Teufelsturm (Saxon Switzerland)
Encyclopedia
The Teufelsturm is a prominent rock tower and climbing rock
formed of Elbe Sandstone
, about forty metres high in Saxon Switzerland
in East Germany. It is located east of the River Elbe on the upper edge of the valley between Schmilka and Bad Schandau
in the Schrammsteine
n. The Teufelsturm is also referred to as the "Symbol of Saxon Climbing".
and the Brenta
, so-named because of their smooth rock faces and generally rectangular structure of the tower. The name most used today, Teufelsturm ("Devil's Tower") probably arose due to the difficulty of climbing the hill.
finally made the first successful ascent on the Alter Weg, today classified as climbing grade VIIb or, without support, VIIc (Saxon scale). This achievement was the high point of the first development period for the Saxon Switzerland Climbing Region
and was then described as "the most difficult climbing in Saxon Switzerland".
In the 1930s the valley side (Talseite) of the Teufelsturm was seen as one of the last, great, sport climbing challenges in Saxon Switzerland, after initial attempts, including one by Emanuel Strubich, had come to naught in the 1920s. In 1936 Rudolf Stolle finally climbed it for the first time. Today it is graded as a VIIIb climb. Its ascent remains disputed, because the first climber, both in the lower section as well as at the key point, used a safety ring and thus supported himself over the key point (he used a human climbing tree (Steigbaum).
An important first climb was the ascent in 1965 of the Ostwand ("East Face", grade VIIIc) by Kurt Richter. In the 1970s and 1980s Bernd Arnold climbed the Sonnenuhr (1977, IXa) and the Teufelei (1984, Xa) routes, whose difficulties made these among the top achievements of their day.
The most important route has to be the Pferdefuß. First conquered in 1984 by Werner Schönlebe it runs along a prominet edge and is climbed in red point
style and is classified as grade Xc.
In 2007 Heinz Zak first used a Highline from the Teufelsturm to the neighbouring massif, which led to discussions about the sense and purpose of trendy types of sport in Saxon Switzerland.
Climbing rock
A climbing rock is a term used especially in Germany for an individual rock formation, rock face or rock group on which climbing is permitted. Designated climbing rocks are listed in climbing guidebooks and are usually incorporated and marked within the climbing areas of the alpine clubs. The...
formed of Elbe Sandstone
Elbe Sandstone
Elbe Sandstone describes sandstones that naturally occur in North Bohemia and those parts of Saxony within the area around Dresden. It is named after the River Elbe, which cuts through the sandstone region in a transverse valley, the Elbe Valley Zone...
, about forty metres high in 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....
in East Germany. It is located east of the River Elbe on the upper edge of the valley between Schmilka and 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:...
in the 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....
n. The Teufelsturm is also referred to as the "Symbol of Saxon Climbing".
Origin of the name
The oldest name for the peak is probably Butterweck ("Bread and butter") or Butterweckfels, because the summit bears a certain resemblance to a bread roll when seen from a distance, such as from the other bank of the Elbe. The name Teufelsturm was already being used by Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger in his descriptions of Saxon Switzerland, where he mentioned it as a sundial by the farmers on the plateaux around Schöna and Reinhardtsdorf. The shadow thrown by the Teufelsturm on the rock face behind it - when seen from the direction of Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna - disappears around midday exactly behind the rock tower, which is therefore also called the Mittagstein or Mittagfels (i.e. "Midday Rock"). Another name is Campanile, probably derived from similarly named summits in the DolomitesDolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
and the Brenta
Brenta Group
The Brenta Group is a mountain range of the Rhaetian Alps. It is located in the Italian province of Trentino.The Brenta Group is separated from the Ortler Alps in the north by the Noce valley; from the Adamello-Presanella group in the west by the Campo Carlo Magno Pass and the river Sarca; from...
, so-named because of their smooth rock faces and generally rectangular structure of the tower. The name most used today, Teufelsturm ("Devil's Tower") probably arose due to the difficulty of climbing the hill.
Sport climbing
At the beginning of the 20th century the Teufelsturm was one of the most difficult climbing rocks in Saxon Switzerland. On 9 September 1906 Oliver Perry-SmithOliver 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 :...
finally made the first successful ascent on the Alter Weg, today classified as climbing grade VIIb or, without support, VIIc (Saxon scale). This achievement was the high point of the first development period for the Saxon Switzerland Climbing Region
Saxon Switzerland climbing region
Saxon Switzerland is one of the best-known climbing regions in Germany. The region is largely coterminous with the natural region of the same name, Saxon Switzerland, but extends well beyond the territory of the National Park within it. It includes the western part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains...
and was then described as "the most difficult climbing in Saxon Switzerland".
In the 1930s the valley side (Talseite) of the Teufelsturm was seen as one of the last, great, sport climbing challenges in Saxon Switzerland, after initial attempts, including one by Emanuel Strubich, had come to naught in the 1920s. In 1936 Rudolf Stolle finally climbed it for the first time. Today it is graded as a VIIIb climb. Its ascent remains disputed, because the first climber, both in the lower section as well as at the key point, used a safety ring and thus supported himself over the key point (he used a human climbing tree (Steigbaum).
An important first climb was the ascent in 1965 of the Ostwand ("East Face", grade VIIIc) by Kurt Richter. In the 1970s and 1980s Bernd Arnold climbed the Sonnenuhr (1977, IXa) and the Teufelei (1984, Xa) routes, whose difficulties made these among the top achievements of their day.
The most important route has to be the Pferdefuß. First conquered in 1984 by Werner Schönlebe it runs along a prominet edge and is climbed in red point
Red point
In sport climbing, the term redpointing refers to free-climbing a route, while lead climbing, after having practiced the route beforehand...
style and is classified as grade Xc.
In 2007 Heinz Zak first used a Highline from the Teufelsturm to the neighbouring massif, which led to discussions about the sense and purpose of trendy types of sport in Saxon Switzerland.
Sources
- Rudolf FehrmannRudolf FehrmannRudolf 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...
: Der Bergsteiger in der Sächsischen Schweiz. Verlagsanstalt Johannes Siegel, Dresden 1908 - Dietmar Heinicke (Gesamtredaktion): Kletterführer Sächsische Schweiz, Band Schrammsteine/Schmilkaer Gebiet, Berg- & Naturverlag Peter Rölke, Dresden 1999, ISBN 3934514014
- Frank Richter: Klettern im Elbsandsteingebirge , Bruckmann-Verlag, 1993
- Kurt B. Richter: Der Sächsische Bergsteiger, Sportverlag Berlin, 1962
