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 Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

there were fortifications on top of the rock. Even today, the steps carved into the rock are still visible.

History

The Falkenstein was probably built on and used as a castle lookout from the middle of the 14th century. Like almost all of Saxon Switzerland on the right bank of the Elbe, it belonged to the Barony of Hohnstein with its seat at

Hohnstein Castle Hohnstein Castle (german: Burg Hohnstein) is one of the largest and best-preserved castle ruins in Germany and is located near Neustadt in the vicinity of Nordhausen in Thuringia. Location The ruins are located on a high, rocky spur which t ...

, which was given to the Bohemian noble family of

Berka von Dubá Berka may refer to: Places in Germany *Bad Berka, in the Weimarer Land district, Thuringia *Berka/Werra, in the Wartburgkreis district, Thuringia *Berka vor dem Hainich, in the Wartburgkreis district, Thuringia *Berka (river), a river in Hesse Oth ...

in 1353 by Emperor Charles IV as a

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

fiefdom.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 11. In 1409 Hinko von der Duba divided the territory among his five sons. The Falkenstein went to his son Henry as part of the new Barony of Wildenstein. He set up his seat of power in the castle at New Wildenstein. In addition to the surrounding villages and towns, the lordship also included other watchtowers, e.g. on the Rauschenstein and the Frienstein. From about 1425, Henry von der Duba was repeatedly

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

ing with the Lusatian League and the Saxon Electors. His nephews, who inherited the barony around 1435, continued the feuds and attacked villages and merchant trains as robber barons. However, with the exception of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

, there were no trade routes in the immediate vicinity of the Falkenstein. An old communication route from Postelwitz to Sebnitz gave the watchtower strategic importance in these feuds and access to the Elbe and the

Kirnitzsch The Kirnitzsch (German), in Bohemia also called the Kirnischt,Messtischblatt Nr. 86 Hinterhermsdorf, published by the Reichsamt für Landesaufnahme, Landesaufnahme Sachsen 193Digitalised at www.fotothek.de/ref> cz, Křinice, is a right tributa ...

valley. It also secured access from the Elbe to Wildenstein Castle.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 14. Elector Frederick II of Saxony finally besieged the Berkas on the Wildenstein from autumn 1439 to put an end to the feuds. The watchtower on the Falkenstein was probably destroyed during this campaign. The Berkas finally agreed in 1451 to an exchange of the Barony of Wildenstein for part of the Barony of Schluckenau in Bohemia. With this, the Falkenstein finally became Saxon property. In the list of castles created in 1456, the Falkenstein was already one of the watchtowers described as derelict.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 17. In 1543 and 1547 the rock is mentioned as part of the forests belonging to Hohnstein. The map of the first Electoral Saxon state survey, created by Matthias Oeder in 1592 describes it as "bare and high".Alfred Meiche: ''Historisch-Topographische Beschreibung der Amtshauptmannschaft Pirna.'' Dresden 1927, Falkenstein, p. 67
(pdf; 32.1 MB) During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, residents of the surrounding towns hid themselves on the Falkenstein, as weather-beaten inscriptions, including the year "1631", bear witness to.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 18. Pastor Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger, who was interested in natural history, described the rock in 1804 as inaccessible and only accessible via ladders. In 1812 his proposal to establish and secure an ascent that could be used by tourists was rejected by the Saxon Forestry Commission due to the high costs.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 34. In the years that followed, there were occasional reports of ascents, without more precise names and dates being given. In 1864, the ascent by

Schandau Bad Schandau (; hsb, Žandow) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the valley of the Kirnitzsch and in the area often described as S ...

gymnasts on the Gymnasts' Route (''Turnerweg''), which is still known today, marked the birth of Saxon climbing. After lengthy preparations, Gustav Tröger, Ernst Fischer, J. Wähnert and H. Frenzel, all members of the Schandau Men's Gymnastics Club (''Männer-Turnvereins zu Schandau''), founded in 1847, climbed to the top. They erected a flagpole on the summit and flew three flags from it. Tröger published a report on 2 April 1864 in the Dresden News (''Dresdner Nachrichten''). The gymnasts still used artificial aids that are not permitted under today's rules. Nevertheless, this first verifiable modern ascent is considered the beginning of climbing in Saxon Switzerland due to its primarily sporting intentions.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 31. Another ascent by Dresden gymnasts is documented in 1868, as they chiselled their names into the rock in the exit area. An ascent in 1871 is also documented by the names carved on it. In 1878, on the occasion of the silver wedding of the Saxon royal couple, four members of the Schandau branch of the Saxon Switzerland Mountaineering Club (''Gebirgsverein für die Sächsische Schweiz'') lit a bonfire on the summit.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 32. Plans to create a more generally accessible ascent came up again, which also failed due to lack of funds. At the end of 1894, a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

in the form of a

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

was mounted on the Falkenstein as a summit mark. In 1903 the flag had to be repaired after being damaged. In 1929, the falcon, whose existence had been repeatedly criticized as a blight, disappeared from the summit. A year later, the metal figure was discovered by chance in a crevice in the rock. At first it remained in the possession of a climbing club, since 1951 the falcon has been held by the local history museum of Bad Schandau.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 63. Götzinger was already aware of the existence of the old watchtower. In 1878, during the ascent at that time, a broken medieval clay pot was discovered. In 1892, while descending the ''Turnerweg'' after the first ascent of the ''Schusterweg'', Oscar Schuster and Martin Klimmer discovered artificial steps under the vegetation that had been part of the ascent to the watchtower. In 1940, Dresden architect and local historian, Oskar Pusch, carried out a major investigation of the fortification at Falkenstein. Based on the results, he created a graphic

reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

of the watchtower.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 15. He also discovered traces of fire debris, which indicate that the watchtower had been destroyed in fighting.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 18. In 1964 and 1989, festival weeks were held to mark the anniversary of the first ascent. In 1989, a rope team climbed the ''Turnerweg'' without using today's climbing shoes and ropes, wearing clothing and equipment based on the first climbers of the time.Hans Pankotsch: ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Zittau 2001, p. 79.

Climbing today

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 in 1893. Other notable climbs on the 'Falkenstein' (with their Saxon rating grades) are the: *''Südriss'' (VIIa) – first ascent by Oliver Perry-Smith in 1913 *''Direkte Westkante'' (VIIIb) – first ascent by Wulf Scheffler in 1956 *''Buntschillernde Seifenblase'' (IXb) – first ascent by Bernd Arnold

References

Sources

* ''Der Falkenstein, Aus der Geschichte eines Kletterfelsens in der Sächsischen Schweiz'', Neisse Verlag 2001,

External links

Description of the ''Schusterweg'' trail on the Falkenstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkenstein (Sachsische Schweiz) Climbing areas of Germany Elbe Sandstone Mountains Mountains of Saxon Switzerland Rock formations of Saxon Switzerland Bad Schandau