The Königsstuhl — King's Chair — is the most famous of the chalk cliffs that line the eastern flank of Jasmund National Park, a white wall rising 118 metres above the Baltic. From the viewing platform on top you look down at the chalk falling sheer into a turquoise sea, with the dark line of beech forest curling away on either side.
The cliff itself is fragile and constantly eroding — chunks the size of houses calve off after winter storms, which is why visitors are now kept back from the very edge. The König-Stuhl Nationalpark Zentrum at the entrance covers the geology, the fossils that wash out of the chalk, and the ecology of the ancient beech forest. A long set of stairs leads down to the beach below, where you can walk along the foot of the cliffs back to Sassnitz — one of the best walks on the island.
Access is by shuttle bus from Hagen car park; private cars are not allowed at the cliff itself.