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March 9, 2020

3453 GERMANY (Saxony) - Elbe Sandstone Mountains

Germany
3453 Elbe Sandstone Mountains - The Bastei bridge in Saxon Switzerland

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains is a mountain range straddling the border between Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side. The river Elbe breaks through the mountain range in a steep and narrow valley. Their highest peak (723 m) is in Bohemia on the left bank of the river. The most striking characteristic of this deeply dissected rocky mountain range is the extraordinary variety of terrain within the smallest area.

The eroded sandstone landscape was formed from depositions that accumulated on the bottom of the sea millions of years ago. One of the best known rock formation from this mountain range is Bastei, towering 194 m above the Elbe River. They are situated near Rathen, southeast of the city of Dresden, and are the major landmark of the Saxon Switzerland National Park. In 1824, a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors. This bridge was replaced in 1851 by the present Bastei Bridge made of sandstone. It is 76.5 m long and its seven arches span a ravine 40 m deep.

About the stamp, issued to mark The 25th Anniversary of the Polish-German Youth Cooperation, I wrote here.

References
Elbe Sandstone Mountains - Wikipedia
Bastei - Wikipedia

Sender: Adrian Ilie
Sent from Dresden (Saxony / Germany), on 21.04.2019

Photo: Hans Peter Szyszka

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