Barbarine
Encyclopedia
The Barbarine is the best-known, free-standing rock formation
in the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
. It is a rock pinnacle, 42.7 metres (140.1 ft) high, and is the symbol of Saxon Switzerland
. It was first climbed on 19 September 1905 by mountaineers.
massif near the village of Pfaffendorf in the borough of Königstein.
On 19 September 1905 the Dresden
climber, Rudolf Fehrmann
, and the American, Oliver Perry-Smith
, succeeded in becoming the first to conquer the Barbarine. They had climbed to just under the summit before midday, but were too tired to scale the last overhang on the summit head until later. Another route, on the valley side, was opened by Alfred Hermann on 8 July 1924.
Lightning strikes on the summit and progressive erosion rendered the upper part of the pinnacle increasingly unstable, so that in 1946 mountaineers poured concrete into the hollow. Due to the continued erosion, in 1964 further work was carried out; the summit block being underpinned and supported with steel cables. The broken summit block was protected from further erosion by a surrounding steel cable. Not until 1975 was a general ban on climbing the pinnacle imposed.
In 1979/80 the summit blocks were reinforced with sandstone. The upper block was given a cap of artificial sandstone and was treated with water-repellant chemicals. The geological natural monument
is only climbed occasionally today – mainly by geologists and scientists who hope to avert further damage.
Rock formation
This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...
in the German part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
. It is a rock pinnacle, 42.7 metres (140.1 ft) high, and is the symbol of Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland
Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....
. It was first climbed on 19 September 1905 by mountaineers.
Location
The Barbarine belongs to the PfaffensteinPfaffenstein
The Pfaffenstein, formerly called the Jungfernstein, is a low table mountain, , in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony. It lies west of the River Elbe near Königstein and is also referred to as "Saxon Switzerland in miniature" on account of its diverse structure.The wild, jagged mountain with...
massif near the village of Pfaffendorf in the borough of Königstein.
Development for sport climbing
An ascent by the climber, Felix Wendschuh, on 9 September 1905 was the first documented attempt to climb the Barbarine. He climbed up to a point underneath the summit block, at least to the end of the crevice. The story that Keiler, the publican in Pfaffenstein, had forced him to turn around under threat, should probably be discounted. Keiler was a climber himself and would have had nothing against a climb, especially as those who first climbed it later left documentary evidence with him in the pub.On 19 September 1905 the Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
climber, Rudolf Fehrmann
Rudolf Fehrmann
Rudolf Fehrmann , a German, was a pioneer rock climber at Elbsandsteingebirge near Dresden. He began climbing at the age of 17 and was soon at the leading edge of the fledgling sport...
, and the American, Oliver Perry-Smith
Oliver Perry-Smith
Oliver Perry-Smith was an American rock climber, mountaineer and skier who moved to Dresden in 1902 to attend a technical university.- Climbs in Saxon Switzerland :...
, succeeded in becoming the first to conquer the Barbarine. They had climbed to just under the summit before midday, but were too tired to scale the last overhang on the summit head until later. Another route, on the valley side, was opened by Alfred Hermann on 8 July 1924.
Lightning strikes on the summit and progressive erosion rendered the upper part of the pinnacle increasingly unstable, so that in 1946 mountaineers poured concrete into the hollow. Due to the continued erosion, in 1964 further work was carried out; the summit block being underpinned and supported with steel cables. The broken summit block was protected from further erosion by a surrounding steel cable. Not until 1975 was a general ban on climbing the pinnacle imposed.
In 1979/80 the summit blocks were reinforced with sandstone. The upper block was given a cap of artificial sandstone and was treated with water-repellant chemicals. The geological natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
is only climbed occasionally today – mainly by geologists and scientists who hope to avert further damage.
The legend of the Barbarine
According to legend, the Barbarine is a petrified virgin, the "perpetual memorial of a punishment, according to which it so happened that a mother had told her daughter to go to church on Sunday, but during the service the daughter went up the Pfaffstein into the bilberries and when her mother found her there, she cursed her daughter in anger, pronouncing that she must be turned to stone on the spot; whereupon it happened in a moment, and therefore, this virgin turned to stone for ever warns all disobedient children with her stony appearance."' The name Barbarine was taken from the girl's Christian name. In a variation of this legend the mother is an evil witch and the girl meets her beloved, a hunter, at the Pfaffenstein.Sources
- Hans-Dieter Beeger: Natürliche und technische Sandsteinverwitterung an der Barbarine am Pfaffenstein. in: Sächsische Heimatblätter Heft 3/1965, p. 257-261
- Alfred Meiche: Sagenbuch der Sächsischen Schweiz und ihrer Randgebiete. Altis Verlag (2nd edition of the amended 2nd edition of 1929), Dresden 1997, ISBN 3-910195-02-4