What houses the most beautiful collection of minerals in the world today, was the birthplace of the first two Protestant electors of today’s Saxony.
The four-winged construction in the heart of the Old Town dates back to the 16th century. Margrave Otto, the Rich, had ordered to build Freudenstein's predecessor castle for the protection of the town as well as of the silver mining around 1175/80. In the late 18th century, the castle was converted into a granary. After total renovation, Freudenstein is now home to two collections of world renown as of the end of 2008: The world's greatest mineral exhibition "terra mineralia" presented by the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg. The castle café invites you to linger.