Dornburg - Castles Attractions Dornburger Schlösser

At Dornburg (12km/7.5mi northeast of Jena on B 88) are three castles perched on steep-sided limestone crags and set in beautiful parks. Dornburg, originally founded in the 10th C as a stronghold on the frontier with Sorb territory, passed in 1691 to the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar. The castles are best known for their associations with Goethe. The Altes Schloss (1521), to the north, preserves some Romanesque work. To the south is the so-called "Goetheschloss" (1539), in which Goethe stayed for some time in 1828. There is a Goethe Room, opened in 1960. Between these two is the little Rokokoschlösschen (1736-47), with a terraced garden, where Goethe also liked to stay.