Sparkassen-Festungslauf, Königstein (Saxony)

Course of the Sparkassen-Festungslauf, Königstein (Saxony)

The fortress run starts in the town of Königstein and leads along the Alte Festungsstraße through the forest to the foot of the fortress, then along the patrol path around the fortress, up to the gate, through the steep Dunkle Appareille and another complete lap on the fortress plateau along the walls to the finish line on the parade ground.

You have to climb 470 metres to the top. The last 1.3 kilometres run on the plateau, past all the important sights. Along the fortress wall, runners have a wonderful view of Saxon Switzerland with the Elbe meandering below the fortress.

And when the award ceremony is celebrated in the face of the setting sun on the market square of the fortress, it is the best reward for the runners' efforts.

The Sparkassen-Festungslauf has quickly become firmly established in Germany's running calendar. Königstein in Saxon Switzerland is always worth a visit, whether as a tourist or a runner. Ideally, you should combine both options.

The event has already been voted several times by the specialist magazine „Laufzeit & Condition“ in a reader survey into the top ten of runs with under 1,000 participants.

Distances Sparkassen-Festungslauf, Königstein (Saxony)

9.4 km run, 7.7 km walking & Nordic walking (all 355 metres in altitude), 1.2 km children's run and 1.2 km inclusion run (flat on the fortress plateau)

Organiser: District Sports Association of Saxon Switzerland & Eastern Ore Mountains e.V.
Registration for the fortress run requires an entry fee.

Königstein Fortress is one of the most interesting mountain fortresses in Europe and is one of the most important sights in Saxony. Nestled in the bizarre rocky landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the once impregnable fortress towers 247 metres above the Elbe valley, visible from afar. With its unique ensemble of more than 50 imposing buildings from different eras and almost 800 years of history told in various exhibitions, the 9.5-hectare rocky plateau is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.