German Wanderlust (2010–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Saxon Switzerland - full transcript
Our neighbours in Germany
have Iong had a fascination with walking.
200 years ago,
the famous Romantics of German history
were inspired
by their adventures in the great outdoors.
So today, I'm here to walk in the footsteps
of painters, writers and musicians.
To explore the country and a cultural
movement that encouraged walking for pleasure.
This is my chance to discover
my own sense of wanderlust.
Hello, and welcome to the very eastern fringes
of Germany and the banks of the River Elbe.
Today, l'm in Saxony, exploring the unique
landscape of the Sandstone Mountains.
Now, this area has been attracting quite
a lot of attention for more than 200 years.
The scenery surrounding and along this mighty
stretch of river is exciting and dramatic.
The Elbe is one of the
great rivers of Europe,
flowing from the distant hills
of the Czech Republic,
through here and on across
the whole of Northern Germany.
For German speakers,
the natural beauty and outdoor pursuits
around this stretch of river are well-known.
But with Saxony Iocked deep behind
the Iron Curtain for so Iong,
I'm already thinking that
for UK walkers at Ieast,
this might just be
Germany's best kept secret.
The area around here, the National Park
around here, is called "Saxon Switzerland".
Well, we're nowhere near Switzerland,
so l want to find out why.
I also want to find out
why painters and artists,
more than any other area
on my German travels,
flocked here, to feel, to
walk and to be inspired.
Nestled on the banks of the Elbe,
Saxon Switzerland
Iies slightly to the east of Dresden
and just
a few kilometres from the Czech border.
My day walk starts from the
riverside village of Rathen,
taking
a big horseshoe around the National Park.
Through forest,
gorges and the village of Hohnstein,
I'll passing by
many of the famous rock forms of the area
before ending high above Rathen
with the most dramatic
river view in Germany.
This is a fitting culmination
of my German adventures.
This walk
is positively dripping with Romanticism.
The scenery and the locations
are all tied together by art.
Part of the trail is even called The
Painters' Way, The Malerweg Trail,
following in the footsteps
of the great Romantics
who came here
to marvel in the sandstone geology.
So before I Ieave Rathen,
Iet's take a Iook at my walk from the air.
Leaving the village, my walk heads uphill
and into the thick forest
that covers the National Park.
I'll stop off at Gamrig, a suitable rocky
introduction to the Iandscape of this walk.
The Polenz River and its impressive gorge
Iead me through the Iocal sandstone.
It takes me to the medieval village of
Hohnstein, which overlooks the National Park.
This is my walk's turning point,
as it now heads back across the river gorge
and through the forest
to the appealing waters of Amselsee,
and the romance of its hidden watertall.
One final climb is all that's
Ieft to bring me back to the Elbe.
And to the highpoint of Saxon Switzerland,
the unique and stunning Bastei Bridge.
My final destination
is barely 1 km in that direction,
but it is 200m higher than where l am now.
The walk is sort of a
big loop around the cliffs
and obviously l want to take in
some of the sights of the National Park,
and those are clues.
These statues are miniature impressions of
famous rock formations in the National Park.
The tallest miniature here is the Valley
Guard, which I hope to see on my walk.
But all have acquired quirky names
Iike the Monk, the Nun and the Locomotive.
My German is truly rubbish.
Der Turkenkopf.
Well, l know that Kopf
is head in Afrikaans,
so Turkenkopf must be Turkish Hat
or Turkish Head.
Der Hollenhund, the Hell Hound?
Die Lokomotive. Well, that's obvious.
Even l can work that one out.
Remarkable geology
may be the unique feature of my walk today,
but as you Ieave Rathen
and climb gently away from the Elbe,
the first prominent feature is woodland.
In Saxon Switzerland the park rangers Iike
to Ieave the vegetation entirely unmanaged.
If a tree falls, it's simply Ieft to rot.
But as I've come to expect in Germany,
that doesn't prevent the footpaths and
the signage from being beautifully managed.
You get a real sense that this place
is a lot less well charted by us Brits
than some of my other German walks.
The signs are all in German.
There's barely
an English-speaking guide book.
And the second language here is Russian,
which gives you a fairly clear indication
that, up until 1 990 at least,
this part of Germany was facing firmly East
and not West.
Now, l think that makes it
a more enjoyable territory to explore.
The terrain is certainly adventurous.
It's one Iarge geological oddity, defined
by its remarkable sandstone rock forms.
