Barbarine, Rock formation near Pfaffendorf, Germany

The Barbarine is a free-standing sandstone pinnacle 42.7 metres high on the valley side of the Pfaffenstein massif near Pfaffendorf in Königstein. It rises from the forested slope as a narrow column, its summit head split and capped with artificial sandstone after lightning damage in 1944.

The Barbarine was first climbed on 19 September 1905 by Rudolf Fehrmann and Oliver Perry-Smith. A lightning strike in 1944 split the summit block, and concrete was poured into the cracks in 1946. After further erosion, climbing was banned in 1975 and the rock was declared a natural monument on 13 December 1978.

The name comes from a local legend about a girl named Barbara who was turned to stone according to folk tradition. This story remains part of the region's identity and shapes how locals see this rock formation.

The rock can be observed from hiking trails that pass through the area. As a protected formation, climbing is not permitted and visitors should maintain a safe distance from the base.

In June 1956 the cyclist Täve Schur, winner of the 1955 Peace Race, climbed the Barbarine with members of the "Wintersteiner" climbing association. The summit block was split into five large pieces by a lightning strike in summer 1944, and the iron summit pole was torn down.