Asummit cross is aChristian cross on thesummit of amountain orhill that marks the top. Often there will be asummit register (Gipfelbuch) at the cross, either in a container or other weatherproof case.
The practice originated in theGerman Alps, where it is known as aGerman:Gipfelkreuz. Various other forms of marking or symbol such ascairns,prayer flags orovoos may be found around the world on passes and hills, especiallysacred mountains. In theItalian Alps and other places, aMadonna is sometimes placed at the summit instead of a cross.
Summit crosses are normally about two to four metres high and are usually made of wood or metal. In April 2010, the world's first glass summit cross was erected on theSchartwand (2,339 m) inSalzburg'sTennengebirge mountains.[1] Summit crosses are mainly found in Catholic regions of theAlps, especially in Austria, Switzerland and Bavaria, mountainous regions of Poland, but also in America, in areas with both Protestant and Catholic populations. InSlovenia, summit crosses were traditionally placed on mountaintops as symbols of faith, but their numbers were limited during thecommunist regime inYugoslavia. They usually stand on mountains whose summits are above thetree line, but they are also found in the GermanCentral Uplands, for example in theBlack Forest on theHerzogenhorn.
The tradition of a summit cross probably started in early Christian times, possibly linked topilgrimage andmonasticism, albeit unrecorded. By the end of the 13th century, a few large crosses had been erected in passes and on hills. Examples from this period include theConfin Cross inSt. Valentin on theMals Heath, which also acted as a boundary marker, or crosses on theArlberg, theGardena Pass orBirnlücke.[2] An early example of a large cross, visible from the valley floor, being set up on a mountain top, occurred during the first successful climb ofMont Aiguille in 1492, when three crosses were put up at the corner of the summit plateau.[3] In the 16th century crosses were erected with increasing frequency on mountain peaks, especially for the purpose of marking alpine pasture and municipal boundaries. In the 17th century, especially during theThirty Years' War, these religious symbols gained importance. The crosses of this period were mostly simple wooden ones hewn from branches found near the site, orhouse crucifixes. During this time crosses were often made with two cross beams in the form of so-calledpatriarchal crosses (orScheyern crosses). These "weather crosses" were intended to supersede the old pagan superstitions associated with thunder, storm and hail. Further layers ofChristian imagery as perceived by theRomantic generation made summit crosses a motif favoured by the painterCaspar David Friedrich in more than one of his mystic landscapes.[4]
During the 19th century the summits of many mountains were adorned with what were usually simple, wooden crosses during the course ofmountaineering expeditions orsurvey work, both of which were on the increase. Large summit crosses in the modern sense — that is, pieces designed specifically for mountaintops by expert craftsmen — were not really introduced until the end of the 19th century. One known exception is that of theKleinglockner andGrossglockner, which were given large summit crosses in 1799 and 1800 as part of their first ascent.[2] These crosses, in addition to their religious importance, also served scientific functions aslightning conductors, and bases for meteorological instruments such asbarometers.[5] During the 19th century, there were several attempts to erect secular symbols such as pyramids,obelisks or flags instead of crosses, usually dedicated to secular rulers. One example was the construction of the so-called Emperor Obelisk on theOrtler in 1888.[6] The 20th century introduced modern materials and technology: a summit cross erected in 1977 onCarrauntoohil, the highest summit inIreland, originally featured a windmill that powered lightbulbs on the cross.[7]
What summit crosses may express can be exemplified by those erected and re-erected on the comparatively insignificantButte de Warlencourt, a pre-Christiantumulus on theSomme, only some 20m above the surrounding terrain but a scene of intense fighting duringWorld War I, when it was the objective of costly and fruitless British attacks during thebattle of the Somme: "thispagan memorial was Christianized by bombardment and large numbers of dead," and claimed with first a British cross (1917), then a German one (1918), the latter being removed during the interwar period and replaced by soldiers of the Wehrmacht, in "a symbolic conflict of ownership fought with cruciform images."[8]
The erection of summit crosses experienced a boom in the early 20th century. After the First World War and even after the Second World War, many new crosses were erected. Communities often organized this sometimes very expensive and logistically difficult task on very high mountain peaks in the memory of the fallen, and war veterans in particular were often involved in their installation.[2] A superlative example is theHeroes' Cross on Caraiman Peak, in theBucegi Mountains ofRomania at an altitude of 2291m — the largest construction of this sort in the world (as recognized in 2013 by theGuinness World Records). Built between 1926 and 1928 to honor fallen heroes of the First World War, great efforts were put into its construction, the location being so high and so remote.Marie of Edinburgh,Queen of Romania, and KingFerdinand of Romania initiated and supervised its construction, supported by war veterans' associations, local businesses and many local volunteers. The Cross is 36m high, with its horizontal arms spanning 14m; it has many lightbulbs covering its entire face on thePrahova Valley side, and at commissioning had an electrical generator in its base enabling its light to be seen from a great distance.[9] Nowadays, it is connected to the electrical grid. Under theCommunist regime, it was endangered by plans to transform it into a totally different symbol, by removing the horizontal arms and adding ared star on top.
Another famous example from this period is the cross at theZuckerhütl, whose construction in 1947 was dramatized on film a year later.[10] Today, summit crosses are often put up by the localtourist association or branch of theAlpine Club.
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