Königstein Fortress attracts visitors with cannon thunder and fairytale festivals

Königstein Fortress in Saxon Switzerland received slightly fewer visitors last year. With almost 426,547 guests, 5.8 percent fewer came than in 2024, according to the administration, due to the rainy July, the full closure of the bridge in Bad Schandau and the closure of the B 172 in the first week of the autumn holidays.

In contrast, the Christmas market recorded an increase in visitors with around 54,700 guests. The proportion of foreign visitors rose from 33 to 37 percent for the year as a whole.

Historical military life to be experienced and many festivals planned

This year will kick off in spring with the Königstein Spring Awakening from March 21 to April 19. Living History offers the events Everyday Military Life on April 18 and Cannon Thunder on August 29. Highlights for families include the Family Games Festival on May 9 and 10, the Fairytale Festival on July 27 and the Children's Festival on September 20. This year, the rooms of the former "Feldscher-Wohnung", where the fortress soldiers' surgeon lived, can also be experienced as a new museum area.

The medieval Bohemian royal castle, first mentioned in a document in 1241, later became a monastery, then a national fortress, a courtly festival site, an art depot and also a prison. Since 1955, the 9.5-hectare fortress site has been an open-air museum with over 50 buildings from different eras and is sometimes used as a film and TV location. The Free State of Bavaria has invested almost 80 million euros in renovation and maintenance since 1991. A further seven million euros are planned by the end of 2027.