Papststein

The Pope 's Stone ( 451 m) is a table mountain in the linkselbischen Saxon Switzerland Saxony.

Location

The Pope Stone is located about four kilometers southeast of Königstein and about two miles south of Bad Schandau center of a plateau ( flatness ), which is still dominated by further similar rocky mountains. Surrounding mountains are the Gohrisch, the Kleinhennersdorfer stone and the lasing stones. Tourist this micro-region is often named in the Saxon Switzerland as the area of the stones. At the foot of the Pope's stone is a small place Pope village, which belongs to the municipality Gohrisch. At the summit there is a mountain inn and not accessible to the public fire watchtower.

History

The pope stone was first mentioned in 1496 as " Bogerßdorfer Stone " documentary. Other earlier forms of the name were " Babsdorffer stone " (early 17th century) and " Pabst Dorffer Stone " ( 1736), before the beginning of the 19th century arose the now common form of the name.

Already in 1780 the pope stone by a path ( " Old Way " ) was opened, which no longer is, however, now accessible. Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger recommended in 1812 the ascent of the summit and wrote: " But it was only the pope stone to climb (...) Those who let him to lead up, is an excellent view over the nearby and also some in the distance ( ... ). "

The grounds of the pope stone shelter beginning of the 19th century, the Royal Saxon Forestry Administration, which made 1829 parts of the summit plateau cut down to create a better view. 1830 ascended the Saxon Prince ( later King ) Frederick Augustus the Papststein and thus laid the foundation for a larger tourist interest in the spectacular mountain. A guide noted in 1846: " The outstretched beautiful views, given between the king and Lilienstein through, to Pillnitz and Dresden, as well as the rock formations located beyond the Elbe, it has in recent years because it is extremely rewarding, more consideration than in the past so that the visit of this rock is more and more in recording. "

The canyon on the east rise was made available in 1845. 1858 erected a wooden pavilion at the summit, in 1862 came the still existing mountain inn. At the 1863 made ​​forest surveying remembers a rock inscription near the western view. 1889 a small stone lookout tower was built on the highest point of the mountain on the southern tip, which was demolished due to disrepair in 1936. As a successor building was created in 1937, a new 9-meter high wooden tower, which was used as a fire lookout tower and existed until 1969. On the wooden tower was followed by a fire watchtower precast concrete, which is open to the public but not. Near the tower is also the leading to the Papststein load cable car.

On January 17, 1972 fell on the south side of a 15 meters high, 12 meters wide and 8 meters deep wall with a rock mass of up to 4000 m³ from Papststein down and tore into the woods a 30 meter wide corridor, which still is clearly visible.

In October 1996 the Bundeswehr introduced in the area of the Pope's stone exercise " Hunter 96" by that was accompanied by massive protests by the local residents, walkers and climbers and because of the protests could not be carried out in the intended scope.

Geology

Originally made ​​of Papststein together with the adjacent Gohrisch and the Kleinhennersdorfer stone a coherent sandstone tablet which manufactures eroded in the course of their development history of the north in three residual massifs which form the mentioned stones today.

The pope stone consists of sandstones of steps c, d and e, which are classified in the geological time scale in the Middle and Upper Turonian stages or Coniacian chalk. In recent publications, this wall-forming sandstones are also referred to as Postelwitz, Rath Ewalder or Schrammstein layers. The between steps c and d switched interlayer γ3 is exposed to very strong weathering, the terrain is mostly identified as a terrace. In this intermediate layer resulting cavities were also the cause of the landslide of 1972.

Climbing rocks

The Pope Stone belongs to the area of the stones in the climbing area of Saxon Switzerland. But he has only the three climbing summit " Great Hunskirche " ( First ascent 1880), " Small Hunskirche " ( First ascent 1893 by a rope team to Oscar Schuster ) and " Pope ", but the Mountaineers have over 120 routes. Here, a more demanding level of difficulty to IXc is reached at the "Great Hunskirche ".

View

The view from Papststein is quite comprehensive, there is a view over large parts of the Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland. Striking mountains all around are next to the Gohrisch and Zschirnsteinen also the more distant surveys Děčínský Sněžník ( High Schneeberg ), Růžovský vrch (Rosenberg ), Schrammsteine ​​with Falkenstein and Big Winterberg, Tanečnice (dance Plan) and Ungerberg. On the east, the mountains of the Lusatian Mountains are seen as examples here are Studenec ( Cold Mountain ), Jedlova ( Tannenberg ) and Klíč ( Kleis ) called.

Way to the summit

• About the Gohrisch is a marked with a red dot trail, which has its starting point in Königstein and leads over the Gohrisch and the pope stone towards cribs. The trail is part of the set up in 2006 painter path of the Saxon Switzerland main trail.
• A good starting point for visiting the mountain is also the trail parking lot on the road connecting Gohrisch Pope village. About above-mentioned Trail is the summit in about 20 minutes away.

Gallery

View from Papststein Lilienstein

Climbing rocks " Large Hunskirche " and " Small Hunskirche "

East rise to the Pope 's Stone ( part of the painter path )

Mountain station of the cable car with the load Gohrisch in the background

The fire lookout tower on the South view

Inscription of the Royal Forest Survey of 1863

Climbers on the " Pope "