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Burg Winterstein – history
The Winterstein is a 389-metre-high rock above the Großer Zschand in the rear Saxon Switzerland, also known as the “Hinteres Raubschloss” – the rear robbers' castle. Steps, a narrow cleft in the rock and a ladder some 10 metres high inside a fissure cave take you up to the remains of the rock castle.
History
The castle was probably built by the Berka of Dubá in the 13th century; it appears in records in 1379, when the Bohemian King Wenceslas IV pledged it. It changed hands several times between Bohemia, pledge holders and the Wettins, and finally became part of the Saxon district of Hohnstein in 1451/1452. As early as 1456 it was listed only as a former castle; the name Winterstein was then forgotten for more than 300 years.
Curiosities
About 400 metres away is the “Bärenfang”, the bear trap – a pit hewn into the rock, probably an old checkpoint. According to more recent research, the tale of the “Recke vom Winterstein”, the warrior of the Winterstein, probably belongs to a different castle in the Zittau Mountains. The climbing path up already existed at the end of the 18th century – Adrian Zingg captured it in a copperplate engraving around 1790.
As of: 09/2026
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