Königstein Fortress
Germany /
Sachsen /
Konigstein /
World
/ Germany
/ Sachsen
/ Konigstein
World / Germany / Sachsen / Dresden
fortification, interesting place
Königstein Fortress (German: Festung Königstein), the "Saxon Bastille", is a famous historic mountaintop fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, near the town of Königstein. The fortress, which for centuries was used as a state prison and which is still intact, is one of Saxony's foremost tourist attractions, with 700,000 visitors per year.
The first reference to a castle at Königstein is from 1241. At that time the region was split between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Bishopric of Meissen. To delimit the boundary running between the two states, King Wenceslaus I established the castle which controlled the Elbe valley above Pirna.
A castle since the mid-13th century situated on a prominent isolated rock in the "Saxon Switzerland" region, it originally belonged to the Kings of Bohemia, passing in 1408 to the Dukes of Saxony. Between 1516 and 1524, it included a monastery (Celestines), but it always remained a stronghold and a fortress with its own garrison; the fortifications were always updated and enlarged to meet the latest requirements of arms technology.
Because Königstein Fortress was regarded as unconquerable, the Saxon monarchs retreated to it from Wittenberg and later Dresden during times of crisis and also deposited the state treasure and many works of art from the famous Zwinger here; it was also used as a country retreat due to its lovely surroundings. The Königstein also became the state prison until 1922 for the most important prisoners, such as:
* the Crypto-Calvinists, including Caspar Peucer
* Johann Friedrich Böttger, the inventor of European porcelain
* the Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin
* the founder of German social democracy, August Bebel
Königstein was never taken, not even during World War II. However, on April 17, 1942, French General Henri Giraud successfully escaped German captivity from the castle.
Because of Böttger, the Königstein Fortress is also a site of the invention of European porcelain. Böttger also built the "Great Königstein Cask" in 1725, the greatest wine barrel in the world (and larger than the one in Heidelberg), with a capacity of 238,000 litres.
In World War I the castle was used as a prisoner of war camp (Oflag) for French and Russian officers. In World War II it again served as an Oflag, called Oflag IV-B, for British, French, Polish and other Allied officers.
official website: www.festung-koenigstein.de/
The first reference to a castle at Königstein is from 1241. At that time the region was split between the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Bishopric of Meissen. To delimit the boundary running between the two states, King Wenceslaus I established the castle which controlled the Elbe valley above Pirna.
A castle since the mid-13th century situated on a prominent isolated rock in the "Saxon Switzerland" region, it originally belonged to the Kings of Bohemia, passing in 1408 to the Dukes of Saxony. Between 1516 and 1524, it included a monastery (Celestines), but it always remained a stronghold and a fortress with its own garrison; the fortifications were always updated and enlarged to meet the latest requirements of arms technology.
Because Königstein Fortress was regarded as unconquerable, the Saxon monarchs retreated to it from Wittenberg and later Dresden during times of crisis and also deposited the state treasure and many works of art from the famous Zwinger here; it was also used as a country retreat due to its lovely surroundings. The Königstein also became the state prison until 1922 for the most important prisoners, such as:
* the Crypto-Calvinists, including Caspar Peucer
* Johann Friedrich Böttger, the inventor of European porcelain
* the Russian anarchist Mikhail Bakunin
* the founder of German social democracy, August Bebel
Königstein was never taken, not even during World War II. However, on April 17, 1942, French General Henri Giraud successfully escaped German captivity from the castle.
Because of Böttger, the Königstein Fortress is also a site of the invention of European porcelain. Böttger also built the "Great Königstein Cask" in 1725, the greatest wine barrel in the world (and larger than the one in Heidelberg), with a capacity of 238,000 litres.
In World War I the castle was used as a prisoner of war camp (Oflag) for French and Russian officers. In World War II it again served as an Oflag, called Oflag IV-B, for British, French, Polish and other Allied officers.
official website: www.festung-koenigstein.de/
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Königstein_Fortress
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 50°55'9"N 14°3'29"E
- Pillnitz Castle 17 km
- Dresden Castle 27 km
- Moritzburg Castle 38 km
- Hubertusburg 88 km
- Fort Zinna (Wehrmacht Prison ) / NKVD special camp Nr. 8 and Nr. 10 104 km
- Castle 114 km
- Former Soviet shelter UK-20 148 km
- Maybach I - Oberkomando des Heeres 148 km
- Castle Belvedere 190 km
- Körbelitz Stasi (MfS) bunker 209 km
- Uranium Mine Leupoldishain 1.8 km
- Tierbs Holidayfarm 3.1 km
- Ferry Stadt Wehlen 4.4 km
- Russian War Cemetery Pirna 7.5 km
- Burger King restaurant Pirna 8.2 km
- Cemetery Gate 10 km
- Kamera & System Technik GmbH 11 km
- McDonald’s Restaurant Pirna 11 km
- Saxon Switzerland National Park 11 km
- Elbe Sandstone Mountains - Part Decinske Steny 13 km