What can visitors see at Schloss Sonnenstein today?

Visitors can see the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Aktion T4 programme, while the rest of the building serves as the district administration's seat.

Why is Schloss Sonnenstein historically significant?

It was a medieval fortress and later a psychiatric institution, before being turned into a Nazi killing centre between 1940 and 1942.

Is Schloss Sonnenstein open to the public?

The building houses the district administration, but the memorial section devoted to the site's history can be visited.

Sonnenstein Castle

Pirna

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Where: Pirna

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Schloss Sonnenstein stands in Pirna (Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge), in Saxony, Germany. Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

Schloss Sonnenstein overlooks the town of Pirna from a rocky plateau some seventy metres above the Elbe. Founded as a stronghold in the Middle Ages on a site already settled in Slavic times, it went through successive roles, from fortress to administrative seat, before becoming a psychiatric institution in the nineteenth century. The site now bears witness to the thousands murdered between 1940 and 1941 under the Nazi programme targeting patients with mental illness, and since 2011 has housed the administrative seat of the Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge.

Written from Sonnenstein Castle

What to know

The site today combines the district administration offices with a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Aktion T4 programme.
Visiting the memorial gives insight into the building's past as a psychiatric institution and later as a Nazi killing centre.
The castle stands on a plateau above the Elbe, offering views over Pirna and the valley below.
No verified opening hours, admission fees, or accessibility details are available for this site.

Practical information

Opening hours

Monday (today)	08:00-12:00
Tuesday	08:00-12:00 · 13:00-18:00
Wednesday	Closed
Thursday	08:00-12:00 · 13:00-18:00
Friday	08:00-12:00
Saturday	Closed
Sunday	Closed

Opening hours published by the château on its Google listing. We have not yet confirmed them on its official website.

Visit duration: Not verified
Wheelchair access: Not verified
Dogs: Not verified
Parking: Not verified

Where this château is

Pirna · Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge · Sachsen

Map of the area around Schloss Sonnenstein

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Schloßhof 2/4, 01796 Pirna

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Château phone number

+49 3501 5150

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4.2 / 5from 350 Google reviews

Heritage status: Protection status unknown

In pictures

Frequently asked

What can visitors see at Schloss Sonnenstein today?: Visitors can see the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Aktion T4 programme, while the rest of the building serves as the district administration's seat.
Why is Schloss Sonnenstein historically significant?: It was a medieval fortress and later a psychiatric institution, before being turned into a Nazi killing centre between 1940 and 1942.
Is Schloss Sonnenstein open to the public?: The building houses the district administration, but the memorial section devoted to the site's history can be visited.
Where is Schloss Sonnenstein located?: It stands in Pirna, in the Landkreis Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in Saxony, on a plateau above the Elbe.