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Germany, Saxon Switzerland, 28.10.2012 Here: Autumn scene at the Amselsee close to the village of Rathen.. || Saxon Switzerland (German: Saechsische Schweiz) is a hilly area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sandstone Mountains..Saxon Switzerland alone has some 1,000 peaks, as well as several hollows. .The German name for Saxon Switzerland, Saechsische Schweiz, appeared in the 18th century. Two Swiss artists, Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff, were appointed in 1766 to the Dresden Academy of Art..They felt the landscape was reminiscent of their homeland, the Swiss Jura..In September 1990, even before the reunification of Germany, a national park was created in Saxon Switzerland in order to protect the unique natural character of the hill range. The 93 km¬= area covers two physically separate regions: one near Rathen - the region of the Bastei, Polenz valley, Brand and Uttewalder Grund - and the other embracing the whole Saxon Switzerland Hinterland (Hintere Saechsische Schweiz) between the Elbe and the state border with the Czech Republic and including the Schrammsteinen, Grosser Winterberg, Grosser Zschand and Kirnitzsch valley. (KEYSTONE/LAIF/Daniel Rosenthal)