For the past century,
the 1, 1 00 free-standing rock towers
have made this a
favourite spot for climbers.
But it was the painters
who were here first.
"The artists assure me that no place
embarrasses them more than this one.
For with every 1 00 or 200 steps,
an even more beautiful composition forms.
One never knows which view is best
to put to paper."
Now, l like to seek out a bit of
local knowledge on my travels.
But to be honest, it's been quite hard
to find an English-speaking Saxon.
But l have succeeded.
She started studying after 1 990
and she's travelled a bit.
The younger generation are making an impact
on the tourist industry here.
Daphna Zieschang
runs a private guiding business,
with British and Japanese clients
being two of the growth areas.
- Hiya, Daphna. Hello. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Lovely rocks!
- Yes, there are.
- And a lovely view!
- Yeah, it's perfect!
- One of your favourite spots here?
- Yeah. Definitely one of my favourites.
- Lt looks like good rock to climb.
- Lt is, it is.
- Ls it difficult in parts, though?
- Lt depends. Some people find it difficult.
It's just how you're used
to it, or used to doing it.
It's sandstone, isn't it?
It's pretty soft and
round, and l really like it.
When you touch it and
feel it, it's just perfect!
Rock climbing in Saxon Switzerland
is unique across the world.
The specific nature of the Iocal sandstone
means the sport has to follow
traditional "Saxony Rules".
No climbing chalk is allowed, or any aid
that could damage the delicate rock.
And the isolated rock tower of Gamrig,
high above the forest canopy,
is one of the major draws of the area.
Nice little stairway up to here.
Yeah.
And here we are on top of the Gamrig!
Oh!
Now, that is a view that sings to you!
Dresden is over there
and Czech Republic is over there.
- See the roundish hill?
- Yes.
This is already Czech Republic.
Got really good views today.
And just in front, the big table mountain
is the symbol of the National Park here.
It's called the Lilly Stone.
- Do you see the climbers over there?
- Of course.
I've got a really lovely story.
There was a climber just in front of us,
standing on the top of the other mountain.
It was perfect like on a picture
of Caspar David Friedrich.
This is a very famous
Caspar David Friedrich picture.
Yeah, but the other man stood...
except for this stick.
It was just fantastic!
- A magical moment!
- Yeah!
This painting, more than any other,
captures the essence of German Romanticism.
Like so many of Caspar David Friedrich's
paintings, you can't see the young man's face.
We don't know whether
he's triumphant or sad.
But one thing is clear,
the wanderer above the mist is alone,
taking the time to reflect on
the awesome Iandscape of Saxon Switzerland.
He appears as an adventurer,
open-minded and free.
Very much the Romantic hero.
The image of German wanderlust.
Tell me, if you can, why this
area is called "Saxon Switzerland".
We're no where near Switzerland.
We are not near Switzerland.
In 1 760-something two Swizz painters
who came from Switzerland came here
and were so inspired by this area
and so fascinated.
It reminded them of their home country.
That's why they called it Switzerland.
Anton Graff and Adrian Zingg
wrote Ietters to their home country
saying "Greetings from
Saxon Switzerland".
Landscape painter Zingg is often credited with
bringing the Romantic movement to this park.
But Daphna's promised to help me Iearn more
about these early painters Iater in my walk.
- Thanks, Daphna. Bye.
- Bye.
From the summit of Gamrig, it's a case of
walking down, down and down again
to the next stage of my
sandstone Iandscape.
I can definitely hear a river.
Cutting a path north-south through the park
is Polenztal, the valley of the River Polenz.
And my walk follows a gorge that has
formed over the Iast 80 million years.
Before that, this whole area
would have been the seabed,
a soft sedimentary Iayer that's been
sculpted by the rain and rivers ever since.
So it's time to leave this tranquil river
valley and head to the town of Hohnstein,
and l'm actually going to step on
to the Malerweg, the Painter's Trail.
There's the "M" just there.
The Malerweg is one of the great
walking routes of modern Germany.
1 1 2km Iong, it heads west to east from
Dresden, all the way through Saxon Switzerland.
It incorporates many of the highlights of
the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
and allows walkers Iike me to follow in
the footsteps of some artistic greats.
And high above me now is one of
the focal points for those early visitors -
the town of Hohnstein.
Like all good German settlements,
it has its own castle.
And it's where I'm heading
to meet Daphne again
to Iearn a bit more about
the origins of the Painter's Way.
You like your castles, don't you?
