Promnitz on the Elbe

In the territory of the Margraviate of Meissen, first mentioned in 1046, in the heartland of the Sorbs, there is a settlement called “Promnitz” on the right bank of the Elbe. In Slavic usage, this word means a crossing over a river or a ferry. The family of the Barons of Promnitz, which still exists today, derives its name from this place. It is the ancestral seat of this ancient Meissen noble family. The name was first mentioned in 1185.

When looking at the castle complex today, it is striking that – when viewed from the Elbe – the right wing of the castle appears to be the oldest part: Meter-thick walls in the present-day interior suggest that it may have been built as a tower in the style of a burgward and could have been constructed in the Ottonian period (10th century).

With the settlement of the first monastery in the Mark Meissen on the left bank of the Elbe in 1119, at the height of today's city of Riesa, the practical significance of the name Promnitz soon became apparent: the monastery residents used the opposite side of the Elbe – fertile due to frequent flooding – as a herb and vegetable garden. And since 1197, there has been a permanent ferry connection. Today, it is the oldest Elbe ferry in the state!

Herman von Promnitz is the first member of the family to appear in records in 1250 – he is a forest count, or forestarius, under the Meissen Margrave Heinrich III, the Illustrious (c. 1216-1288), who is also listed as a minstrel in the Manessische Handschrift (Manuscript of Manesse); i.e., Herman (died after 1288) served as the chief forest and gamekeeper of the Margraviate of Meissen, whose duties included, for example, having the hands of convicted poachers chopped off! Thus, the first residential buildings of this family – the office was inherited – could be described as “Forsthaus.”

The Promnitz family coat of arms was awarded to Knight Nicolaus I von Promnitz in 1324 for his military service in the Battle of Mühldorf. In the same year, the tavern in Promnitz was mentioned for the first time. The Promnitz family also owned properties in Röderau, Böhla, Brockwitz, and Zehren. Thilman, Otto I (c. 1331-1397), Heinrich I (d. 1385), Fritsche (d. after 1439) and Melchior I (d. 1447) are other members of the Promnitzgeschlecht (Promnitz family) who lived on the Elbe.

After 1430, the Promnitz family left their ancestral seat and the nearby estates and settled in Pirna, Lower Lusatia, and Silesia. The new ancestral homes were now called Dittersbach, Herwigsdorf, Hirschfeldau, Lessendorf, Pirna, and Weichau. In 1558, the 34th Prince-Bishop of Breslau and Neisse and Supreme Captain of Silesia, His Excellency Balthasar III, Baron von Promnitz a.d.H. Lessendorf (1488-1562), acquired the largest dominion in Lower Lusatia: Sorau, Triebel, and Pless in Upper Silesia. In 1561, he drew up a succession order, the Promnitz inheritance and house laws, after the entire family was granted hereditary baronial status by Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) in 1559. In 1652, Siegmund Seyfrid Baron von Promnitz was elevated to the hereditary rank of count.

On the occasion of the Zeithain camp in 1730, a representative of the Promnitz family once again stayed at the family seat, Promnitz Castle: the minister of the secret cabinet and cousin of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Erdmann III, Count of Promnitz (1683-1745), as commander of the Promnitz cavalry. During the camp, he stayed with his son-in-law August Ludwig, Prince of Anhalt-Coethen (1697-1755), at Kreynitz Castle.

In 2009, Franns-Wilfrid von Promnitz organized the first castle festival with music and food on the grounds of his ancestors. In 2016, he gave a series of concerts, some of them together with artist friends, which took place both in the “vault” (the former cowshed) and, during Advent, in the castle hall.