“Curious about a king’s favorite hideaway?”
Welcome to the Spiegler’sche Haus. It is also known as Weinbergschlösschen. This listed manor house was once a vineyard house. You will find it on Döbelner Straße 24 in Dresden’s Trachenberge district.
Imagine Trachenberge’s slopes covered in vineyards in the Middle Ages. Monks first owned them. Later, nobles took over in the 17th century. They named the area Trachenberge. But wine-making became unprofitable. The vineyards disappeared by the 1970s. The Spiegler’sche Haus remains the sole surviving vineyard house.
Street names like Weinbergstraße still evoke Trachenberge’s wine history. The Weinbergskirche and the Wilder Mann district also remind us of this past. Wilder Mann was the area’s largest vineyard. It was founded in 1680.
The Spiegler’sche Haus started as part of Wolf von Werthern’s vineyard. He was a Saxon chamber councilor in the late 17th century. Later, Graf Nikolaus von Maxen took over part of it. From 1738 to 1743, Nikolaus von Maxen began building here. The foundations, cellar and outbuildings remain from this time.
In 1746, Christian Friedrich Gärtner acquired the property. He was a proviant administrator. Gärtner transformed the main house into the two-story manor we see today. The Spiegler’sche Haus later came into the possession of Hofrat Gotthold Opitz.
Opitz renovated the house in 1895. He added neo-rococo details and side wings. Before that, the country house was simple. Now it looked like a palace. Opitz used it as a summer residence.
The last Saxon King Friedrich August III loved visiting the Spiegler’sche Haus. He was a frequent guest of Gotthold Opitz. Opitz was also his personal physician. A piece of the old Augustusbrücke in the park serves as a memento of the king.
The Spiegler’sche Haus boasts a rectangular layout with two stories. A mansard hipped roof tops the building. You will notice standing dormers and a ridge turret. Neo-rococo stucco elements adorn the windows. A segmental gable with a cartouche crowns the portal. A small neo-baroque staircase leads to the house.
Ponder this. Side buildings stand at right angles to the main house. To the left are the horse stable and carriage house. To the right is the gardener’s and dovecote. Both buildings display neo-renaissance features.
A large park surrounds the buildings. Inside, you will find a grotto fountain. Also, there is a stone arch from the old Augustusbrücke. Friedrich August III gifted it in 1907. An over 250-year-old English oak stands on the property. It is a protected natural monument. A neo-baroque wall with an ornate gate encloses the estate.
Maria Spiegler, Gotthold Opitz’s daughter, bravely resisted its seizure during the GDR era.
The Spiegler’sche Haus survived thanks to her. Today, the Spiegler’sche Haus is a testament to Dresden’s rich history. It also reminds us of royal visits and family legacies. It stands as a unique blend of wine heritage and architectural styles.