Burg Gnandstein or Gnandstein Castle is located in Gnandstein, part of the city of Kohren-Sahlis

Kohren-Sahlis

Kohren-Sahlis is a town in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 14 km southeast of Borna, and 31 km northwest of Chemnitz....

 in the Leipziger Land

Leipziger Land

Leipziger Land is a former district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It was bounded by the districts of Delitzsch, the district-free city Leipzig, Muldentalkreis, Mittweida, the district Altenburger Land in Thuringia, and the districts Burgenlandkreis, Saalekreis in Saxony-Anhalt.- History...

 district of Saxony

Saxony

The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The castle is considered the best preserved fortress in Saxony.

Geography

The castle stands on a hill overlooking the valley of the river Wyhra

Wyhra

-See also:*List of rivers of Saxony...

 in central Saxony. It is situated on the border with Thuringia

Thuringia

The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....

.

History

The castle was built in the Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

 style in the 13th century, probably only with a rectangular groundplan and a residential tower. Parts of the present building still date from this early period. The external walls were extended several times.

During the Thirty Years' War

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....

 the castle was attacked by Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

troops and partly destroyed. Shortly before the end of the war the south wing burned down after being struck by lightning.

Well house

The well house is more than 33 meters high, giving the visitor a broader view of the region. It was used as a watch tower. Guided tours are available.

this article is based on that in the German Wikipedia