Königstein Fortress [antikvár]

The Pearl of Saxon Switzerland The Konigstein Fortress is surrounded by one of the most delightful landscapes in Saxony - the Elbe sandstone mountains. Swiss painters who came to the Dresden Art Academy in the 18th century compared this area with their homeland, the Swiss highlands, and coined the expression "Saxon Switzerland". Local historians and nature lovers proudly took up this name and passed it on, so that today it is the official name for this nature reserve. The beauty of nature here lies, above all, in the variety of forms. Wild, romantic rocky areas alternate with smooth expanses upon which table mountains stand in solitary splendor. The Elbe river snaking through the landscape, and the villages lying along her banks, lend a special loveliness to this region. The Konigstein Fortress, situated on the table mountain of the same name, has been one of the most beloved tourist destinations in Saxony for more than lOO years. With its buildings, some of which are 400 years old, the 23,5 acres rocky plateau rises 240 meters above the surface of the Elbe, and 361 meters above sea level. A tour along the wall coping is quite an experience at any time of the year. In clear weather, the visitor has a fantastic view in all directions. While the end of the eastern Erzgebirge (Ore mountains) mountain range is visible in the southwest, the view extends south to Bohemian Switzerland. The "Hohe Schneeberg" (high snow mountain), an extended rock massif with an observation tower, on the southern horizon, Hes in the Czech Republic. The border runs in a distance of about 12 kilometers. In the same direction, but close to the fortress, the Quirl rises, separated from the Konigstein by the Biela and the cottages stretching along her banks. Southeast there are the "Pfaf-fenstein" (parson's stone), the "Gohrisch", the "Papststein" The Pearl of Saxon Switzerland