View from Papststein

A great vantage point as it is worth the effort of the ascent.

The papal stone was first mentioned in a document in 1496 as the "Bogerßdorfer stone".At the beginning of the 19th century, the area of the Papstein was under the control of the Royal Saxon Forest Administration, which in 1829 had parts of the summit plateau cut down to create a better view. In 1830, the Saxon prince (and later king) Friedrich August climbed the Pope's stone and thus laid the foundation for a greater tourist interest in the mountain with a great view.The canyon on the east climb was made accessible in 1845. In 1858 a wooden pavilion was built on the summit, and the mountain inn, which still exists today, followed in 1862. A rock inscription near the west view reminds of the forest survey carried out in 1863. In 1889 a small stone observation tower was built on the highest point of the mountain at the southern tip, which was demolished in 1936 due to its dilapidation. As a follow-up building, a new 9 meter high wooden tower was built in 1937, which was also used as a fire watch tower and existed until 1969. The wooden tower was followed by a prefabricated concrete fire watchtower, which, however, is not open to the public.saechsische-schweiz-touristik.de/elbsandstein/entdecke-erleben/ausflugsziel/papststein.html

The climb over the many stairs is absolutely worth it. You will be rewarded with an outstanding view of the Pope's stone.