Dresden is only about 45 minutes away from the famous Sächsische Schweiz National Park. Sächsische Schweiz literally translates to Saxon Switzerland. Why is this national park called Saxon Switzerland? It's a good question. Saxony is not very close to Switzerland if you look on a map. However, during the 1800s Swiss artists traveling in the region famously compared the imposing sandstone rocks in this region to the Swiss Alps, which is how the park got its name.
The giant sandstone formations are called the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, even though they are not real mountains. The sandstone formations we see there today are simply large sandstones that used to be buried under the sea millions of years ago. In this field note, I'd like to share more information with you about these sandstone formations and how they shape the environment in the national park.
I will be focusing on the sandstone formations in the national park instead of on a specific plant or animal since the sandstone formations are the most unique part of the national park.
Sandstone is typically various shades gray, but it also contains many white and yellow streaks. Sandstone in the Sächsische Schweiz National Park exists in a wide variety of shapes and textures.
