Dear RR friends, today, in the Holy Night ends the story of the fortress Koenigstein peaceful, and I think this is a good end. This pic here shows an old cannon battery that never fired. This fortress has never seen a real enemy, so what was its function? Koenigstein was very important in two ways: As a safe TREASURE HOUSE and as a very safe PRISON of the saxonian state. In times of crisis and war they buried their crown jewels here and gold and silver; in World War II the museum treasures of Dresden were safe in the deep cellars.... This fortress had although a long tradition of jailing people. Nikolas Krell was arrested here, friend of King August the Strong, Johann F. Boettger was here, the alchimist who explored the porcelaine and founded the porcelaine manufactory of Saxonia (-"Meissener Porzellan"-). Other VIP prisoners were the russian anarchist and revolutionary Michail Bakunin after 1848 and the founder of the German Socialdemocratic Party, August Bebel, in 1871. Koenigstein had french war prisoners in 1871 and later in both World Wars. After the German-French war of 1871 the fortress Koenigstein became the status as a "front fort" of the German Emperor`s Reich and was upgraded for the last time (1895. The fortress with its modern cannons had to control the river Elbe and the main railroad between Berlin and Prag, which was built in 1851. The military tradition ended in 1913, it was then a hospital and recreation center for military personal and their wifes. After the Treatment of Versailles 1919 the fortress had to give up it arms: 95 cannons and 30 mine sweapers.... In the roaring twenties of the 20th century the tourism began here, in WW II came russian and french war prisoners, above them General Giraud, who was able to flea from here. After 1945 Saxonia became part of the communistic Germany, and the fortress was used by the DDR- Mighties again as a prison and "boot camp" for young people who didn`t "function" in the sense of communism.... After the fall of the wall the old fortress was restaurated and used as a military museum and "event"-place. The mass tourism of today began around 1995 with now 500 000 visitors per year, a lot of "events" and all those kiddy things as beer tents, souvenier shops, tourist autobusses with crazy names as "Fortress crabbler" or "troop transporter". But: It is a fine place, too and a spectacular viewing point..... It s a little bit overcrowded, so I was not able to took good photos from inside. Sorry. Dear friends, its time to say "Thank You" for your interest about this story. I wish you a Merry Christmas and some wonderful Happy Holidays, whereever you are living. God bless you and yours, and I will be back tomorrow with a real christmas photo! Greetings from Berlin, your billcody. Goodnite!