Nonnenfelsen, Sandstone summit in Görlitz, Germany.

Nonnenfelsen is a sandstone summit in the Zittau Mountains near Jonsdorf, made up of several rock towers that rise above the surrounding forest. The formation shows the typical vertical walls and eroded surfaces found across the Saxon sandstone highlands.

Johann Friedrich Seidel, a Jonsdorf stocking weaver, began opening the Nonnenfelsen summits in 1846 with bridges, steps and signposts. Karl Gotthelf Buttig continued from 1858 and built a summit inn, licensed in 1859 and opened at Whitsun 1860. King Friedrich August visited on 13 August 1850 and King Albert in 1888; plaques commemorate both. After a fire in 1902 the inn was rebuilt in its present form.

The name Nonnenfelsen refers to rock towers said to resemble nuns in veil and habit; Christian August Pescheck wrote in 1791 of "two nuns close together with veil and habit". A local legend tells of two young nuns who broke their vows, gave in to earthly love and were turned to stone as punishment. Inscriptions cut into the rock recall visits by Saxon kings Friedrich August II on 13 August 1850 and Albert I on 2 May 1888.

Nonnenfelsen can be reached on foot from Jonsdorf along marked trails, and the loop paths around the spa town are a good option if you prefer a gentler route. Wear sturdy shoes, as the ground near the rocks can be uneven and slippery after rain.

Although Nonnenfelsen is part of the small Zittau Mountains, it belongs geologically to the same sandstone family as the far more famous Saxon Switzerland region. Visitors who know both areas can spot the family resemblance in the rock surfaces and layering.