The Pfaffenstein, formerly called the Jungfernstein, is a table hill,[1] 434.6 m (1,426 ft) above sea level,[2] in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony.

It lies west of the River Elbe near Königstein and is also referred to as "Saxon Switzerland in miniature" on account of its diverse structure.

[3] The wild, jagged mountain with its numerous caves reveals traces of Stone and Bronze Age settlement and was later used frequently as a place of refuge during times of crisis as a result of its poor accessibility.

The mountain looks like an elongated summit plateau running north-to-south for about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), with a width of up to 400 metres (1,300 ft) from west-to-east.

Other significant rock pinnacles are the Königspitze, the Förster, the Bundesfels, the Rauhe Zinne, the Jäckelfels, the Pfaffenschluchtspitzen, the Peterskirche and the Einsiedler.

[11] The only prehistoric relic still visible today is the semi-circular rampart, also dating to the Bronze Age, on the western side of the Pfaffenstein near the Bequemer Aufstieg trail.

[15] However, apart from wartime, the Pfaffenstein had few visitors and those were mainly the electorate's appointed hunters who are probably responsible for the dates "1702" and "1714" scrawled in the Schwedenkeller and on the Bequemer Aufstieg.

The resulting fresh rock face is visible a long way off and is called the Weiße Wand ("White Wall") on account of its light-coloured, relatively unweathered surface.

The medallion has a life-sized head and shoulders relief with the inscription "The explorer and guardian of the Pfaffenstein, Mr. Karl Gottlob Jäckel honoured by the Fatherland.

In 1852, at Jäckel's instigation, Carl Gottlieb Kliemann from Pfaffendorf established the first, small inn on the hill in a cattle stall.

Supported by his brother-in-law Kliemann, probably out of self-interest, Friedrich Eduard Goldschmidt, a lithographer and counterfeiter who had escaped from prison in Königstein on the night of 27 September 1854, forged Anhalt-Dessau five gulden notes in a cave near the cattle hut.

In order to be able to cater for visitors, in 1880 Paul Ulbrich, the innkeeper of the Pfaffendorf Inn, built a new summer restaurant on the site of the old hut, once again at the suggestion of Jäckel.

[19] The first wooden observation tower was inaugurated on 2 September 1894 and offered a comprehensive all-round view from the Pfaffenstein, unimpeded by trees.

The requisite stone was cut on the site during the winter; all other materials, such as limestone, roof slates, windows and doors had to be painstakingly carried up the hill.

An indication of the popularity of the hill was the visit in 1915 of the Saxon king, Frederick Augustus III, who climbed the Pfaffenstein with his daughters and stopped by at the hilltop inn.

[22] In 1992 the state of Saxony purchased the land on the Pfaffenstein from the Keiler family for 2.9 million DM for the Saxon Switzerland Conservation Association.