Merciless Medicine

Tucked away in the picturesque German town of Pirna, not far from Dresden, Sonnenstein Castle’s first claim to fame fit its tranquil setting.

- By Susanne Paola Antonetta

In 1811, Saxony’s king converted it into a model asylum for the mentally ill, and for many years it was. An American visitor in 1843 likened Sonnenstein to a “clear, broad sea of benevolence.”