Yeah, we do. We do like our castles here.
- So we are officially on the Malerweg trail here?
- Yes, we are. We're on part of it.
And quite a new walk, in fact.
It is. lt was created
about three years ago.
So just to attract people to come here
and go for a walk
and look at these old sceneries
of the painters from the Romantic time.
- Lt's working.
- Yes, it is working.
- L'm here.
- Yes!
And to get a further insight,
Daphna is Ieading me to Hohnstein Castle
to meet Frank Richter, a Iocal historian.
And for the first time on my walks in
Germany, l'm in need of a translator.
Hello, Frank. A pleasure
to meet you at last!
And to have a clear view of the castle!
Why do you think the Romantics
loved this area so much?
(Speaks German)
l've heard so much about Zingg and Graff.
Can see some of their work finally?
- (Speaks German)
- lt's no problem.
So here we are.
So this is Zingg, from 1 766.
So very early!
It happens to us all.
It's very tempting!
(Daphna translates)
There were some more frivolous types
of painting
that followed after Zingg,
though, weren't there?
More novelty pictures,
postcards, fantasy works almost.
- Lt was a real production line.
- Lt was a real production...
- (Translates)
- (Replies in German)
Commercial art.
Can l see some of the more commercial work?
- So that is that.
- Lt's the same castle.
Yes.
But clearly it's not?
(All three laugh)
(Speaks German)
By the mid-1 800s,
the Romantic sentiment of Zingg
had spilled over into
something quite different.
This deliberate exaggeration
became a feature of Saxon Switzerland art,
appealing to the many who'd now
heard of this strange, sculpted Iandscape.
We would call this artistic licence.
Leading me through Hohnstein,
Daphna is keen to take me
to her favourite part of the National Park
on the opposite side of the valley.
But the medieval town itself
is worth some attention.
It gained significance as a fortification
near the border of Saxony and Bohemia.
And today, it's beautifully presented,
a reminder of the money
Germany has invested
restoring the fabric and infrastructure
of the old East Germany.
And Iocal geology means that my walk has
no choice but to return to the Polenz Gorge
in preparation for another of the Malerweg
highlights and an altogether steeper climb.
This path Ieads me
to the intriguingly named Wolf's Gorge.
It's getting a bit steep now.
It's going to be worth it, though.
No, it's lovely.
- OK. Shall we start?
- Who's going first?
What do you want?
- You lead the way.
- OK.
Be careful with your hat here, please.
"The mountain here is split from
the very top, down to its green base.
The deep split runs in a wondrous zigzag,
forming a type of corridor.
It looks like the rock mass is blown up,
like a powerful natural force
has tried to split planet Earth."
By the time keen traveller
Hans Christian Anderson came here,
this unlikely path
was already called Wolf's Gorge -
named after a scene in Carl Maria
von Weber's opera, Der Freischutz.
The opera's Iyricist was
a man from Dresden,
who was so inspired by this place
that he set one of his scenes in a gorge
and called it Wolfschlucht.
The name has stuck.
- Lsn't it a wonderful view?
- Ah...
lt's amazing, isn't it?
Wow!
It's just a sea of trees!
Now, you have to be a bird
and just jump and fly over.
- Like that one there!
- Yeah.
Amazing!
This high window
across the Polenz valley to Hohnstein
is another spot where Zingg's followers
would come to capture the Iandscape.
Johann Philipp Veith
was a former student of Zingg.
He returned in 1 793 to walk extensively
and produced a book of etchings
illustrating the route he'd taken.
Veith more than anyone can Iay claim to
being the originator of the Painter's Way.
I like the combination
of these coloured roofs,
the reddish and yellowish,
and then the green trees around.
It's fabulous with this light.
I'm going to leave you with your view here.
Don't jump.
You're not a bird. Remember that.
- Just looking only.
- Thank you for that.
Bye, Daphna. Thank you.
Thanks for all your help and guidance.
Enjoy the weather. And the views.
"From Hohnstein
l wanted to make a small detour
to see the strange area
of the Devil's Bridge.
The Devil really does have taste.
Every spot that bares his name
has a titillating quality.
It is the most romantic places
that are associated with him.
As l say, he's got taste,
and that is always a good thing."
Of all my German walks, Saxon Switzerland is
proving to be the most untouched by modernity.
It's very easy to find yourself all alone
in this National Park.
A true taste of Romantic adventure.
But this wilderness
is a popular destination nonetheless.
