Elector's Vineyards - More Than Saxony Wine
Hoflössnitz, museum of wine-growing and culture of life on the Saxony Wine Road

As you travel along the Saxony Wine Road, just a bit north west of the city of Dresden you'll come upon a section of villas and country houses.

In the midst of this area, on the higher part of Radebeul in front of the steep vine terraces, is the historic vineyard Hoflössnitz. It has been restored to provide an authentic experience of the mansion houses of the 17th century. The farm houses are placed around the inner yard and the vineyard.

The scenic southern view and the majestic chestnut trees are a setting that brings the glory of life in the mansion during the period when the "Electors" reigned to life. The small wine restaurant, which offers of wines from the Elbe Valley, completes the picture.

History
The Hoflössnitz has been known by this name since vineyards in the upper Elbe Valley were bought by the Wettins in 1401. The practice of owning of "electoral vineyards" was common up to the 17th century and reached its peak under August the Strong.

Then, in 1886, wine growing in the area was nearly totally destroyed by the introduction of the Phylloxera louse. The estate was sold to private owners who made changes in the buildings and grounds. In 1912 it was taken over by the Hoflössnitz-Association and restoration of the buildings was started. Since 1915 it has been owned by the city of Radebeul. The vineyards were brought back to life by the replanting of wine with American vine louse resistant grafts started in 1916. The beginning of the museum goes back to 1924. Today it is still closely linked with the culture of wine growing working in harmony with nature, including an ecologically cultivated vineyard.

Mansion House
Elector John George decided to erect this building inside the existing vineyard after the end of the 30 Year War. The interiors were finished under the reign of his son John George II. The estate was used for vacations during hunting and harvest seasons, and to arrange magnificent feasts. On the first floor there were five rooms decorated with wall and ceiling paintings. Female figures, symbolising the virtues of a good sovereign, enhanced by emblems and emblematic pictures emphasising the position of Saxon electors in the empire have been restored to their original beauty and can be seen in the feast-hall.

A special feature is the arrangement of the ceiling in the hall. Between the joists there are eighty portrayals of Brazilian birds created by the Dutch painter Albert Eyckhout after a stay of some years in Brazil. The decoration continues in the adjoining electoral private rooms located to the East and West of the hall. The exhibition About wine-growing in the area of Radebeul in the rooms of the ground floor provides a pictoral history of wine-growing of this region. Visitors to the museum can combine this history with a walk through the vineyards on the estates hills and a wine tasting of grapes pressed in the Elbe Valley.

In the future the great wine-press and the casks will be complemented by an open-air exhibition about wine growing, connected with a press house which will be separated into a working part and a museum. Additional trades, like cooperage and the manufacturing of baskets, will also be presented in an exhibition and a workshop. A special atmosphere for cultural events on a smaller scale is offered in the feast hall. Among the offerings, the concerts of Chamber music in Hoflössnitz deserve a special mention.