Elbsandsteingebirge

Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Lilienstein, one of several small mesas in the Saxon part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Děčínský Sněžník
Elevation	723 m (2,372 ft)
Coordinates	50°47′44″N 14°6′25″E / 50.79556°N 14.10694°E / 50.79556; 14.10694Coordinates: 50°47′44″N 14°6′25″E / 50.79556°N 14.10694°E / 50.79556; 14.10694
Geography
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Countries	Germany and Czech Republic
States	Saxony and Bohemia
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Type of rock	Sandstone

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands (German: Elbsandsteingebirge; Czech: Labské pískovce) is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of 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 mountains are also referred to as Saxon Switzerland and Bohemian Switzerland in both German and Czech (Sächsische Schweiz and Böhmische Schweiz in German, Saské Švýcarsko and České Švýcarsko in Czech) or simply combined as Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland. In both countries, the mountain range has been declared a national park. The name derives from the sandstone which was carved by erosion. The river Elbe breaks through the mountain range in a steep and narrow valley.

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains extend on both sides of the Elbe from the Saxon town of Pirna in the northwest toward Bohemian Děčín in the southeast. Their highest peak with 723 m (2,372 ft) is the Děčínský Sněžník in Bohemian Switzerland on the left bank of the river in Bohemian Switzerland north of Děčín. The mountain range links the Ore Mountains in the west with the Lusatian Highlands range of the Sudetes in the east. Saxon Switzerland and the Zittau Mountains of the Lusatian Mountains form the Saxon-Bohemian Chalk Sandstone Region.