Bastei bridge

Saxon Switzerland is a mountainous climbing area and national park near Dresden in Saxony, Germany. It continues as the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 737 KB) en: The Bastei in the Elbsandsteingebirge - the Bastei bridge from lookout point Ferdinandstein at the top of the Wehltürme - in the background the Lilienstein de: Die Bastei im Elbsandsteingebirge - Die Basteibrücke vom Aussichtspunkt Ferdinandstein auf den... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 737 KB) en: The Bastei in the Elbsandsteingebirge - the Bastei bridge from lookout point Ferdinandstein at the top of the Wehltürme - in the background the Lilienstein de: Die Bastei im Elbsandsteingebirge - Die Basteibrücke vom Aussichtspunkt Ferdinandstein auf den... A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for climbing. ... Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A national park is a reserve of land, usually, but not always (see National Parks of England and Wales), declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... Dresden (Sorbian: Drježdźany; etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Czech: ) is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... Bohemian Switzerland in the spring Bohemian Switzerland (German: ), also known as Czech Switzerland (Czech: ) is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. ...

Saxon Switzerland alone has some 1,000 climbing peaks, as well as several hollows. The area is popular with Dresden locals and international climbers.

The administrative district for the area is Sächsische Schweiz. The fortress of Königstein is a well-known landmark. This article is about the district. ... View from the river Elbe to the fortress View from Festung Königstein, looking down onto the Elbe and the town of Königstein Festung Königstein is a famously impregnable fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, near the town of Königstein. ...

History

Saxon Switzerland was originally settled by Slavs and only fell to the Saxon Margraves of Meißen in the 15th century. The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... For other uses, see Saxon (disambiguation). ... Meißen, with the Albrechtsburg and the Cathedral of Sts. ...

Saxon Switzerland area has a number of fortresses built to protect trade routes; remaining fortresses include Festung Königstein and Castle Hohnstein. Hardly anything is left of other castles and fortresses like the Small Bastei or the castle on the Falkenstein, today a climbing peak. Some fortresses were also used as nests for medieval raids. Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... View from the river Elbe to the fortress View from Festung Königstein, looking down onto the Elbe and the town of Königstein Festung Königstein is a famously impregnable fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, near the town of Königstein. ... The Falkenstein is the most famous and the most important peak in the Saxon Switzerland. ...

The area became popular with tourists during the 19th century. Romantic artists were inspired by the beauty of wilderness, like the painter Ludwig Richter or the composer Carl Maria von Weber, who set his famous opera Der Freischütz with its Wolfsschlucht ("wolf's gorge") scene near the city of Rathen. Wanderer above the sea of fog by Caspar David Friedrich Romanticism is an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in 18th century Western Europe during the Industrial Revolution. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... Adrian Ludwig Richter (1803-1884), German painter and etcher, was born at Dresden, the son of the engraver Karl August Richter, from whom he received his training; but he was strongly influenced by Erhard and Chodowiecki. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst, Freiherr von Weber (November 18, 1786 in Eutin, Holstein – June 5, 1826 in London, England) was a German composer, conductor, pianist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Der Freischütz (English: The Freeshooter) is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber to a libretto by Friedrich Kind. ... district Oberrathen - view from Bastei Rathen is a little spa town with less than 500 citizens, located on the river Elbe near Pirna which is in the east of Dresden in Saxon Switzerland. ...

Medieval castles and anchorages

About 1000 years ago Bohemian-Saxony Switzerland was the borderland of three Slavic tribes. The tribe Nisane (easterly of the Elbe from Dresden to Pirna), the tribe Milzane (today's Oberlausitz) and in the south the tribe Dacine shaped the political and economic landscape at that time. When in the 13th century Germans began to settle, it came to a systematic banishment of the Bohemian influence and numerous local military conflicts around the strategically important fortifications. These fortifications primarily served the saving of the border and transportation routes. Due to missing central power this "protective function" was led by the residentiary knight orders. By a progressive dismembering of the area due to distribution of an estate, the economic balance of the region was not safe anymore. Many castles degenerated to robber-knight castles. Only in the middle of the 16th century when the Wettiner conquered numerous castles the situation could be changed. Today pleasure seekers visit the in part well preserved castles or climb the purged rock fortresses on arduous climbing routes.

The selection of castles includes:

Saxony: Hohnstein, Hockstein, Neurathen, Altrathen, Königstein, Lilienstein, Falkenstein, Frienstein, Rauschenstein

Bohemia: Schauenstein, Falkenstein, Kreibitzer Burg, Tollenstein, Khaaer Burg, Schönbuch

Rock Climbing

Saxon Switzerland is characterized by its sandstone rocks which draw many rock climbers. At the beginning of the 20th century the 'Saxon Rules' for rock climbing were established, the first ever of their kind worldwide. Ropes and bolts may only be used for protection but never as a means for climbing. Common auxiliaries such as chalk, chocks, and friends are not permitted; instead slings are used. Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... In climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock, usually consisting of a glued in or expansion bolt to which a hanger is permanently fixed (allowing passing climbers to clip a carabiner to the bolt). ... To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection to prevent injury to themselves and others. ... Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3, is a white solid that occurs in nature as a mineral. ...

A Saxon peculiarity is that climbers are allowed to "build" (several people on top of each other) in order to pass difficult passages (while all people building have to hold on to natural grips) or to jump from one summit to the next. With few exceptions climbing massifs is not permitted and usually only allowed at marked summits (see also free climbing). In geology, a massif is a section of a planets crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. ... In free solo climbing and bouldering, the climber carries nothing but a chalk bag. ...

See also

Saxon Switzerland National Park
Elbe Sandstone Mountains View from the Carolafelsen The Saxon Switzerland National Park is a National Park in the german Free State of Saxony next to the capital city of Dresden. ... Rocks at Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains (German Elbsandsteingebirge, Czech Labské pískovce) is a mountain range. ...

Photos

Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 170 KB)Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...	Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 189 KB) Summary Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...	Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 192 KB) Summary Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...	Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 191 KB) Summary Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 182 KB) Summary Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...	View of The Elbe River from Bastei Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 160 KB) Summary Photo by Kim JoonYoung(Seoul, Korea) Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Saxon Switzerland

• Saxony Switzerland (en)
• Sächsische Schweiz (in German)
• Saxon Switzerland