Schloss Proschwitz

The "Schloss Proschwitz - Prinz zur Lippe" winery is located in Zadel (part of Diera-Zehren) above Meißen in the German wine-growing region of Saxony. It is the largest private winery in eastern Germany and the oldest still existing in Saxony. The zur Lippe family is one of the oldest noble houses in Germany. Until 1918, it was one of the ruling princely houses and was one of the most important business families in Saxony. The Proschwitz vineyards were owned by the Bishop of Meissen from the middle of the twelfth century until the Reformation. A large proportion of the mass wines required in Saxony came from the Proschwitz estate during this period. During the GDR era, the vineyards were farmed by the then Agricultural Production Cooperative (LPG). The wines were only available under the counter as so-called "Bückware" and were called "Proschwitzer Katzensprung". After the zur Lippe family was expropriated by the Russian occupiers, Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe bought back large parts of the winery and the family castle located in the immediate vicinity of the vineyards after the fall of communism in 1989. Finally, in 2000, the winery moved into the elaborately restored 300-year-old four-sided farm in Zadel above Meissen. Since then, it has housed the ultra-modern winery, a guesthouse with ten rooms and two holiday flats, the estate's own vinotheque and a restaurant.