Falkenstein (Sächsische Schweiz)
Encyclopedia
The Falkenstein is one of the best known climbing peaks in Saxon Switzerland
.
It is situated near the rocky Schrammsteine
ridge southeast of the town of Bad Schandau
.
The Falkenstein is nearly 90 m high and consists of sandstone
. In the Middle Ages
there were fortifications on top of the rock. Even today, the steps carved into the rock are still visible.
In 1864 the first ascent
of the rock was made in modern times by gymnasts from Bad Schandau. This ascent, using the climbing route known now as the Turnerweg, is also seen as the "birthday" of Saxon rock-climbing.
The peak of the Falkenstein can only be reached by skilled climbers. Nowadays more than 100 routes lead to the top. The most popular ascent is Schusterweg (III), which was first climbed by Dr. Oscar Schuster in 1893.
Other famous climbs on the 'Falkenstein' (with their Saxon rating grades) are the:
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 is situated near the rocky Schrammsteine
Schrammsteine
The Schrammsteine are a long, strung-out, very jagged group of rocks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains located east of Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland in East Germany. To the north they are bordered by the Kirnitzsch valley, to the south by the Elbe valley and to the east by the Affensteine rocks....
ridge southeast of the town of Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau
Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch.-Geography:...
.
The Falkenstein is nearly 90 m high and consists of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
there were fortifications on top of the rock. Even today, the steps carved into the rock are still visible.
In 1864 the first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of the rock was made in modern times by gymnasts from Bad Schandau. This ascent, using the climbing route known now as the Turnerweg, is also seen as the "birthday" of Saxon rock-climbing.
The peak of the Falkenstein can only be reached by skilled climbers. Nowadays more than 100 routes lead to the top. The most popular ascent is Schusterweg (III), which was first climbed by Dr. Oscar Schuster in 1893.
Other famous climbs on the 'Falkenstein' (with their Saxon rating grades) are the:
- Südriss (VIIa) - first ascent by Oliver Perry-SmithOliver Perry-SmithOliver 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 :...
in 1913 - Direkte Westkante (VIIIb) - first ascent by Wulf Scheffler in 1956
- Buntschillernde Seifenblase (IXb) - first ascent by Bernd Arnold
Source
- Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz, Neisse Verlag 2001, ISBN 3-934038-12-3