The Affensteine are a long chain of deeply fissured rocks in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains

Elbe Sandstone Mountains

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...

 that are located east of Bad Schandau

Bad Schandau

Bad Schandau is a spa town in Germany, in the south of the Free State of Saxony and the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the little valley of the Kirnitzsch.-Geography:...

 in the German region of Saxon Switzerland

Saxon Switzerland

Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains....

. They are bounded to the north by the Kirnitzsch

Kirnitzsch

The Kirnitzsch, in Bohemia also called the Kirnischt , is a right tributary of the River Elbe, which passes through the Czech Republic and the German Free State of Saxony.- Geography :...

 valley, to the south by the Elb valley

Elbe

The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

 and in the east by the two Winterberg

Großer Winterberg

Großer Winterberg is a mountain of Saxony, southeastern Germany....

 hills.

The Affensteine are a very popular tourist destination. The Upper Affensteine Promenade (Obere Affensteinpromenade) is relatively level and offers splendid views over the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.

The Carola Rocks (Carolafelsen) are also popular with walkers, being one of the best-known viewing points in the Affensteine massif.

There are two theories about the origin of the name Affensteine, which literally means "monkey rocks". According to one, the name goes back to the spectacular flight of a young nobleman, who was incarcerated in the Vorderes Raubschloss, a robber knights' lair amongst the rocks. The legend has it that he had a tame monkey. The nobleman's servant tied the a rope around the monkey's body and set him climbing the steep rocks. The monkey delivered the rope, the young nobleman used it to escape and then fled to Bohemia. From there the story spread to Saxon Switzerland.

The other explanation suggests the name is derived from the fact that owls used to nest here. The old German word for owl was Auf and so the rocks became known as the Aufensteine, which changed over the years to Affensteine.

External links

• Wanderung durch die Affensteine at www.elbsandsteingebirge.de. Accessed on 28 Sep 2011.