This fortress (13C-16C) stands at the top of the Königstein, which overlooks the great loop of the Elbe. It was enlarged during the 17C and 18C, and served on several occasions as a refuge for the Court of Saxony. The various prisoners held there included Böttger, the celebrated inventor of European porcelain. The rampart walk affords fine views over the Elbe, the peaks of the Ore Mountains, the Lausitz foothills and the mountains of Bohemia.