Stolpen Castle

She didn’t want to leave the Johannisturm tower until her death: After 49 years at Stolpen Castle Countess Anna Contantia von Cosel, the famous mistress of Augustus the Strong, died in 1765 and was buried at the castle chapel. Although she could have left Stolpen and the armoury that had become uninhabitable by that that time after being pardoned in 1743. Notwithstanding the fact that it is in an even sadder state than at the time of the countess Cosel, the castle captivates its visitors to this very day. Time and again it had suffered the effects of armed conflicts until a great part of it was finally blown up by Napoleon’s troops. Its salvation came when King John, a Romantic through and through, ordered the restoration of the old walls. That is why you can relive the history of the castle and its most famous inhabitant in different exhibitions and enjoy marvellous views of the surroundings today. After all, the castle was built on the highest elevation of the Stolpen Basalt Mountains where mighty stone columns soar up like organ pipes.