Rising above the spa town of Jonsdorf in the Zittau Mountains, Nonnenfelsen is a dramatic sandstone rock formation with narrow stone corridors, carved steps and viewing platforms perched high above the valley. It's one of the region's most iconic climbing summits, yet remains easily reachable on foot for regular hikers too.

The defining features here are two striking rock passages — the Schwarzer Gang and the Zigeunerstuben — each about 100 meters long and cut 20 to 30 meters deep into the sandstone. The rock, hardened by contact with ancient volcanic lava, has weathered into bizarre shapes that centuries ago reminded locals of veiled nuns and monks, giving the site its name (Nonnenfelsen means 'Nuns' Rocks'). In summer the towers buzz with climbers, while autumn and winter bring a quieter, almost mystical mood to the mossy passages and viewpoints.

How to reach the summit

• From the cable car station (Gondelfahrt) toward the Czech border crossing — via the steps of the Schwarzer Gang, moderate difficulty
• From Dorfstraße, about 100 m north of the cable car — via the Zigeunerstuben, a spectacular route through a deep rock gorge
• From Waltersdorf, starting at the old Zollhaus Wache customs house, via the Hohlsteinweg — with no significant elevation gain

Good to know

• A mountain inn (Baude) sits on the summit plateau, rebuilt after a fire in 1902
• Since the mid-1990s a via ferrata has also run through the site, branching off the cable-car approach route
• Inside the Schwarzer Gang, a narrow rock crevice leads to a hidden viewing gallery

From the topmost platforms you'll enjoy sweeping views over Jonsdorf, the jagged Jonsdorf Rock City, the old millstone quarries, the Hochwald, the Lausche, the Landeskrone near Görlitz, and — on clear days — the Turów power plant and even the Jizera Mountains. Saxon King Friedrich August visited the viewpoint in 1850, and King Albert came here for grouse hunting in 1888 — both events are marked with memorial plaques.