A royal visit to Moritzburg in Saxony, Germany! Augustus the Strong, or Augustus II der Starke, in German, loved his hunting lodge! (Stark….hmm, wonder if that relates to the Starks of Winterfell on Game of Thrones…..)
Winter Is Coming
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Frederick Augustus II was of the House of Wettin, a dynasty of German royalty and nobility, and was incredibly strong. He got his nickname by showing how he could break horseshoes with his bare hands. He was known as the “Saxon Hercules”. In addition to being Elector of Saxony, he was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. My travel buddy, Suzanne, and I loved strolling around his hunting lodge. I was sad we were not permitted to take photographs in the lodge. I have never seen so many stag “horns” or “racks” in my life, but happily there was also art, and beautiful architecture. The setting itself was majestic.
Augustus the Strong was instrumental in the production of Meissen Porcelain, one of the finest porcelains in the world. He “rescued”, or kidnapped, depending on the version, Johann Friedrich Böttger from Frederick I of Prussia. Bottger ended up in jail as Augustus the Strong tried to force him to tell him how to manufacture gold. Bottger never manufactured gold, but he did discover the temperature at which to bake the clay to achieve the finest porcelain results. Meissen Porcelain is still manufactured in Meissen, Germany, and Viking Cruises took us on a tour of the town, and of the factory. We watched artists creating the clay pieces prior to baking.
After our lovely visit to Meissen, we went to beautiful Dresden! Stay tuned.
