The Nonne (also ''Nonnenstein'') is a roughly 18-metre-high, isolated, standing sandstone rock and climbing peak in

Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland (german: Sächsische Schweiz) 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 Sand ...

in Germany. The rock is located southeast of

Rathen Rathen is a village in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, in Saxony, Germany, about southeast of Dresden. The village occupies both banks of the river Elbe and, as of 2020, has 339 inhabitants. Rathen is a popular tourist destination, the main sigh ...

, east of the rock chain of Rauenstein. 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 ...

the rock was used in the 15th century as a

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

(''Burgwarte''), similar to that on the other side of the Elbe,

Neurathen Castle Neurathen Castle (german: Felsenburg Neurathen), which was first mentioned by this name in 1755,http://www.raubschlösser.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=64 is located near the famous Bastei rocks near Rathen in Saxon Sw ...

. To that end the rock crevice below the summit plateau was widened into an artificial cave, used as a guardhouse. On the eastern side there are more traces of hammers. In addition, an artificial, earth embankment, about 35 m long, was built. Archaeological investigations ins 1963 brought to light pieces of ceramic, the spindle whorl of a

spindle Spindle may refer to: Textiles and manufacturing * Spindle (textiles), a straight spike to spin fibers into yarn * Spindle (tool), a rotating axis of a machine tool Biology * Common spindle and other species of shrubs and trees in genus ''Euony ...

, the site of a hearth and fragments of charcoal. In 1888 the Nonne was climbed for the first time for fun and without using ladders. Hitherto the rocks had always been climbed with the aid of ladders even after the watchtower had closed. The ''Alte Weg'' ("Old Way", grade II in the Saxon climbing grade system) has since become a popular climbing route especially for beginners. This has however resulted in

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

damage on the surrounding areas of forest and hillsides.

Sources

*Peter Rölke (ed.): ''Wander- & Naturführer Sächsische Schweiz.'' Vol. 2, Verlag Rölke, Dresden, 2000,

External links

Rock formations of Saxon Switzerland Climbing areas of Germany Rathen {{SaxonSwitzerland-geo-stub