Founded 800 years ago, Burg Ziesar, a vast castle complex 45 miles west of Berlin, sits atop an earlier Slavic fortification. Its red-brick chapel was designed in the late Gothic style and consecrated in 1470. (...)
Founded 800 years ago, Burg Ziesar, a vast castle complex 45 miles west of Berlin, sits atop an earlier Slavic fortification. Its red-brick chapel was designed in the late Gothic style and consecrated in 1470. The chapel of the complex, or burgkapelle, was adorned with remarkable murals covering the walls and ceiling, with vividly painted depictions of the crucifix, apostles, angels, and other icons. Religious life was central to the origin and evolution of Burg Ziesar. The castle was built to house bishops who were charged with Christianizing the Slavic areas nearby, and it held this function until the 16th century. After the sweeping changes of the Reformation, Burg Zeisar was used for a variety of secular purposes but, remarkably, this rare late-Gothic chapel survived with its even rarer painted interior. By 1952, the chapel had reopened for Catholic services, but the painted decoration had deteriorated significantly due to natural aging, salt efflorescence, and water infiltration from a leaky roof.
