If you were to take a boat ride southeast of Dresden on the Elbe River, you would wind your way around a sandstone mountain range. On the German side, it’s called the Sächsische Schweiz (or Saxon Switzerland). On the Czech side, it’s called the České Švýcarsko. Now, let’s say you got out of your boat around the border and followed the mountains, you would end up in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains). On this trip, you would encounter all sorts of ecologies. These ecologies make this region rich in natural resources and help support the communities that live here.
Erosion has made unique rock formations in the Sächsische Schweiz National Park. The most famous rock formation is called the Bastei. The terrain and ecology in this small area is quite diverse. There is undeveloped forest, ravines, table mountains, woodlands, plains, and stone formations. The Erzgebirge have considerable mineral deposits that have been mined for generations.
