Conquering the Konigstein Fortress

👑 Königstein (Saxon Switzerland) is a town in southeastern Saxony on the Elbe River. The Königstein Fortress is located on the hill of the same name! The fortress stands on a sandstone cliff above the Elbe Valley.

The fortress has been conquered, it was a path, no idea how many steps. My phone says 91 floors. I would never have thought that the fortress was so huge. I could have taken more photos, I haven't seen everything yet.

Great route. We hiked with two dogs. All paths and steps were manageable without any problems.

Today was castle day. ☺️ The first castle on the agenda was the Königstein Fortress.🥾 Unfortunately, the associated patrol path was closed from July 2023 to July 2024 due to slope stabilization work! The Königstein Fortress is always worth a visit. LG

Two days on the Elbe. Today we've set out to walk one of the largest fortifications in Europe. We're circling the complex three times. That makes sense. From the outside in. Let's go. Route 1 begins at the Königstein parking garage, then through beautiful deciduous forest down to the Elbe and into the town, along the Malerweg, then back up towards the fortress. Route 2 continues immediately. From the fortress entrance, we walk all the way around, always below the rocks, along the old patrol path. Route 3 begins after the climb into the fortress. You simply follow the path along the edge of the plateau. We found the small exhibitions in the various buildings very interesting.

Sorry out there, I took a lot of photos! Apparently there is only one left! 🙈🤷‍♂️🤔

Today I spontaneously went to Königstein Fortress, I personally love this place and I go there once a year.

The Königstein Fortress is one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europe. It is located in the middle of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains on the table mountain of the same name above the town of Königstein on the left bank of the Elbe in the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district (Saxony). The 9.5 hectare rock plateau rises 240 meters above the Elbe. According to the finds of shards, it was already inhabited in the Late Bronze Age. Military use began at the end of the 11th century with the construction of a hilltop castle in the northwest of the mountain plateau. From the second half of the 16th century, it was structurally expanded, which led, among other things, to the construction of a 152.5 meter deep well in the 1560s. Today, this is the second deepest castle well in Europe after the well in the Kyffhausen Imperial Castle. From 1589, it was further expanded to become a Saxon state fortress. Its ramparts are 1800 meters long and have walls up to 42 meters high and steep sandstone walls. In the centuries that followed, the Königstein Fortress served as a garrison, state prison, treasury and place of refuge. During various wars, the fortress was never conquered in combat. Due to the further development of weapons technology and the reduced strategic importance, the Königstein lost its military role at the beginning of the 20th century. After the Treaty of Versailles, the fortress was largely disarmed in 1920. After the first excursion traffic began in the 1920s, the fortress has been permanently accessible as a museum since 1955. Today, the more than 50 buildings, some of which are 400 years old, provide an authentic insight into military and civilian life at the Königstein Fortress. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festung_K%C3%B6nigstein Königstein - a winter fairy tale Advent magic on the Königstein - a festival of handmade items Hand-made stalls made of wooden slats and fabric strips Huge candle arch with a fortress motif One of the largest Herrnhut stars in the world shines from the Blitzeichen plateau over the Elbe valley Goulash soup and fortress punch steam in large copper kettles over open fires Demonstration of traditional handicrafts Stage program with fairy tale plays, music, dance and juggling Puppet theater and printing workshop for the whole family Paper cutting cinema with fairy tale films by Lotte Reiniger, the inventor of the silhouette film Storytelling hours in the fairy tale yurt Weather-protected strolling area in the underground casemate Christmas Organ music in the oldest garrison church in Saxony Bathhouse on the Blitzeichen plateau (please make reservations at heidenauerbader@freenet.de) Special opening of the art exhibition “Along the Elbe - Old Saxony in paintings from the Wolfgang Donath collection” The Star Cathedral - a magical sound and light experience Countless Herrnhut stars bathe the Dark Appareille, the historic fortress entrance, in atmospheric light and bring a mystical atmosphere to the sandstone vaults filled with Gregorian sounds. The longest Advent calendar in Germany goes online The Old Barracks from 1589 is transformed every year into the longest Advent calendar in Germany at 112 meters. Unfortunately, this is not possible this year due to construction work. BUT: in our online Advent calendar you can win great prizes every day in the run-up to Christmas: vouchers for events, concerts, culinary events, books, Christmas treats, and much more https://www.festung-koenigstein.de/de/historisch-romantischer-weihnachtsmarkt-festung-koenigstein.html