Dohna Castle

Dohna Castle on the road from German Saxony to Bohemia was the seat of the burgraves of Dohna. Of the old, once imposing double castle only a few remnants of the walls remain. The ruins of the old castle are located on the hill of Schlossberg near the subsequent suburb of the town of the same name, Dohna, in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in Saxony.HistoryDohna Castle was probably founded around A.D. 950 by Emperor Otto I (936–973) on the Schlossberg hill on the site of a Sorbian fortification. This region around the Schlossberg had been a Sorbian settlement from prehistoric times. The name of the settlement was Donin, from which the castle received its name. The castle was the centre of the imperially immediate lordship of the burgraves of Dohna. They had the task of guarding the trade route to Bohemia, keeping the conquered Sorbs in check and protecting emissaries of the church.Early historyDohna Castle was first mentioned in the records in 1040 in connexion with the conflicts between King Henry III (1039–1056) and Duke Bretislaus of Bohemia. The Margrave of Meißen, Eckard II (1038–1046), probably held Dohna Castle as an imperial fief. Later, the castle fell under Bohemian lordship.