Mönch (rock)

The Monk ( Monk also stone ) is a tower of rock and popular climbing peaks in the Saxon Switzerland near Rathen. The presence on the summit weather vane in the shape of a tinny monk is visible and serves as an orientation.

Naming

The origin of the name " monk " is unknown. On the 1592 created by Matthias Oeder of maps of the First Kursächsische land survey is only one recorded " Wechterhaus " the former rock castle Neurathen. The present name was first mentioned in 1755. Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger guessed the names origin in the appearance of rock, from the east have a little resemblance to a monk. As an alternative name in the 19th century was also "camel" in use, in this case due to the view from the River Elbe ago, which should resemble a camel hump. Due to the proximity to the nun on the other side of the river also exist legends about the naming of both rocks.

History

In the Middle Ages the rock was due to its striking location as a lookout part of a rock castle Neurathen. From this period originates just below the summit of the rock -hewn, about 1.75 meters high and 1.35 meters deep " monk hole" that was used by the guard of the castle. The rock castle was destroyed in 1469 and fell thereafter. This means that the still recognizable to Balkenfalzen medieval boarding option disappeared on the monk. Since then, the summit can be reached only by climbing.

Chance of rock was then still climbed, handed down are climbing from the years 1632, 1777 and 1803. After 1864 Turner from Bad Schandau had carried out the first summit climb of sporting motives Falkenstein, followed 10 years later in 1874 by O. shore and H Frick. achieved the first ascent of the monk from the same motives. The first time was carried out in the Saxon Switzerland ascents of climbing the summit without artificial aids after previously still like ladders, artificially whipped kicks had been used. The absence of artificial aids is still a key point of the currently valid Saxon climbing rules.

The made ​​use of the shore and Frick Südostweg ( Saxon difficulty level III) is nowadays a popular climbing route. Since the first ascent of the monk sporting a variety of other climbing routes were opened up. Also known as mountain climber Oscar Schuster, Rudolf Fehr man, Emanuel Strubich or Bernd Arnold have climbing routes first climbed on the monk. The most difficult climbs in the north face difficulty reaching the upper -Saxon tenth degree.

In 1887, a weather vane was, as was done in these years on other peaks, on the monk attached in the form of sheet metal silhouette of a monk. While most weather vanes and Summit characters were destroyed in the coming decades or dismantled, the weather vane remained on the monk as one of the few characters in the Saxon Switzerland. However, the original figure was, after it was damaged in 1928 and 1930, replaced by an exact replica in 1957. The original monk in 1887 has since been shown at the Museum in Bad Schandau.