The Dresden Art Academy meant
news of Zingg's discovery spread quickly.
And a few decades Iater, the day-tripping
masses were able to follow suit,
brought along the Elbe from Dresden
by steamship and train.
This bit of water is called Amselsee,
complete with boaters.
The only thing missing, l was about to say,
are the ducks,
and then lo and behold, a duck landed.
And standing guard in the distance,
that is Talwachter.
Tal is valley. So Valley
Watcher, Valley Guard.
So here is my first real view of
one of the miniature statues
I saw back in Rathen.
The sentinel-Iike Talwachter
is an image that was captured
by Caspar David Friedrich.
But in his painting he calls the rock
the Herostone, not the Valley Guard,
a reminder that the names we give mountains
rarely Iast as Iong as the mountains themselves.
Now that's a good example
of a recently named bulk of rock.
It's called The Locomotive.
You can see why.
But one thing is for sure, it wasn't Graff or
Zingg that came up with that name, now, was it?
The Iake too is a recent edition,
created in 1 933
when the nearby town of Rathen
decided to dam the river,
giving them greater fishing stocks
and the opportunity to flog tourists
the odd Romantic boat ride.
But a short walk upstream,
visitors have had a more alarming impact.
Deep in the forest
as the Amsel River valley tightens
is a further
and rather unexpected outbreak of tourism.
Well, this is an interesting
little interlude, isn't it?
This particular spot was a favourite
with my Romantic predecessors,
who visited before damming and agriculture
stripped the Iocal watertall
of most of its contents.
These are all different artistic
impressions of this very spot.
And some of them look
more like it than others.
And none of them, of course, have
got any of this gumph in the background.
But Amselfall today
has a trick up its sleeve.
For a modest sum, anyone wishing to recreate a
Romantic image can bring the falls back to Iife.
It only costs 30 cents.
Einmal Wasserfall, bitte!
Es ist in Ordnung.
Danke schon.
(Laughs)
That's hilarious.
Possibly one of the strangest things
l've come across, really.
Some 70 years after the
heyday of the painters,
an enterprising restaurateur
decided to take control of nature
and re-invigorate interest in this spot.
He devised a gate that
allows water to build up
and then be released in sudden bursts
to the amazement of the paying public.
Romanticism has gone full circle here.
This strange attraction is meant to
alert you to the wonders of nature,
but of course
it has completely the opposite effect.
At least you can have a cuppa!
But the final part of my walk
should take me to a far more famous
combination of man and nature.
I'm heading to the undoubted highlight
of Saxon Switzerland.
Batteries recharged.
Now all l've got to do is get up there.
My biggest climb up and in fact through
the sandstone cliffs involves 800 steps.
It's a fitting end to a walk
characterised by the Iocal rock.
In the mid-1 600s,
Iong before Adrian Zingg and
the Dresden Art Academy made any impact,
this eerie environment
was a massive human hide-out.
Nice moss.
These immense rock walls,
the crumbled stacks and the dark crevices
became the safeguard for Iocal people
during the Thirty Year War,
when the Swedish army swept through Saxony
and most of what is now South-west Germany.
Nearly 400 years Iater
and this fantastic footpath is the access
to the very top of the sandstone plateau.
Both Iiterally and metaphorically,
this is the summit of all the many
rock pinnacles of Saxon Switzerland.
(Panting) 800!
And for me, I've reached the triumphant
highlight of my walk, the Bastei,
and my very first view
of the Bastei Bridge.
Ah.
That is incredible!
Just spindles of rock
shooting up from everywhere.
The Bastei and its bridge
are a quite unique and wondrous creation.
The castellations of the bridge design owe much
to the medieval fortress that once stood here.
The castle would have Iooked down on the Elbe,
ready to rain missiles on enemies far below.
By contrast, the bridge, built in 1 85 1,
was one of the very first engineering
constructions made entirely for tourists.
Today the admiration of nature here
is everything.
And I'm Ieft with a view
down to the very start of my walk.
Caspar David Friedrich said that unless he was
alone here, he couldn't uncover his true self.
Well, l'm not sure that l've managed that,
but l do think that the landscape of Saxony
Switzerland is wonderful and powerful.
When you're walking here,
it feels superbly uncluttered and natural.
But there is that strange
man-made watertall.
Well, we can blame
the success of the Romantics for that!
But too much interterence
is quite unnecessary here.
The Bastei, the rocks and the views
are quite a breathtaking collection,
showing how mankind and nature
can work together.
