Saxon Switzerland, from Dresden to the rocks of the Elbe

A valley among the rocks

Upstream from Dresden, the road follows the Elbe. The banks soon close in and sandstone walls rise above the forests. Pedestrians cross the river by ferry at Rathen, Königstein or Bad Schandau, and old paddle steamers still run on the river.

The highlight is the Bastei, a viewpoint almost 200 metres above the Elbe. A stone bridge from 1851 links its sandstone pinnacles. It is best to be there early, when the mist fills the valley. From there, steps lead down to the village of Rathen and, when the path is open, to the Amselsee, a small lake. In Rathen, an open-air theatre is set among the rocks.

Further east, the Kirnitzsch valley runs deep under the beeches. A small tram, in service since 1898, climbs it as far as the Lichtenhain waterfall. Since 1830, the water has been held back there, then released in front of visitors. Above Bad Schandau, you walk the Schrammsteine ridge by way of iron ladders.

Upstream, the palace of Pillnitz, the court’s summer residence, has curved Chinese-style roofs and a flight of steps going down to the Elbe. From 1747, the Venetian painter Bernardo Bellotto, Canaletto’s nephew, painted Dresden, Königstein and Pirna for the court.

The court also had its prisons. Countess Cosel, a favourite of Augustus the Strong who fell from grace, lived locked up in Stolpen castle from 1716 until her death in 1765.

Sandstone and climbing

This sandstone formed at the bottom of a sea, in the Cretaceous. The Elbe and erosion cut it into plateaus, into buttes like the Lilienstein and into more than 1,100 pinnacles. The Saxon national park dates from 1990. The name Saxon Switzerland comes from two Swiss painters who came to the Dresden academy in 1766, Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff. These rocks reminded the two painters of Switzerland. The Malerweg, the Painters’ Way, now links the viewpoints the Romantics painted.

The region is also a cradle of climbing. In 1864, gymnasts from Bad Schandau reached the top of the Falkenstein, opposite the Schrammsteine. The Saxon rules, written down in 1913, still apply: no artificial aids, no chalk. From the paths, you see roped climbers almost everywhere.

What not to miss

1. 1Königstein FortressNever taken, 240 metres above the Elbe; General Giraud escaped from it down the cliff in 1942.
2. 2The Pillnitz camelliaPlanted in 1801, it spends the winter under a glasshouse that moves on rails.
3. 3The Stolpen wellDug by hand from 1608: it took 22 years to reach water.
4. 4The KuhstallA large rock arch, half an hour’s walk from the Lichtenhain waterfall.
5. 5Weesenstein CastlePartly built from the top down: the stables are on the fourth level, below the old cellars.
6. 6PirnaA market square that still looks like Bellotto’s painting of it.

Saxon Switzerland in pictures

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Pillnitz Palace and its steps leading down to the Elbe.

The Saxon table

Saxony loves its cakes. Dresden’s Eierschecke layers a pastry base, quark and an egg custard. Dresden Stollen, a Christmas bread with dried fruit, has protected geographical indication status. In restaurants, you will find Sauerbraten, a marinated beef roast.

Between Pirna and Diesbar-Seußlitz, the Saxon Wine Route follows the Elbe for about 60 kilometres. It is the most north-easterly wine region in Germany. The wine is mostly white. Goldriesling, a grape that originated in Alsace, is hardly grown anywhere except here.