Deutsch · English · Français · Čeština · Nederlands · Polski · Italiano
Altstadt Dohna – history
Dohna on the Müglitz, between Pirna and Heidenau, is one of the oldest places in Saxony: as far back as the Bronze Age, hilltop settlements on the Robisch and the castle hill guarded the old trade route to Bohemia, the “Kulmer Steig”. On the market square stand an Electoral Saxon post distance column from 1731 and the Fleischerbrunnen, the Butchers' Fountain, from 1912; the town hall has a Renaissance portal – and above it all rises the castle hill.
Town history
According to the town, the castle was probably founded in the 10th century and first mentioned in 1040; the Burgraves even had the right to mint their own coins. After the conquest in 1402, Dohna became part of the Margraviate of Meissen and has been referred to as a town since 1445. Butchers, passementerie makers and straw-hat makers shaped its crafts, while the Müglitztal road of 1851 and the Müglitztal railway of 1890 brought industry.
St Mary's Town Church
St Marien, a late Gothic hall church with three naves, was consecrated in 1489; its Romanesque predecessor was lost in 1402 during the siege of the castle. Inside you can see a carved winged altarpiece from 1518, a font from 1489 and an Eule organ from 1896. Gottfried Semper was involved in the remodelling between 1833 and 1843, and the oldest bell dates from 1390.
Fleischerbrunnen and local history museum
The Fleischerbrunnen recalls the once important butchers' guild: a 4.50-metre-high bronze butcher's journeyman by Alexander Höfer stands above a basin into which four bulls' heads spout water – unveiled on 19 May 1912. Right on the market square, the Heimatmuseum, the local history museum, housed in a pharmacy some 300 years old, tells the story of the town, with finds from the time of the Burgraves and the historic pharmacy fittings.
Links to other places
Dohna lies at the entrance to the Müglitz valley: the Müglitztalbahn runs from Heidenau to Schloss Weesenstein and on up to Lauenstein and Altenberg – all three can easily be combined in a single day. The Burgraves of Dohna once ruled over Weesenstein too, and during the Dohna Feud the last Burgrave fled via Weesenstein and the Königstein.
Matching hikes
As of: 09/2026
Keep asking TOURsten
TOURsten is happy to tell you more, find the right hike and plan your holiday day with you – free of charge and in seven languages.
Ask TOURsten