An inspiration for any aspiring Romantic.
have Iong had a fascination with walking.
200 years ago,
the famous Romantics of German history
were inspired
by their adventures in the great outdoors.
So today, I'm here to walk in the footsteps
of painters, writers and musicians.
To explore the country and a cultural
movement that encouraged walking for pleasure.
This is my chance to discover
my own sense of wanderlust.
Hello, and welcome to the very eastern fringes
of Germany and the banks of the River Elbe.
Today, l'm in Saxony, exploring the unique
landscape of the Sandstone Mountains.
Now, this area has been attracting quite
a lot of attention for more than 200 years.
The scenery surrounding and along this mighty
stretch of river is exciting and dramatic.
The Elbe is one of the
great rivers of Europe,
flowing from the distant hills
of the Czech Republic,
through here and on across
the whole of Northern Germany.
For German speakers,
the natural beauty and outdoor pursuits
around this stretch of river are well-known.
But with Saxony Iocked deep behind
the Iron Curtain for so Iong,
I'm already thinking that
for UK walkers at Ieast,
this might just be
Germany's best kept secret.
The area around here, the National Park
around here, is called "Saxon Switzerland".
Well, we're nowhere near Switzerland,
so l want to find out why.
I also want to find out
why painters and artists,
more than any other area
on my German travels,
flocked here, to feel, to
walk and to be inspired.
Nestled on the banks of the Elbe,
Saxon Switzerland
Iies slightly to the east of Dresden
and just
a few kilometres from the Czech border.
My day walk starts from the
riverside village of Rathen,
taking
a big horseshoe around the National Park.
Through forest,
gorges and the village of Hohnstein,
I'll passing by
many of the famous rock forms of the area
before ending high above Rathen
with the most dramatic
river view in Germany.
This is a fitting culmination
of my German adventures.
This walk
is positively dripping with Romanticism.
The scenery and the locations
are all tied together by art.
Part of the trail is even called The
Painters' Way, The Malerweg Trail,
following in the footsteps
of the great Romantics
who came here
to marvel in the sandstone geology.
So before I Ieave Rathen,
Iet's take a Iook at my walk from the air.
Leaving the village, my walk heads uphill
and into the thick forest
that covers the National Park.
I'll stop off at Gamrig, a suitable rocky
introduction to the Iandscape of this walk.
The Polenz River and its impressive gorge
Iead me through the Iocal sandstone.
It takes me to the medieval village of
Hohnstein, which overlooks the National Park.
This is my walk's turning point,
as it now heads back across the river gorge
and through the forest
to the appealing waters of Amselsee,
and the romance of its hidden watertall.
One final climb is all that's
Ieft to bring me back to the Elbe.
And to the highpoint of Saxon Switzerland,
the unique and stunning Bastei Bridge.
My final destination
is barely 1 km in that direction,
but it is 200m higher than where l am now.
The walk is sort of a
big loop around the cliffs
and obviously l want to take in
some of the sights of the National Park,
and those are clues.
These statues are miniature impressions of
famous rock formations in the National Park.
The tallest miniature here is the Valley
Guard, which I hope to see on my walk.
But all have acquired quirky names
Iike the Monk, the Nun and the Locomotive.
My German is truly rubbish.
Der Turkenkopf.
Well, l know that Kopf
is head in Afrikaans,
so Turkenkopf must be Turkish Hat
or Turkish Head.
Der Hollenhund, the Hell Hound?
Die Lokomotive. Well, that's obvious.
Even l can work that one out.
Remarkable geology
may be the unique feature of my walk today,
but as you Ieave Rathen
and climb gently away from the Elbe,
the first prominent feature is woodland.
In Saxon Switzerland the park rangers Iike
to Ieave the vegetation entirely unmanaged.
If a tree falls, it's simply Ieft to rot.
But as I've come to expect in Germany,
that doesn't prevent the footpaths and
the signage from being beautifully managed.
You get a real sense that this place
is a lot less well charted by us Brits
than some of my other German walks.
The signs are all in German.
There's barely
an English-speaking guide book.
And the second language here is Russian,
which gives you a fairly clear indication
that, up until 1 990 at least,
this part of Germany was facing firmly East
and not West.
Now, l think that makes it
a more enjoyable territory to explore.
The terrain is certainly adventurous.
It's one Iarge geological oddity, defined
by its remarkable sandstone rock forms.
For the past century,
the 1, 1 00 free-standing rock towers
have made this a
favourite spot for climbers.
