The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-14
In THE ELBE VALLEY.
Saxon and Bohemian Switzer-
land Too Little Known.
HISTORIC CITY OF STRASBuRG.
It Still Bears the Scars of the Franco
Prussian War-In the Black Forest,
the Kingdom Of the Dark Pines.

On the borders of saxony and Bohemia, In the
valley of the Elbe lies the district called Saxon
and Bohemian Switzerland, comparatively un-
known to the travelling public, and possessing
for that reason many attractions for us sum-
mer fdlers 1t is reached in a few hours from
Dresden, and presents wild succession of
mountains and ravines flung in abrupt masses
from the fruitful Saxon plain. Three great
mountains-the Konigstein, Lilienstein and
Pfaffenstein-form the salient features of every
view, and afford magnificent point of vantage
for fortresses, fact well appreciated by the
robber barons OF the middle ages and the modern
Saxon kings.
Our start is made from the village of Wehlen,
and a triumphal procession of horses and
guides enters the lofty aud ever-narrowing
gorge; granite, draped in the living green of the
pines and heeked with patches OF the yellow
sulphur moss, rise the walls OF the Uttewald
gorge, the finest in Saxon Switzerland; some
parts of it are never reached by the suns rays,
ana the moss grows so thick that the horses
noois are noseless; we approach with some
trepidation grotto or cavern, resembling an
open fireplace, and named the DEVILS Kitchen,
but our fears are groundless; If his majesty
has no other more eongenial hearth he must
dine with Duke Humphrey so often that we can
not wonder that be seeks whom he may devour
woodland theater is next pointed out, stage
where the gnomes must act, where the
wood-nymphs form the audience, and the
A great round stone is wedged in a cleft OF rock.
perilously near our heads, and through the
felsenthor, or gate OF rock, the path goes across
the brook by a stone cAuseway. From the gorge
the road winds up and up towards the Bastei,
where the red sandstone raises on its pillars a
mighty platform OF rocks aud towers. Among
the massive columns still remain some ruins of
a robber stronghold; foundations are seen SUD-
porting horrifying deeliyity, and weed-grown
steps, where ehamois would hardly risk his
life, show where the baron's vassals mounted to
their war engines and hurled stones across the
river. The Saxon government has built a great
stone bridge whose gray arches seem a part of
the ruined castle, from the main arch to the out
lying peaks, and set in the center is tablet
to the memory of a Saxon pastor who first called
attention 10 the beauty OF this region. In brill
liant vaTiegated strips OF green lie the we-tiIled
fields, the ElDe coils between the mighty hills,
and we are 10th TO leave the home of the eagles
The VOLTS glen, rendered famous by Weber's
Freischutz, Is the next point of interest, and
here We must walk warily into the depths:
closer and closer the rocks press, darker and
darker our path; at first wooden steps give us
foothold. now they have narrowed to the mere
rounds OF ladder; Caspar, servant of Belial,
chose his ground well when he played his los
ing game for the soul OF poor Max: DO, 30
still deeper and darker, until the magic 265 are
counted, aud we stop in relief, and inspect the
cleft rocks where the magic bullets were melted
and we will not derde those fearful souls who
hear the chase of the wild huntsrnan sweep
through these rayincs on the wings of the win
ter storm. And now out into the dear Gods
sunshine where the elderberries nod a greeting
Away above towers the Castle OF Hochstein.
now reformatory Augustus, the Strong,
saxonys merry monarch, kept his bears here,
and Albert, the present. has not greatly changed
the things of the past. Our landau is welcome
sight,End we roll through the lovely valley OF thu
Polenz, mount to the plateau below the Iilien-
stein, and see the historic linden tree, from
which Hottest point Napoleon directed the
movements of his army at the battle OF Bautzen.
As ii the mention of the great Corsiean had
sounded war cry, We step at once into
the memories OF blood and iron, and
the fortress of Kongstein excites our
interest. We are admitted after being sterniy
gazed at by the warrior in charge of the gate.
and having registered our names and now ex-
istent occupation, are put In charge Of a smart
sergeant, and the inspection begins The for
tress, considered impregnable. has strong gar
rison and few state prisoners: three centuries
ago il was for fifteen years the prison aud finally
the place of execution Of Saxon state minis
ter, whose ideas OF hnancieriug were something
concentrated for the time, and whose pockets
secured the natural destination OF public funds.
governor of the fortress was hanged over the
battlemenis for sundry populations; but a more
Cheerful legend is that of page, who had dined
not wisely but too well, and fell asleep ON
narrow window ledge Immediately over.
hanging the preeipice. He was saved from
fall OF 500 feet and q problematical
awakening, by the eleetor whose presence had
been the immediate cause of the dinner, and
had the sleeping man securely fastened with
ropes, and then reused by q trumpet call to find
himself the eynosure of all eyes. We stand
amazed over slope OF rock down which threa
French prisoners of ISL escaped, to the wonder
OF the garrison aud OF the country. "They per.