Altenburg

Altenburg, the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, is situated on the Pleisse, in a fertile country, 30 miles S. of Leipzig by rail. Standing on an almost perpendicular rock of porphyry, the old castle of Altenburg forms a striking feature in the landscape. Its foundations are probably as old as the 11th century; and, since the two fires of 1865 and 1868, it has been finely restored. It is memorable as the place whence, in 1455, a neighbouring knight, Kunz von Kaufungen, carried off the young Saxon princes, Ernest and Albert. Before he could reach the Bohemian frontier, he was apprehended by a charcoal-burner, and handed over to the executioner. The episode is known in history as the 'Prinzenraub.' Brushes, woollen goods, gloves, and cigars are among the manufactures. Pop. (1890) 31,439.