But it was the painters
who were here first.
"The artists assure me that no place
embarrasses them more than this one.
For with every 1 00 or 200 steps,
an even more beautiful composition forms.
One never knows which view is best
to put to paper."
Now, l like to seek out a bit of
local knowledge on my travels.
But to be honest, it's been quite hard
to find an English-speaking Saxon.
But l have succeeded.
She started studying after 1 990
and she's travelled a bit.
The younger generation are making an impact
on the tourist industry here.
Daphna Zieschang
runs a private guiding business,
with British and Japanese clients
being two of the growth areas.
- Hiya, Daphna. Hello. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Lovely rocks!
- Yes, there are.
- And a lovely view!
- Yeah, it's perfect!
- One of your favourite spots here?
- Yeah. Definitely one of my favourites.
- Lt looks like good rock to climb.
- Lt is, it is.
- Ls it difficult in parts, though?
- Lt depends. Some people find it difficult.
It's just how you're used
to it, or used to doing it.
It's sandstone, isn't it?
It's pretty soft and
round, and l really like it.
When you touch it and
feel it, it's just perfect!
Rock climbing in Saxon Switzerland
is unique across the world.
The specific nature of the Iocal sandstone
means the sport has to follow
traditional "Saxony Rules".
No climbing chalk is allowed, or any aid
that could damage the delicate rock.
And the isolated rock tower of Gamrig,
high above the forest canopy,
is one of the major draws of the area.
Nice little stairway up to here.
Yeah.
And here we are on top of the Gamrig!
Oh!
Now, that is a view that sings to you!
Dresden is over there
and Czech Republic is over there.
- See the roundish hill?
- Yes.
This is already Czech Republic.
Got really good views today.
And just in front, the big table mountain
is the symbol of the National Park here.
It's called the Lilly Stone.
- Do you see the climbers over there?
- Of course.
I've got a really lovely story.
There was a climber just in front of us,
standing on the top of the other mountain.
It was perfect like on a picture
of Caspar David Friedrich.
This is a very famous
Caspar David Friedrich picture.
Yeah, but the other man stood...
except for this stick.
It was just fantastic!
- A magical moment!
- Yeah!
This painting, more than any other,
captures the essence of German Romanticism.
Like so many of Caspar David Friedrich's
paintings, you can't see the young man's face.
We don't know whether
he's triumphant or sad.
But one thing is clear,
the wanderer above the mist is alone,
taking the time to reflect on
the awesome Iandscape of Saxon Switzerland.
He appears as an adventurer,
open-minded and free.
Very much the Romantic hero.
The image of German wanderlust.
Tell me, if you can, why this
area is called "Saxon Switzerland".
We're no where near Switzerland.
We are not near Switzerland.
In 1 760-something two Swizz painters
who came from Switzerland came here
and were so inspired by this area
and so fascinated.
It reminded them of their home country.
That's why they called it Switzerland.
Anton Graff and Adrian Zingg
wrote Ietters to their home country
saying "Greetings from
Saxon Switzerland".
Landscape painter Zingg is often credited with
bringing the Romantic movement to this park.
But Daphna's promised to help me Iearn more
about these early painters Iater in my walk.
- Thanks, Daphna. Bye.
- Bye.
From the summit of Gamrig, it's a case of
walking down, down and down again
to the next stage of my
sandstone Iandscape.
I can definitely hear a river.
Cutting a path north-south through the park
is Polenztal, the valley of the River Polenz.
And my walk follows a gorge that has
formed over the Iast 80 million years.
Before that, this whole area
would have been the seabed,
a soft sedimentary Iayer that's been
sculpted by the rain and rivers ever since.
So it's time to leave this tranquil river
valley and head to the town of Hohnstein,
and l'm actually going to step on
to the Malerweg, the Painter's Trail.
There's the "M" just there.
The Malerweg is one of the great
walking routes of modern Germany.
1 1 2km Iong, it heads west to east from
Dresden, all the way through Saxon Switzerland.
It incorporates many of the highlights of
the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
and allows walkers Iike me to follow in
the footsteps of some artistic greats.
And high above me now is one of
the focal points for those early visitors -
the town of Hohnstein.
Like all good German settlements,
it has its own castle.
And it's where I'm heading
to meet Daphne again
to Iearn a bit more about
the origins of the Painter's Way.
You like your castles, don't you?
Yeah, we do. We do like our castles here.
