Stolpen ( hsb, Stołpin) is a town in the district of

Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains (german: Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge) is a district ('' Kreis'') in Saxony, Germany. It is named after the mountain ranges Saxon Switzerland and Eastern Ore Mountains. History The district was estab ...

, in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is a historical town, that grew at the foot of the ''Schloßberg'' with the castle ''Burg Stolpen''.

Burg Stolpen

Burg Stolpen is a castle built on top of the Schloßberg. The first defensive works were built about 1100 and it was first documented in 1222. Owned by the Bishop of Meißen for nearly 350 years, it passed to the

Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charle ...

and was expanded in Renaissance style. In 1675 it was further expanded as a fortress.

Anna Constantia von Brockdorff Anna Constantia von Brockdorff (17 October 1680 – 31 March 1765), later the Countess of Cosel, was a German lady-in-waiting and noblewoman, and mistress of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, in 1706–1713. Eventual ...

, Countess of Cosel, was imprisoned in the castle from 1716 until her death in 1765. The castle fell into disrepair towards the end of the 18th century. It became a museum in 1875, and has been partly restored since then.

Schloßberg

Schloßberg is a hill just to the south of the town formed of prominent

basalt column Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

s. It is the formation referred to by

Georgius Agricola Georgius Agricola (; born Georg Pawer or Georg Bauer; 24 March 1494 – 21 November 1555) was a German Humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist. Born in the small town of Glauchau, in the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire ...

when he coined the term ''

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

''.

Historical population

^* over 10 years old Stolpen Helmsdorf Wilschdorfer 30

Twin towns – sister cities

Stolpen is twinned with: *

Hilzingen Hilzingen is a town in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Twin towns — sister cities Hilzingen is twinned with: * Lizzano in Belvedere, Italy * Stolpen Stolpen ( hsb, Stołpin) is a town in the district of Säc ...

, Germany *

Amöneburg Amöneburg () is a town in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany. It lies on a mountain and is built around the castle of the same name, ''Burg Amöneburg''. Geography Location Amöneburg lies on a basalt cone that can be seen fr ...

, Germany *

Garching an der Alz Garching is a municipality in the district of Altötting in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...

, Germany *

Jockgrim Jockgrim is a municipality in the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approximately 15 km north-west of Karlsruhe. Jockgrim is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("colle ...

, Germany *

Sipplingen Sipplingen is a municipality in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings aro ...

, Germany *

Sloup v Čechách Sloup v Čechách (german: Bürgstein) is a municipality and village in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. The area of the village is well preserved and is protected by law as a villa ...

, Czech Republic

Notable people

Walter von Boetticher __NOTOC__ Walter von Boetticher (11 December 1853 – 3 July 1945) was a German historian, genealogist and physician. Walter von Boetticher was born at Riga, the son to the art historian Friedrich von Boetticher (1826–1902) and his wife Euge ...

(1853–1945), historian and physician, was a general practitioner at Stolpen *

The Doll Family The Doll Family was an American quartet of sibling entertainers with dwarfism from Stolpen, Germany. They were popular performers in circuses and sideshows in the United States from the mid-1910s until their retirement in 1958. The family members� ...

, a circus sideshow act, were born in Stolpen *

Christian Friedrich Henrici Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many of the cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig. Henrici was born in Stolpen. He studi ...

, also known as

Picander Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many of the cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig. Henrici was born in Stolpen. He stud ...

, Bach's librettist (

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (german: Matthäus-Passion, links=-no), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It se ...

's text was written by him) was born here.

References

External links

* * * (in German and English)
Burg Stolpen
(in German) {{SächsischeSchweizOsterzgebirge-geo-stub