Rauenstein (hill)

The Großer Bärenstein (English: Great Bear Rock) is a 327 metres (1,073 feet) high table hill in the German region of Saxon Switzerland in the Free State of Saxony. Close by is the Kleiner Bärenstein which, together with the Großer Bärenstein, forms the massif known as the Bärensteine.

The Bärensteine is a massif in the state of Saxony in eastern Germany near Weißig. It comprises the two rock formations known as the Großer and Kleiner Bärenstein (the "Great" and "Little Bear Rock") in Saxon Switzerland. The Kleiner Bärenstein has a height of 338 metres (1,109 feet). The more prominent Großer Bärenstein is actually the lower of the two with a height of 327 metres (1,073 feet). On the Kleiner Bärenstein there used to be a panorama restaurant that belonged to the manor house at Thürmsdorf. It was plundered in the years following the Second World War and demolished.

The Kleiner Bärenstein (English: Little Bear Rock) is a 338 metres (1,109 feet) high table hill in the German region of Saxon Switzerland in the Free State of Saxony. Close by is the Großer Bärenstein which, together with the Kleiner Bärenstein, forms the massif of the Bärensteine.

The Nonne (also Nonnenstein) is a roughly 18-metre-high, isolated, standing sandstone rock and climbing peak in Saxon Switzerland in Germany. The rock is located southeast of Rathen, east of the rock chain of Rauenstein. In the Middle Ages the rock was used in the 15th century as a watchtower (Burgwarte), similar to that on the other side of the Elbe, Neurathen Castle. To that end the rock crevice below the summit plateau was widened into an artificial cave, used as a guardhouse. On the eastern side there are more traces of hammers. In addition, an artificial, earth embankment, about 35 m long, was built. Archaeological investigations ins 1963 brought to light pieces of ceramic, the spindle whorl of a spindle, the site of a hearth and fragments of charcoal. In 1888 the Nonne was climbed for the first time for fun and without using ladders. Hitherto the rocks had always been climbed with the aid of ladders even after the watchtower had closed. The Alte Weg ("Old Way", grade II in the Saxon climbing grade system) has since become a popular climbing route especially for beginners. This has however resulted in erosion damage on the surrounding areas of forest and hillsides.

The Wartturm is a rock tower in Saxon Switzerland in East Germany near the famous Bastei rocks. It stands high above the Elbe, just below the town of Rathen and dominates the view from the Bastei and Rathen looking downstream. On 22 November 2000 the Wartturm was the scene of one of the most spectacular rockfalls for decades in Saxon Switzerland. About a third of the rock broke off and some 450 m³ of sandstone with an estimated weight of 800 tonnes crashed over 60 to 75 m into the valley. It was the largest quantity of falling rock since a slide in 1961 on the Bienenkorb, which did not fall from such a great height. The cause was suspected to be progressive weathering of a fissure running through the rock. A climber, who was staying in a hut below the rock, was uninjured because the boulders landed a few metres away from the hut. Despite the loss of large sections of rock the Wartturm continues to be a popular climbing peak in the Saxon Switzerland Climbing Region. As a result of the rockfall at the Wartturm, the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology of the Free State of Saxony has begun test drilling to investigate more closely the causes of rockfalls and the long term progress of weathering of sandstone in Saxon Switzerland.

The Stadt Wehlen ferry is a passenger ferry across the Elbe river in Germany. The ferry connects the town of Stadt Wehlen, which lies on the northern bank of the Elbe, with the southern bank, where the town's railway station is located. It operates as required throughout the day, with a journey time of around 2 minutes.The ferry route has been operating since 1771, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2021. Today the service is operated by the Regionalverkehr Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge (RVSOE), who operate a network of buses and ferries in the Saxon Switzerland area.

