Stolpen (Upper Sorbian: Stołpin, pronounced [ˈstɔwpʲin]) is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in Saxony, Germany. It is a historical town, that grew at the foot of the Schloßberg with the castle Burg Stolpen.

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Stolpen
Town
Stolpen marketplace in October 2014
Coat of arms
Location of Stolpen within Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district
Stolpen Show map of Germany Stolpen Show map of Saxony
Coordinates: 51°2′56″N 14°4′58″E
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge
Government
• Mayor (2022–29)	Maik Hirdina[1]
Area
• Total	60.85 km2 (23.49 sq mi)
Elevation	274 m (899 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	5,559
• Density	91/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	01833
Dialling codes	035973
Vehicle registration	PIR
Website	www.stolpen.de

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Burg Stolpen is a castle built on top of the Schloßberg. The first defensive works were built about 1100 and it was first documented in 1222. Owned by the Bishop of Meißen for nearly 350 years, it passed to the Electorate of Saxony and was expanded in Renaissance style. In 1675 it was further expanded as a fortress. Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, Countess of Cosel, was imprisoned in the castle from 1716 until her death in 1765. The castle fell into disrepair towards the end of the 18th century. It became a museum in 1875, and has been partly restored since then.^[3]

Schloßberg is a hill just to the south of the town formed of prominent basalt columns. It is the formation referred to by Georgius Agricola when he coined the term basalt.^[4]

^* over 10 years old

Stolpen is twinned with:

• Hilzingen, Germany
• Amöneburg, Germany
• Garching an der Alz, Germany
• Jockgrim, Germany
• Sipplingen, Germany
• Sloup v Čechách, Czech Republic

• Walter von Boetticher (1853–1945), historian and physician, was a general practitioner at Stolpen
• The Doll Family, a circus sideshow act, were born in Stolpen
• Christian Friedrich Henrici, also known as Picander, Bach's librettist (St Matthew Passion's text was written by him) was born here.