Elbe sandstone mountains

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains are located on the upper reaches of the Elbe and are on German and Czech territory. It extends from Pirna to D??ín on about 700 km²

It is divided into two parts: Saxon Switzerland, which makes up three quarters of the mountains and is on German territory, and Bohemian Switzerland, which belongs to the Czech Republic.

As the name suggests, this low mountain range consists mainly of sandstone, which, formed by erosion, determines the landscape in sometimes bizarre shapes. The extremely varied landscape forms are unique among the low mountain ranges

The highest mountain in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains is the D??ínský Sn?žník (High Snow Mountain) at 723 metres.

Most of the mountains are protected by law. The Saxon Switzerland national park region consists of the Saxon Switzerland National Park (NLP), founded in 1990, which covers 93 km², and the 287 km² landscape protection area (LSG), founded in 1956.
In May 2006, the German mountainous part was recognized by the Academy of Geosciences in Hanover as one of the 77 most important national geotopes in Germany.

In the Czech part of the mountains were established in 2000 on the territory of the protected landscape area "`Chrán?ná krajinná oblast Labské pískovce" (protected landscape area Elbe sandstones) with an area of ??324 km² and the "národní park ?eské Švýcarsko" (national park Bohemian Switzerland), 79 km², so that now approx. 700 km² of the entire mountain range can be legally protected as a natural and cultural landscape across borders.