Denkmal für Maximilian Schmidt (Großer Riedelstein)

A stone tower stands on the summit of the Great Riedelstein, a rocky peak on the border between Niederbayern and the Oberpfalz. Built in 1909, it honours Hofrat Maximilian Schmidt, the poet known as Waldschmidt, who died in 1919. The design came from Georg von Hauberrisser, who shaped the summit into a solid stone tower in the historicist style of a medieval town gate.

Hauberrisser’s tower rises from the bare rock and ends in a tented roof topped by a stone ball. On the south face a bronze relief by Munich sculptor and founder Hans Klement shows Waldschmidt’s portrait. Below it, the original inscription was replaced in 1974 with a new plaque.

Visitors reach the summit along a steep path that crosses the rugged ridge. The tower itself is small and sturdy, offering no interior rooms but commanding wide views across the surrounding mountains. The contrast between the rough rock and the carefully cut stonework gives the place a quiet dignity.