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The Zirkelstein is the smallest table hill of
In 1841 the then owner of the hill, Johann Gottlob Füssel, built a small inn on the side of the Zirkelstein. In 1842 facilities were built to enable the summit to be made accessible to visitors. The inn was run by the family until 1913 and then the business was leased. On 3 September 1926 the inn was set on fire by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm and was razed to the ground.
Currently the hill, which has an area of 7 hectares, is owned by the ''ZirkelsteinResort g GmbH''. The best-known painting of the Zirkelsteins is by Caspar David Friedrich. In the background of his 1818 painting, '' Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer'', the hill appears in the background.
File:Zirkelstein.jpg, The Zirkelstein
File:Zirkelstein 1.jpg, View from Wolfsberg
File:Zirkelstein003.jpg, View from the Zirkelstein looking towards the Czech Republic. Left: the Rosenberg
File:Zirkelstein004.jpg, View from the Zirkelstein over the nearly table mountains of Saxon Switzerland
The Friends of Nature facility on the Zirkelstein
Rock formations of Saxon Switzerland Mountains of Saxon Switzerland Elbe Sandstone Mountains Hills of Saxony
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
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It is a wooded, cone-shaped hill with a striking summit block of sandstone rock.
Location and area
The Zirkelstein is located five kilometres southeast ofBad 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 ...
in the part of Saxon Switzerland that lies left of the River 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 Rep ...
. Immediately northwest of the hill is the village of Schöna in the municipality of Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna
Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the German federal state of Saxony. It has a population of approximately 1,600 and is located close to the Czech border in Saxon Switzerland, a popular ...
, whilst east of the hill – in the Elbe valley – is the municipality of Hřensko
Hřensko (german: Herrnskretschen) is a municipality and village in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The village of Mezná is an administrative part of Hřen ...
(''Herrnskretschen''), over the border in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. Immediately at the foot of the Zirkelstein is a former Friends of Nature
Friends of Nature (international abbreviation: NFI, for German: Naturfreunde International) is a non-profit organisation with a background in the social democratic movement, which aims to make the enjoyment of nature accessible to the wider commun ...
house with a restaurant and a small bungalow village. The land of the Zirkelstein has been in private hands since 2008.
History
In 1841 the then owner of the hill, Johann Gottlob Füssel, built a small inn on the side of the Zirkelstein. In 1842 facilities were built to enable the summit to be made accessible to visitors. The inn was run by the family until 1913 and then the business was leased. On 3 September 1926 the inn was set on fire by lightning during a heavy thunderstorm and was razed to the ground.
Currently the hill, which has an area of 7 hectares, is owned by the ''ZirkelsteinResort g GmbH''. The best-known painting of the Zirkelsteins is by Caspar David Friedrich. In the background of his 1818 painting, '' Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer'', the hill appears in the background.
Name
The Zirkelstein gets its name from its characteristic shape that, from a distance, resembles acompass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself wit ...
(German: ''Zirkel''). In 1592 the hill was first mentioned, as the ''Circkelstein''.
Ascent
The Zirkelstein is best approached from Schöna along at yellow signed hiking trail. The summit itself may be gained using the metal steps and railings provided.Views
Due to its isolated situation the summit offers a comprehensive all-round view over the forests and crags of Saxon andBohemian Switzerland
Bohemian Switzerland ( cs, České Švýcarsko; german: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic.
It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscap ...
and the Lusatian Mountains
The Lusatian Mountains ( cs, Lužické hory; german: Lausitzer Gebirge; pl, Góry Łużyckie) are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. They are a continuation of the Ore Mountains ...
.
Gallery
References
External links
{{Commons, ZirkelsteinThe Friends of Nature facility on the Zirkelstein
Rock formations of Saxon Switzerland Mountains of Saxon Switzerland Elbe Sandstone Mountains Hills of Saxony