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Natural Monuments

Landkreis Berchtesgadener Land

Schönau a. Königssee

View of the Sleeping Witch (Schlafende Hexe)

Natural Monuments

Landkreis Berchtesgadener Land

Schönau a. Königssee

View of the Sleeping Witch (Schlafende Hexe)

Highlight • Natural Monument

View of the Sleeping Witch (Schlafende Hexe)

Recommended by 51 hikers out of 52

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Location: Schönau a. Königssee, Landkreis Berchtesgadener Land, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany

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Best Hikes to View of the Sleeping Witch (Schlafende Hexe)

4.8

(162)

736

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1. View of Königssee – View of Watzmann loop from Unterschönau

29.2km

10:35

1,420m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.

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Hard

4.7

(180)

842

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2. Lake Königssee – Königsseer Ache loop from Unterschönau

8.88km

02:24

110m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.4

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3. Wimbachklamm Bridge – Wimbachklamm Gorge loop from Unterschönau

15.2km

04:25

400m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Dori ☀️🥾🦋

October 17, 2024

In the north-eastern part of the Lattengebirge, the striking Rotofen towers rise out of the forest and form a stark contrast to the otherwise rather lovely landscape of the Lattengebirge. The three Rotofen towers form a silhouette that is reminiscent of a woman lying on her back. This is how the Rotofen got its nickname, the Sleeping Witch. The witch with her distinctive nose and breasts can be seen from Bischofswiesen in the southeast as well as from Bayerisch Gmain in the Reichenhall Basin in the northwest.

As with many striking rock formations, for example the Stone Agnes in the Lattengebirge, there are several legends surrounding the Sleeping Witch. The legend of the Stone Witch on the Predigtstuhl tells of a witch more than a thousand years ago who withdrew into the solitude of the mountains because she could not stand people, especially Christians and their missionaries. She often greeted believers as a friendly hostess as they came up to the grave of Saint Zeno over the Hallthurm Pass in prayer. But the drink she offered her had poisoned her and killed so many innocent people. Sometimes she hid at a point on the path where the rocks were very steep and rolled stones down on the hikers. "One less," the witch rejoiced every time she managed to kill a Christian. This was how the evil witch wanted to prevent Christianity from coming to Berchtesgaden. When the man of God Martinus also took the path over the Hallthurm to preach to the people of Berchtesgaden, the witch rolled a heavy boulder down. Warned by the thunderous noise, he was able to jump to the side and get to safety. The witch caused another boulder to roll. Then Martinus held out a large cross that he had hanging around his neck. As the legend goes on to say, at the same moment a tremor ran through the mountains and a terrible rumble sounded like a thousand thunders. With irresistible force the witch was thrown to the ground and turned to stone. But Martinus was able to continue on his way safely. Even today, anyone who drives along the road from Reichenhall via Hallthurm to Berchtesgaden can see the petrified witch lying on the mountain peaks of the Predigtstuhl and Hochschlegel with her chin stretched up in a gruesome manner.

Translated by Google •

𝕵𝔲𝔩𝔦𝔞𝔫

December 21, 2024

Impressive sight 🤩 👌🏼 📸

Translated by Google •

Juergen Hauck

August 16, 2025

Mountain formation in the Lattengebirge, called the "sleeping witch"

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 650 m

Weather

Thursday 11 December

7°C

-2°C

0 %

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Max wind speed: 3.0 km/h

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Location: Schönau a. Königssee, Landkreis Berchtesgadener Land, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany

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View of the Sleeping Witch (Schlafende Hexe)

1. View of Königssee – View of Watzmann loop from Unterschönau

2. Lake Königssee – Königsseer Ache loop from Unterschönau

3. Wimbachklamm Bridge – Wimbachklamm Gorge loop from Unterschönau

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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