Hohnstein Castle

Hohnstein, Germany, Germany

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Hohnstein Castle in Hohnstein, Germany, is a striking medieval rock castle perched 140 meters above the Polenz Valley in Saxon Switzerland, likely built around 1200 as a Bohemian border fortress for the Margravate of Meissen to defend against Saxony.

First documented in 1353 under the Berka von der Duba family—whose oak branch coat of arms graces the courtyard entrance—it served administrative, judicial, and prison roles, with wooden structures upgraded to resilient stone buildings that withstood a 1639 Swedish siege.

Owned by Saxon electors from the 15th century, it functioned as a hunting lodge and state prison until 1919, later becoming a youth hostel and today a museum with a panoramic tower, garden, and ties to Romantic artists like Caspar David Friedrich.