It featured richly decorated pavilions, emporiums with balustrades, statues and vases, and arcaded galleries. The original concept of Augustus II was that the Zwinger was to be the courtyard of the new castle, which included the area between it and the Elbe River, so it was not built up on the riverside, only enclosed by a makeshift wall.
With the death of Augustus II, the construction of a new castle was abandoned and the Zwinger lost some of its importance.
