Stolpen (Upper Sorbian: Stołpin, pronounced [ˈstɔwpʲin]) is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in Saxony, Germany. It is a historical town, that grew at the foot of the Schloßberg with the castle Burg Stolpen.
Stolpen | |
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Location of Stolpen within Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district | |
Coordinates: 51°2′56″N 14°4′58″E / 51.04889°N 14.08278°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Saxony |
District | Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge |
Government | |
• Mayor (2022–29) | Maik Hirdina[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 60.85 km2 (23.49 sq mi) |
Elevation | 274 m (899 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 5,559 |
• Density | 91/km2 (240/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 01833 |
Dialling codes | 035973 |
Vehicle registration | PIR |
Website | www.stolpen.de |
Burg Stolpen
editBurg 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 and was expanded in Renaissance style. In 1675 it was further expanded as a fortress. Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, 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.[3]
Schloßberg
editSchloßberg is a hill just to the south of the town formed of prominent basalt columns. It is the formation referred to by Georgius Agricola when he coined the term basalt.[4]
Historical population
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* over 10 years old
Twin towns – sister cities
editStolpen is twinned with:
- Hilzingen, Germany
- Amöneburg, Germany
- Garching an der Alz, Germany
- Jockgrim, Germany
- Sipplingen, Germany
- Sloup v Čechách, Czech Republic
Notable people
edit- Walter von Boetticher (1853–1945), historian and physician, was a general practitioner at Stolpen
- The Doll Family, a circus sideshow act, were born in Stolpen
- Christian Friedrich Henrici, also known as Picander, Bach's librettist (St Matthew Passion's text was written by him) was born here.
References
edit- ^ Gewählte Bürgermeisterinnen und Bürgermeister im Freistaat Sachsen, Stand: 17. Juli 2022, Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen.
- ^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
- ^ "Chronik" [Timeline]. Burg Stolpen – Schlösserland Sachsen (in German). Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ "Naturdenkmal Stolpener Basalt" [Stolpen Basalt Natural Monument]. Burg Stolpen – Schlösserland Sachsen (in German). Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
External links
edit- Media related to Stolpen at Wikimedia Commons
- Media related to Burg Stolpen at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in German and English)
- Burg Stolpen (in German)