Kleinhennersdorfer Stein, Mountain summit in Gohrisch, Germany.
Kleinhennersdorfer Stein is a 392.1 m table mountain in Saxon Switzerland, about 2 km south of Bad Schandau. Its wooded summit plateau is cut by five caves formed along a clay-silt layer, among them the Lichterhöhle, Eishöhle and Hampelhöhle. The sandstone weathers into honeycomb and hourglass shapes, and the plateau covers roughly 14 hectares.
The area was first documented in 1461 under a different name. It later became a site for sandstone quarrying operations that continued until the early 20th century.
The three caves at the south side—Lichterhöhle, Eishöhle and Hampelhöhle—are layer-joint caves formed along a clayey-silty band about 350–365 m up. Lichterhöhle was enlarged around 1870 by Friedrich Herrmann Hempel, who mined sandstone there and sold it ground as scouring sand to inns and soap factories; he died on 17 December 1918 when a rock collapsed in front of it.
The summit can be reached via a narrow unmarked path from the southern saddle. Parking is available near the Papststein area, from where you can walk to the mountain.
The sandstone was quarried here from around 1870 by Friedrich Herrmann Hempel, who crushed and ground it as scouring sand sold to inns and soap factories. The digging enlarged the collapse caves on the south side until authorities banned it. Hempel died on 17 December 1918 when a rock collapsed in the forefield.
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