- So we are officially on the Malerweg trail here?
- Yes, we are. We're on part of it.
And quite a new walk, in fact.
It is. lt was created
about three years ago.
So just to attract people to come here
and go for a walk
and look at these old sceneries
of the painters from the Romantic time.
- Lt's working.
- Yes, it is working.
- L'm here.
- Yes!
And to get a further insight,
Daphna is Ieading me to Hohnstein Castle
to meet Frank Richter, a Iocal historian.
And for the first time on my walks in
Germany, l'm in need of a translator.
Hello, Frank. A pleasure
to meet you at last!
And to have a clear view of the castle!
Why do you think the Romantics
loved this area so much?
(Speaks German)
l've heard so much about Zingg and Graff.
Can see some of their work finally?
- (Speaks German)
- lt's no problem.
So here we are.
So this is Zingg, from 1 766.
So very early!
It happens to us all.
It's very tempting!
(Daphna translates)
There were some more frivolous types
of painting
that followed after Zingg,
though, weren't there?
More novelty pictures,
postcards, fantasy works almost.
- Lt was a real production line.
- Lt was a real production...
- (Translates)
- (Replies in German)
Commercial art.
Can l see some of the more commercial work?
- So that is that.
- Lt's the same castle.
Yes.
But clearly it's not?
(All three laugh)
(Speaks German)
By the mid-1 800s,
the Romantic sentiment of Zingg
had spilled over into
something quite different.
This deliberate exaggeration
became a feature of Saxon Switzerland art,
appealing to the many who'd now
heard of this strange, sculpted Iandscape.
We would call this artistic licence.
Leading me through Hohnstein,
Daphna is keen to take me
to her favourite part of the National Park
on the opposite side of the valley.
But the medieval town itself
is worth some attention.
It gained significance as a fortification
near the border of Saxony and Bohemia.
And today, it's beautifully presented,
a reminder of the money
Germany has invested
restoring the fabric and infrastructure
of the old East Germany.
And Iocal geology means that my walk has
no choice but to return to the Polenz Gorge
in preparation for another of the Malerweg
highlights and an altogether steeper climb.
This path Ieads me
to the intriguingly named Wolf's Gorge.
It's getting a bit steep now.
It's going to be worth it, though.
No, it's lovely.
- OK. Shall we start?
- Who's going first?
What do you want?
- You lead the way.
- OK.
Be careful with your hat here, please.
"The mountain here is split from
the very top, down to its green base.
The deep split runs in a wondrous zigzag,
forming a type of corridor.
It looks like the rock mass is blown up,
like a powerful natural force
has tried to split planet Earth."
By the time keen traveller
Hans Christian Anderson came here,
this unlikely path
was already called Wolf's Gorge -
named after a scene in Carl Maria
von Weber's opera, Der Freischutz.
The opera's Iyricist was
a man from Dresden,
who was so inspired by this place
that he set one of his scenes in a gorge
and called it Wolfschlucht.
The name has stuck.
- Lsn't it a wonderful view?
- Ah...
lt's amazing, isn't it?
Wow!
It's just a sea of trees!
Now, you have to be a bird
and just jump and fly over.
- Like that one there!
- Yeah.
Amazing!
This high window
across the Polenz valley to Hohnstein
is another spot where Zingg's followers
would come to capture the Iandscape.
Johann Philipp Veith
was a former student of Zingg.
He returned in 1 793 to walk extensively
and produced a book of etchings
illustrating the route he'd taken.
Veith more than anyone can Iay claim to
being the originator of the Painter's Way.
I like the combination
of these coloured roofs,
the reddish and yellowish,
and then the green trees around.
It's fabulous with this light.
I'm going to leave you with your view here.
Don't jump.
You're not a bird. Remember that.
- Just looking only.
- Thank you for that.
Bye, Daphna. Thank you.
Thanks for all your help and guidance.
Enjoy the weather. And the views.
"From Hohnstein
l wanted to make a small detour
to see the strange area
of the Devil's Bridge.
The Devil really does have taste.
Every spot that bares his name
has a titillating quality.
It is the most romantic places
that are associated with him.
As l say, he's got taste,
and that is always a good thing."
Of all my German walks, Saxon Switzerland is
proving to be the most untouched by modernity.
It's very easy to find yourself all alone
in this National Park.
A true taste of Romantic adventure.
But this wilderness
is a popular destination nonetheless.
The Dresden Art Academy meant
news of Zingg's discovery spread quickly.