The Bastei is a rock formation rising 194 metres (636 ft) above the Elbe River in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Germany. Reaching a height of 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level, the jagged rocks of the Bastei were formed by water erosion over one million years ago. They are situated near Rathen, not far from Pirna southeast of the city of Dresden, and are the major landmark of the Saxon Switzerland National Park. They are also part of a climbing and hiking area that extends over the borders into the Bohemian Switzerland (Czech Republic). The Bastei has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years. In 1824, a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors. This bridge was replaced in 1851 by the present Bastei Bridge made of sandstone. The rock formations and vistas have inspired numerous artists, among them Caspar David Friedrich ("Felsenschlucht") The spa town of Rathen is the main base for visiting the Bastei; the town can be reached from Dresden by paddle steamer on the river Elbe.

Stadt Wehlen is a station on the Dresden to Děčín line that serves the town of Stadt Wehlen in the German state of Saxony. The station is located on the south bank of the Elbe and is connected to the town, which lies on the north bank, by the Stadt Wehlen passenger ferry.The station is served by the Dresden S-Bahn S1 service. Trains run to Pirna, Dresden and Meißen in one direction, and to Bad Schandau and Schöna in the other direction. The service provides two trains per hour in both directions for most of each day.

Kurort Rathen station serves the village of Rathen in the German state of Saxony. The station is located in the Oberrathen quarter of the village on the south bank on the Elbe on the Dresden to Děčín railway line. It is linked to the Niederrathen quarter on the other bank of the river by the Rathen Ferry, a passenger-only reaction ferry.The station is served by the Dresden S-Bahn S1 service. Trains run to Pirna, Dresden and Meißen in one direction, and to Bad Schandau and Schöna in the other direction. The service provides two trains per hour in both directions for most of each day.

Stadt Wehlen (also: Wehlen) is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western edge of Saxon Switzerland, on the right bank of the Elbe, 6 km east of Pirna, and 23 km southeast of Dresden (centre).

Neurathen Castle (German: Felsenburg Neurathen), which was first mentioned by this name in 1755, is located near the famous Bastei rocks near Rathen in Saxon Switzerland in the German state of Saxony. This was once the largest rock castle in the region, but today only the rooms carved out of the rock, passages, the cistern and the beam supports of the former wooden superstructure have survived. In the years 1982–1984 parts of the extensive castle were used to build the open-air museum.

The Mönch (also Mönchstein) is a rock pinnacle and popular climbing peak in Saxon Switzerland in Germany near the spa town of Rathen. The weather vane on the summit, in the shape of a tin monk, is visible from afar and acts as a navigation aid. In the Middle Ages the rock was used as a lookout for Neurathen Castle due to its prominent location. From that time stems the Mönchsloch ("Monk's Hole") hewn out of the rock just below the summit, a shelter about 1.75 metres high and 1.35 metres deep that was used by the guard post of the castle. The rock castle was destroyed in 1469 and fell into ruins. With it disappeared the medieval staircase that enabled the Mönch to be climbed, although traces of the timber beams remain today. Since that time the summit may only be reached by climbing. The rocks were occasionally climbed thereafter; tradition recording ascents in the years 1632, 1777 and 1803. After gymnasts from Bad Schandau had made the first recreational ascent of the Falkenstein in 1864, the first ascent of the Mönch for similar reasons followed 10 years later, in 1874, made by O. Ufer and H. Frick. This was the first ascent of a climbing rock in Saxon Switzerland without artificial aids; whereas hitherto ladders or artificially hewn steps and the like had been used. Climbing without artificial aids is still an important point in the Saxon climbing rules valid today. The Southeast Way (Südostweg) used by Ufer and Frick (Saxon climbing grade III) is still a popular climbing route today. Since the first recreational ascent of the Mönch, a multitude of other climbing routes have been opened. Even well-known climbers like Oscar Schuster, Rudolf Fehrmann, Emanuel Strubich and Bernd Arnold have made the first ascent of climbing routes on the Mönch. The most difficult ascents in the north face reach levels of difficulty of Saxon grade ten. In 1887 a weather vane was erected on the Mönch, as was common on other peaks in the area in those times. The vane was in the shape of a monk's silhouette. Whilst most of the weather vanes and summit symbols were destroyed or dismantled again in the succeeding decades, that on the Mönch was one of the few that remained in Saxon Switzerland. The original figure suffered damage, in 1928 and 1930, and was replaced in 1957 by a faithful replica. The original monk of 1887 may be seen in the museum in Bad Schandau.