Schloss Sonnenstein in Pirna

You're standing at Sonnenstein Castle, high on a hill on the edge of Pirna. Some seventy metres below you, the Elbe flows past. Take a good look at this spot. Down there was once a ford across the river, right where a trade route reached the border with Bohemia. That's why the Margraves of Meissen built a castle up here around 1200. At the same time, the little market town of Pirna grew up at the foot of the hill.