Hoheneck Castle

The origins of Hoheneck Castle lie in a medieval border fortress, the “Staleburg,” which gave its name to the present-day town of Stollberg. On its foundations, a hunting lodge was built in the 16th century. In the 17th century, this lodge was converted into an investigative prison, for which a new keep, today's clock tower, was erected in the “Hohes Eck” – a name that transferred to the castle and later the settlement. In 1923, Hoheneck was incorporated into Stollberg as a district. The complex served in the 19th century as a Saxon women's penitentiary, temporarily as a men's prison, and during World War I as a reserve hospital. The National Socialists briefly used it for political protective custody before it again served as a penitentiary.