Overview  The Bastei from Vorderer Gansfels
With the village of Rathen at its center, this area offers a wide range of relatively short towers and walls. The area is the site of open air theaters featuring stories by Karl May, who wrote about the American West. So be prepared to listen to loud "shoot outs" while trying to make a crux move!
The Bastei features an old fort that overlooks the Elbe and was built during medieval times.
See the attached pages for those routes that have been described in more detail.
Here is a basic idea of the area's location and the main climbing regions.
Maps for each specific region can be found in the climbing guides,can be bought locally or ordered.
German Alpine Club information and maps Getting ThereYou usually arrive to the area through Dresden. You can easily reach Dresden city by car, plane or rail. From Dresden, you can travel by train or steamboat up the Elbe (SE) or by car on B172. A S-bahn (local commuter) train leaves Dresden about every 1/2 hour. The train travels up the left hand river side (when looking down stream). From there you have to use a ferry to cross the Elbe at Rathen. Car travel into the town and climbing areas is restricted. Traffic is often very heavy, especially during vacation times and on the weekends. Expect to hike to the climb you chose. Trails are well marked.
For train schedules see: German Railways (This link works for most of Europe, by the way. At this page you can select English, French or Italian, before going on to the timetables. )
Map of the Rathen Area |
Accommodations  The climber's hut near Rathen
Rathen and the surrounding villages offer hotels and vacation homes to rent. The local climbing club maintains a hut only 20 minutes walk north from the village. Camping is allowed in designated places.
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