Stolpen
Town in Saxony, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stolpen (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtɔlpn̩] ⓘ; 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 | |
|---|---|
Stolpen marketplace in October 2014 | |
Location of Stolpen
within Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district | |
![]() Location of Stolpen | |
| Coordinates: 51°2′56″N 14°4′58″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony |
| District | Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2022–29) | Maik Hirdina[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 60.89 km2 (23.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 274 m (899 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 5,540 |
| • Density | 91.0/km2 (236/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
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 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
Schloßberg 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
Stolpen is twinned with:
Hilzingen, Germany
Amöneburg, Germany
Garching an der Alz, Germany
Jockgrim, Germany
Sipplingen, Germany
Sloup v Čechách, Czech Republic
Notable people
- 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.

