Southwest of Dresden, this Romanesque castle has seen numerous uses
throughout its history, from stronghold to residence to hospital to granary.
But after a thorough renovation by Berlin-based AFF Architects, this imposing structure has found a new purpose - as a lustrous museum of mining
and minerals. "The metamorphosis from a palace to a place of public and
civic culture wasn't straightforward," says AFF's Martin Fröhlich. "But the
conversion of the Renaissance building to a grain silo in the 18th century
already banished any regal feelings it had." Mixing swaths of potent colors
(including a green resin-covered staircase and purple acoustic panels in a
conference room) and large volumes of concrete with the preser-ved historic
structure (including original walls and exposed wooden supports), the museum harmonizes a variety of eras and surfaces.