And a few decades Iater, the day-tripping
masses were able to follow suit,
brought along the Elbe from Dresden
by steamship and train.
This bit of water is called Amselsee,
complete with boaters.
The only thing missing, l was about to say,
are the ducks,
and then lo and behold, a duck landed.
And standing guard in the distance,
that is Talwachter.
Tal is valley. So Valley
Watcher, Valley Guard.
So here is my first real view of
one of the miniature statues
I saw back in Rathen.
The sentinel-Iike Talwachter
is an image that was captured
by Caspar David Friedrich.
But in his painting he calls the rock
the Herostone, not the Valley Guard,
a reminder that the names we give mountains
rarely Iast as Iong as the mountains themselves.
Now that's a good example
of a recently named bulk of rock.
It's called The Locomotive.
You can see why.
But one thing is for sure, it wasn't Graff or
Zingg that came up with that name, now, was it?
The Iake too is a recent edition,
created in 1 933
when the nearby town of Rathen
decided to dam the river,
giving them greater fishing stocks
and the opportunity to flog tourists
the odd Romantic boat ride.
But a short walk upstream,
visitors have had a more alarming impact.
Deep in the forest
as the Amsel River valley tightens
is a further
and rather unexpected outbreak of tourism.
Well, this is an interesting
little interlude, isn't it?
This particular spot was a favourite
with my Romantic predecessors,
who visited before damming and agriculture
stripped the Iocal watertall
of most of its contents.
These are all different artistic
impressions of this very spot.
And some of them look
more like it than others.
And none of them, of course, have
got any of this gumph in the background.
But Amselfall today
has a trick up its sleeve.
For a modest sum, anyone wishing to recreate a
Romantic image can bring the falls back to Iife.
It only costs 30 cents.
Einmal Wasserfall, bitte!
Es ist in Ordnung.
Danke schon.
(Laughs)
That's hilarious.
Possibly one of the strangest things
l've come across, really.
Some 70 years after the
heyday of the painters,
an enterprising restaurateur
decided to take control of nature
and re-invigorate interest in this spot.
He devised a gate that
allows water to build up
and then be released in sudden bursts
to the amazement of the paying public.
Romanticism has gone full circle here.
This strange attraction is meant to
alert you to the wonders of nature,
but of course
it has completely the opposite effect.
At least you can have a cuppa!
But the final part of my walk
should take me to a far more famous
combination of man and nature.
I'm heading to the undoubted highlight
of Saxon Switzerland.
Batteries recharged.
Now all l've got to do is get up there.
My biggest climb up and in fact through
the sandstone cliffs involves 800 steps.
It's a fitting end to a walk
characterised by the Iocal rock.
In the mid-1 600s,
Iong before Adrian Zingg and
the Dresden Art Academy made any impact,
this eerie environment
was a massive human hide-out.
Nice moss.
These immense rock walls,
the crumbled stacks and the dark crevices
became the safeguard for Iocal people
during the Thirty Year War,
when the Swedish army swept through Saxony
and most of what is now South-west Germany.
Nearly 400 years Iater
and this fantastic footpath is the access
to the very top of the sandstone plateau.
Both Iiterally and metaphorically,
this is the summit of all the many
rock pinnacles of Saxon Switzerland.
(Panting) 800!
And for me, I've reached the triumphant
highlight of my walk, the Bastei,
and my very first view
of the Bastei Bridge.
Ah.
That is incredible!
Just spindles of rock
shooting up from everywhere.
The Bastei and its bridge
are a quite unique and wondrous creation.
The castellations of the bridge design owe much
to the medieval fortress that once stood here.
The castle would have Iooked down on the Elbe,
ready to rain missiles on enemies far below.
By contrast, the bridge, built in 1 85 1,
was one of the very first engineering
constructions made entirely for tourists.
Today the admiration of nature here
is everything.
And I'm Ieft with a view
down to the very start of my walk.
Caspar David Friedrich said that unless he was
alone here, he couldn't uncover his true self.
Well, l'm not sure that l've managed that,
but l do think that the landscape of Saxony
Switzerland is wonderful and powerful.
When you're walking here,
it feels superbly uncluttered and natural.
But there is that strange
man-made watertall.
Well, we can blame
the success of the Romantics for that!
But too much interterence
is quite unnecessary here.
The Bastei, the rocks and the views
are quite a breathtaking collection,
showing how mankind and nature
can work together.
An inspiration for any aspiring Romantic.