GERMANY ~ Saxon Switzerland National Park ~

...Breathtaking National Park views...a bridge carved from stone...endless tree- and rock-covered landscapes....it is one of the most beautiful hiking places in the world...more than 700 summits are available to rock climbers...Thanks so much Andrene for this wonderful new addition to my National Parks collection!!

Saxon Switzerland is not a part of Switzerland but lies in the German Free State of Saxony near the city of Dresden. It’s the name for the German part of Elbe Sandstones Mountains (the other part lies in the Czech Republic and is called Bohemian Switzerland).

The Saxon Switzerland National Park is Saxony's only national park. It is the only rock national park in Germany. It got its name in the 18C, when two Swiss artists living in Dresden started calling it Saxon Switzerland as it reminded them of the landscape back home in Switzerland.

The park is known for a wildly eroded landscape of Elbe sandstone formations, created as a seafloor during the Cretaceous period. The cliffs, mesas, gorges, and spires of this “city in stone” are the result of more than 100 million years of work by wind and by the waters of the Elbe River and tributaries as they flow into the North Sea. With its towering conifers which cling to bizarrely shaped cliff faces, dense fern groves and thick forests, this is a national park that really stands out.

Stamp:

The 100th Anniversary of the Möhnetalsperre Dam
(Issued 04-04-2013)