The Zirkelstein is the smallest

table hill A tableland is an area containing elevated landforms characterized by a distinct, flat, nearly level, or gently undulating surface. They often exhibit steep, cliff-like edges, known as escarpments, that separate them from surrounding lowlands. ...

Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland (, ) is a hilly climbing area and national park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. It is located around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany, adjoining Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. Toge ...

, in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. 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 of

Bad Schandau Bad Schandau (; , ) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, 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 ar ...

in the part of Saxon Switzerland that lies left of the

River Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

. 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 t ...

, whilst east of the hill – in the Elbe valley – is the municipality of

Hřensko Hřensko () is a municipality and village in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. With an elevation of above sea level, it is the lowest situated municipality in the country. Located ...

(''Herrnskretschen''), over the border in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. 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 commu ...

house with a restaurant and a small bungalow village. The land of the Zirkelstein has been in private hands since 2008.

History

Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog

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 (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

''. The best-known painting of the Zirkelsteins is by

Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (; 5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic Landscape painting, landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation, whose often symbolic, and anti ...

. 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 a

compass 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 with No ...

(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 and

Bohemian Switzerland Bohemian Switzerland (; ), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a nature region in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the northwestern Czech Republic, protected as a national park. It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected ...

and the

Lusatian Mountains The Lusatian Mountains (; ; ) 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 range west of the Elbe valley. The mountains of the northern, G ...

Gallery

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

References

External links

{{Commons
The Friends of Nature facility on the Zirkelstein
Rock formations of Saxon Switzerland Mountains of Saxon Switzerland Elbe Sandstone Mountains Hills of Saxony