Ascent to the Lilienstein

The highlight of the circular hike is probably the most distinctive table mountain of Saxon Switzerland: the Lilienstein. We leave Prossen from the castle heading north through the Gründel and initially ignore the signage to the Lilienstein. After the last houses, we cross the small bridge over the Gründelbach and immediately keep right. The path through the gentle valley leads us to the plain, where the majestic rock greets us on the left. We follow the blue marking directly towards the mountain, pass the Franzosenborn, a covered spring, and finally climb the northern ascent, where the path also leads over a steel ladder. The rugged, 415-meter-high summit offers several viewpoints in all directions – for example, to the Schrammstein chain and the Winterberg to the east. We can also spot our starting point, Prossen Castle, at the Elbe flowing 300 m below us. To the southwest, the Königstein Fortress is visible. The impression is not misleading: the fortress mountain opposite is clearly lower at 360 meters above sea level than the table mountain on which we stand. Until mid-December and from late March, the rustic rock hut at the top is run and invites you to a refreshment. We should definitely not miss the westernmost point of the summit plateau, even if the way there requires surefootedness and a head for heights again. Here, however, the panorama spectacularly rounds off. For our return, we choose the southern descent. The still blue-marked path leads us down many steps into the forest. There we keep more to the left towards the plain, while the path to the parking lot continues to the right. The path now leads us along the forest edge with a view of Königstein and passes the valley station of the freight lift back to the western Lilienstein side, from where we started the ascent. Here we follow the yellow marking towards Prossen and pass the former Sellnitz sheepfold, now used as a training center for the national park. The last section of the path is steeper again but uncomplicated along the Elbe slope. We reach Prossen at the old garden estate, which is already in sight of the castle.