"bare and high". During the Thirty Years' War, residents of the surrounding towns hid themselves on the Falkenstein, as weather-beaten inscriptions, including the year "1631", bear witness to. Pastor Wilhelm Leberecht Götzinger, who was interested in natural history, described the rock in 1804 as inaccessible and only accessible via ladders. In 1812 his proposal to establish and secure an ascent that could be used by tourists was rejected by the Saxon Forestry Commission due to the high costs. In the years that followed, there were occasional reports of ascents, without more precise names and dates being given. In 1864, the ascent by Schandau gymnasts on the Gymnasts' Route (Turnerweg), which is still known today, marked the birth of Saxon climbing. After lengthy preparations, Gustav Tröger, Ernst Fischer, J. Wähnert and H. Frenzel, all members of the Schandau Men's Gymnastics Club (Männer-Turnvereins zu Schandau), founded in 1847, climbed to the top. They erected a flagpole on the summit and flew three flags from it. Tröger published a report on 2 April 1864 in the Dresden News (Dresdner Nachrichten). The gymnasts still used artificial aids that are not permitted under today's rules. Nevertheless, this first verifiable modern ascent is considered the beginning of climbing in Saxon Switzerland due to its primarily sporting intentions. Another ascent by Dresden gymnasts is documented in 1868, as they chiselled their names into the rock in the exit area. An ascent in 1871 is also documented by the names carved on it. In 1878, on the occasion of the silver wedding of the Saxon royal couple, four members of the Schandau branch of the Saxon Switzerland Mountaineering Club (Gebirgsverein für die Sächsische Schweiz) lit a bonfire on the summit. Plans to create a more generally accessible ascent came up again, which also failed due to lack of funds. At the end of 1894, a weather vane in the form of a falcon was mounted on the Falkenstein as a summit mark. In 1903 the flag had to be repaired after being damaged. In 1929, the falcon, whose existence had been repeatedly criticized as a blight, disappeared from the summit. A year later, the metal figure was discovered by chance in a crevice in the rock. At first it remained in the possession of a climbing club, since 1951 the falcon has been held by the local history museum of Bad Schandau. Götzinger was already aware of the