Pheasants also add to the charm of Moritzburg

Profession: Carpenter, Calling: Pheasant breeding

The pheasantry, too, is once again bustling with life. Frank Knecht, 66, took over the facility in 2022 after it had stood vacant for a few years. For Knecht, the grounds surrounding the little castle are familiar territory. His grandmother lived in one of the Marcolini houses. When she died, he moved in with his wife and child. As a trained carpenter, he had also worked at the Baroque Moritzburg Palace. While doing so, he received an offer to stock the six remaining aviaries with pheasants.

“I love everything here,” says Knecht, letting his gaze wander over his little pheasant kingdom. Each aviary is home to three pheasants—usually one cock and two hens. Knecht loves the variety. He has posted information about his charges on one wall. These include the diamond pheasant, the common pheasant, the Swinhoe’s pheasant, the golden pheasant, and the royal pheasant. “These are all birds that look just like this in the wild,” emphasizes the Saxon. The animals were not bred to be “colorful.”

Pheasants originate from Asia

Pheasants are, in fact, immigrants from Asia. Their original range extended from Central Asia to China. The Romans introduced the pheasant to Europe. “In Germany, four main species of pheasant were introduced: the Bohemian pheasant, the Chinese pheasant, the Mongolian ring-necked pheasant, and the Japanese variegated pheasant,” according to a fact sheet from the state-run enterprise Sachsenforst. A pheasant can run much better than it can fly. That’s why hunters also call it an “infanterist.”

Unlike his predecessor, Knecht doesn’t raise pheasants for restaurants. He views his involvement purely as a hobby. He’s also happy to give the birds to like-minded people or release them into the wild. In any case, not all of Knecht’s pheasants are housed in aviaries. Outside, several hunting pheasants roam freely and also enjoy using the feeding station on the grounds. In the evening, they all perch on poles or in elevated spots—predators lurk on the ground.

Pheasants Threatened by Predators from the Air and on the Ground

Foxes, raccoon dogs, or birds of prey—the pheasants’ lives are threatened both on the ground and from the air. At night, they have to climb up into the tree, says Knecht. This is called “rearing up.” That’s why the young pheasants’ wing feathers grow first. “They have to get up there in a flash.” You can see this in other gallinaceous birds as well, such as his bush chickens. “When chicks hatch, it doesn’t take long before the mother leads them up to the tree. She shows them how it’s done.”

Margitta Hensel, curator of Moritzburg Castle, raves about the entire complex. After all, she notes, it is the last pheasantry in Germany whose basic structure has been preserved. They would love to restore everything in its entirety and thus make it possible to experience it once again as a total work of art. But in times of tight budgets, even the Saxon Palace Administration can only aim low. 

Restoration of the entire complex remains a pipe dream for now

Christian Striefler, head of the State Palaces, Castles, and Gardens in Saxony, points out another difficulty. “It would, of course, significantly enhance the visitor experience from a historic preservation perspective. However, restoring the site to its historically documented condition is difficult due to the fragmented ownership situation resulting from the land reform after 1945. Many parcels of land are not owned by the Free State.”

The Saxon Real Estate and Construction Management Agency notes that, as a first step from 2017 to 2020, the historic walls of the Fasanengarten were repaired and the canal system between the Upper Großteich and the Venus Fountain was renovated. According to Striefler, there is no estimate of what the complete restoration of the Fasanerie would cost. However, he estimates the total to be significantly more than six million euros. 

Nevertheless, the revival of the Baroque Fasanerie remains a vision. Striefler views the properties in Moritzburg as a unified whole and would like to take the entire cultural landscape into account. “The indoor and outdoor spaces will interact much more closely, and perhaps one day ‘naval battles’ will be reenacted in miniature on the large pond,” he says, describing a dream.

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