Teufelsturm (Saxon Switzerland)

The Devil's Tower (also Butterweckfels or Mittagstein ) is a distinctive, about fifty meters high rock tower and climbing peaks in the Saxon Switzerland. He is rechtselbisch at the top of the Elbe valley between Schmilka and Bad Schandau in the Schrammsteine ​​. The Devil's Tower is also referred to as a " symbol of the Saxon mountaineering ".

Naming

The oldest name of the summit is probably the designation as Butterweck or Butterweckfels because the summit head from a distance, such as from the other bank of the Elbe from, has a certain similarity with a bun. The Devil's Tower was named by Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger in his descriptions of the Saxon Switzerland, who mentions him as lunch Sage of farmers on the plateaus around Schoena and Reinhardt village. The thrown by the devil standing behind him storming of the cliff shadow disappears - as seen from the direction of Reinhardt -Schöna - around noon just behind the tower, which was therefore also called Mittagstein or lunch rock. Another name is the Campanile, probably derived from the same peaks in the Dolomites and the Brenta, suitable but also because of the smooth-walled and mostly quadrangular structure of the tower. The now most commonly used name is probably due to the difficulty of the climb.

Climbing Sporting importance

Beginning of the 20th century was the devil storm as severe rock climbing in Saxon Switzerland. On September 9, 1906 finally succeeded Oliver Perry -Smith, the successful first ascent on today with the difficulty VIIb, VIIc without support ( Saxon scale) classified the Old Way. The ascent is the highlight of the first development time in the climbing area Saxon Switzerland and was then called the " hardest climb of the Saxon Switzerland ."

In the 1930s, the valley of the devil storm was one of the last great sporting challenges mountain of Saxon Switzerland, after initial trials, including Emanuel Strubich had already failed in the early 1920s. Finally, in 1936 succeeded Rudolf Stolle initial commission of those now classified with difficulty VIIIb climbing route. The commission remained controversial since the first ascent in both the lower part, and on the key point per a circlip longer in use and support on the key point ( he used a human climbing tree ) left.

An important first ascent made ​​in 1965 the east wall ( Difficulty VIIIc ) by Kurt Richter dar. In the 1970s and 1980s finally rose Bernd Arnold with the sundial (1977, IXa ) and the devilry (1984, Xa) pathways whose levels of difficulty in each case to the excellence were of their time.

The most important way is probably the cloven hoof. The erstbegangene in 1984 by Werner Schönlebe path runs along a striking edge and climbed in Rotpunktstil classified with difficulty Xc.

2007 was committed by Heinz Zak first time a High Line from Devil's Tower to the adjacent solid, but this also led to discussions about the meaning and purpose of popular sports in the Saxon Switzerland.