BASTEI - SAXON SWITZERLAND BASTEI - SAXON SWITZERLAND Bastei translated from German means Bastion, and at a glance you can guess why this place is called so. It is situated on the river Elbe near Dresden in the German state of Saxony. Bastei was formed in the process of erosion over a million years ago. In the first half of the XIX century it became so popular that there have built a bridge connecting several rocks - which itself has become a miracle of engineering. The monumental building was built of wood in 1824. Just off the bridge you realize how high it is situated on the Elbe - almost 200 meters it rises on the river. In fact, the bridge leads nowhere. He simply thrown over the cliff, forming bastei. Soon, when the number of tourists has increased significantly and the bridge could not withstand such loads in 1851 it was replaced by a more rugged sandstone. Length architectural monument extends 76.5 meters. Within a century the construction of the bridge, Bastion