A historical description of the world-famous Königstein Fortress along with some information about Dohna Castle from the 18th century. The oldest written mention of a castle on the Königstein can be found in a document from King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia dated 1233, which names a burgrave, Gebhard von Stein, as a witness. The medieval castle belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Between 1589 and 1591/97, Elector Christian I of Saxony and his successor expanded the castle into the strongest fortress in Saxony. The previously rugged table mountain was surrounded by high walls. From 1722 to 1725, at the request of Augustus the Strong, coopers and barrel makers constructed the large Königstein wine barrel in the cellar of the Magdalenenburg, which has a capacity of 249,838 liters. Dohna Castle (Donin) on the way to Bohemia was the ancestral seat of the burgraves.