Königstein Fortress, one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europe, rises high in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Saxon Switzerland. The "Burgrave Gebhard vom Stein" is first mentioned in a document of King Wenceslas I of Bohemia in 1233, presumably referring to Königstein. At that time the area belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia. In the 16th century, the castle underwent significant expansion to become a Saxon state fortress, with the start of construction of the imposing 152.5-metre-deep castle well between 1566 and 1569 being an important milestone. It is still one of the deepest historic wells in Germany.
Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Ireland
-
Yellow-chevroned parakeets
-
Ocean City, Maryland, USA
-
Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
-
Iguazu Falls seen from Paraná, Brazil
-
Temple of Hathor, Dendera Temple Complex, Qena, Egypt
-
Khao Sok National Park in Thailand
-
Guanaco mother and baby
-
Verdon Gorge, France
-
Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
-
Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
-
Gunnerside, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
-
Phra Nakhon Khiri, Thailand
-
Polar bear cub, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, United States
-
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
-
Cheetah in Tanzania
-
Amethyst laccaria mushrooms, Seabeck, Washington, United States
-
Molokini crater, Maui, Hawaii, USA
-
Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
-
Container ship near a commercial port in Thailand
-
Maasai giraffes
-
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
-
Amazon rainforest, Brazil
-
Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska, United States
-
Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, Mexico
-
Great Wall of China
-
Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, United States
-
Telašćica Nature Park, Dugi Otok, Croatia
-
Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
-
Peveril Castle, Derbyshire, England
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

