Visible from afar, the striking tower roof of the New Castle, reminiscent of the Gothic tower of Prague's Charles Bridge, rises above an extensive wooded area of the Thuringian Holzland.

Due to its rich game population, this old ban forest had been a favorite hunting ground of the Saxon electors and dukes since the end of the Middle Ages, and later of the dukes of Saxe-Weimar, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Saxe-Altenburg. In 1830, Hummelshain also became the summer residence of the Altenburg court.

Today, the Old Hunting Lodge in Hummelshain, the "Fröhliche Wiederkunft" hunting lodge in neighboring Wolfersdorf, the "Herzogsstuhl" pleasure palace and the baroque Rieseneck hunting lodge bear witness to these traditions - but above all the New Castle, which is considered an outstanding example of historicism and is popularly known as the "Neuschwanstein of Thuringia".

The art historian Bertram Lucke describes the overall impression of the New Palace in Hummelshain as follows: "What is fascinating about the New Palace in Hummelshain is the pronounced, yet not exaggerated splendor, the spatial generosity, the wealth of forms and details, the richness of design that allows the eye to discover something new again and again, and the excellent craftsmanship of the execution".