

"Die Musik verjagt den Teufel und macht die Menschen fröhlich," schreibt Martin Luther.
In diesem Teil der Dauerausstellung erfahren unsere Besucher spannendes über die Geschichte der Musik im Osterzgebirge, welche schon lange das Leben der Menschen hier prägt. Sie werden eingeladen, an einer historischen Musikstunde mit Kantor K. teilzunehmen, und die berühmten osterzgebirgischen Komponisten Johann Kuhnau (1660 - 1722), Johann Schelle (1648 - 1701) und Nino Neidhardt (1889-1950) näher kennenzulernen. Nur wenige wissen, dass beide Vorgänger des berühmten Leipziger Thomaskantoren Johann Sebastian Bach – Johann Schelle und Johann Kuhnau – aus dem Osterzgebirge stammen. An unserer Hörstation können sich die Besucher auf eine musikalische Zeitreise begeben.

Das Puppenspiel hat eine langjährige Tradition im Osterzgebirge. Paul Hölzig (1911-1989), in der Nachkriegszeit einer der besten Puppenspieler der DDR, hatte einen festen Spielsitz im Gasthof Bärenfels. Mit seinem Kasperle begeisterte er groß und klein deutschlandweit.

Ruth und Hans-Joachim Hellwig, die Hölzig noch persönlich kannten, reisten ebenfalls mit ihrem Puppenspiel durch ganz Deutschland. Auch sie beschäftigten sich mit dem Kaspertheater und gastierten oft in Bärenfels. Hans-Joachim Hellwig gründete zusammen mit dem Bärenfelser Gastwirt Jan Kempe und dem Verein für KulturGeschichte Bärenfels e.V. das Bärenfelser Puppentheaterfest, welches seit 2005 jedes Jahr regionale und auch internationale Puppenspielbühnen sowie ein begeistertes Publikum in das Osterzgebirge schickt.

Besucher können zahlreiche handgemachte Holzpuppen bestaunen und die interessante Geschichte hinter der Puppenspieltradition erfahren.