Vysoký kámen
Encyclopedia
The stony summit Vysoký kámen (German Hoher Stein) lies 8 km west of Kraslice
in okres Sokolov (Czech Republic
) and 1 km from the German
border in the Elstergebirge
, part of the Erzgebirge
.
To the east of the hill is Počátky
originally Kámen u Kraslic (German: Stein am Hohen Stein) and Kostelní (German: Kirchberg am Hohen Stein), and to the west lies Erlbach with it hamlet Eubabrunn.
The ridge of rocks at the summit resemble a ruined castle. It is the western rocks that are used by climbers. They are ideal for beginners, with some low difficulty routes. It is also in the west that one finds the highest point, which rises to 773m. It can be reached by means of a bridge and steel steps- forming a popular panorama point, (German:Aussichtsfelsen) or (Czech:Vyhlidková skála).
The ridge continues in a wall like formation, terminating at the eastern end with the Felsturm Zobák (Schnabel) and the monumental Felsen Vêtrná skála (Windfelsen). Near these precipitous formations is a Felsenmeer, a sea of free standing boulders that are in parts united with clay. The rocks are Quartz on a bed of slate. Vysoký kámen is protected as a natural monument since 1907. Even so, since then it has been threatened by quarrying four times.
At the end of the second world war, countless fleeing German soldiers used Vysoký kámen as their exit route from German Sudetenland, which was reclassified as Czechoslovakia, back into Saxony. They passed through the thick forest from Eubabrunn and Erlbach over the border, avoiding the borderposts of the US Army of Occupation, and thus avoiding imprisonment.
The former restaurant Wirtshaus am Hohen Stein, a well loved daytrip destination was destroyed in 1945 but the 8 m deep well that is hidden in the woods still remains. Vysoký kámen can be reached from Eubabrunn on the Czech side,(using the parking at the Freilichtmuseum). It is about an hour's walk from there. On the German side the path is made up and well signed.
Kraslice
Kraslice is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic.-Geography:The town is situated on the southern slopes of the eastern reaches of the Ore Mountains, some 5 km from the neighbouring German town of Klingenthal....
in okres Sokolov (Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) and 1 km from the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
border in the Elstergebirge
Elstergebirge
The Elstergebirge is a small range of hills, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, on the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River Elster, or more precisely the White Elster which has its source in these hills, near the Czech town of Aš.The...
, part of the Erzgebirge
Ore Mountains
The Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
.
To the east of the hill is Počátky
Pocátky
Počátky is a town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...
originally Kámen u Kraslic (German: Stein am Hohen Stein) and Kostelní (German: Kirchberg am Hohen Stein), and to the west lies Erlbach with it hamlet Eubabrunn.
The ridge of rocks at the summit resemble a ruined castle. It is the western rocks that are used by climbers. They are ideal for beginners, with some low difficulty routes. It is also in the west that one finds the highest point, which rises to 773m. It can be reached by means of a bridge and steel steps- forming a popular panorama point, (German:Aussichtsfelsen) or (Czech:Vyhlidková skála).
The ridge continues in a wall like formation, terminating at the eastern end with the Felsturm Zobák (Schnabel) and the monumental Felsen Vêtrná skála (Windfelsen). Near these precipitous formations is a Felsenmeer, a sea of free standing boulders that are in parts united with clay. The rocks are Quartz on a bed of slate. Vysoký kámen is protected as a natural monument since 1907. Even so, since then it has been threatened by quarrying four times.
At the end of the second world war, countless fleeing German soldiers used Vysoký kámen as their exit route from German Sudetenland, which was reclassified as Czechoslovakia, back into Saxony. They passed through the thick forest from Eubabrunn and Erlbach over the border, avoiding the borderposts of the US Army of Occupation, and thus avoiding imprisonment.
The former restaurant Wirtshaus am Hohen Stein, a well loved daytrip destination was destroyed in 1945 but the 8 m deep well that is hidden in the woods still remains. Vysoký kámen can be reached from Eubabrunn on the Czech side,(using the parking at the Freilichtmuseum). It is about an hour's walk from there. On the German side the path is made up and well signed.
External links
- Natura 2000, Vysoký kámen photos, map and description