Königstein (Westerhausen)
Encyclopedia
The Königstein is a high hill in the northern Harz Foreland in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
. It is also known as the Kamelfelsen ("Camel Rocks") due to its unusually shaped sandstone
rock formation.
(near Quedlinburg
) on the road towards Börnecke
. Its neighbouring hill to the northwest is the high Jätchenberg. The federal road B 6n
runs by to the north. The Königstein is a ridge running from northwest to southeast. Its northeastern flank is relatively steep, but its southwestern slopes fall away much more gently. It is mostly covered in deciduous forest. The vineyard on the southern slopes of the Königstein belongs to the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing area. The crest of the ridge is dominated by the striking Kamelfelsen rocks, whose name derives from their shape: seen from the south or north they are supposed to resemble two camels lying down.
, was created as a result of the formation of the fault-block mountain
s of the Harz
and the earth movements in the northern Harz Foreland resulting from it. Like the nearby Teufelsmauer, the Königstein is a "rib" of harder rock (Schichtrippe) from the Lower Cretaceous. The Königstein was first placed under protection as a geological feature in 1932 and has been registered as a natural monument
since 1997. There are several climbing routes on the Kamelfelsen up to climbing climbing grade VIIIb (Saxon grading)
.
as a cult site, and Germanic summer solstice
celebrations may have taken place here, as evinced by several "sun discs" (Sonnenräder) on the rocks. These are circular shapes cut into the rock, about 1 metre or more in diameter which are distributed around the lower part of the rocks on their northern side. Some sources, however, have interpreted these artifacts as millstone
s. There are also several archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity. The last important find was made during the construction of the German federal road B 6n which runs close by the site.
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. It is also known as the Kamelfelsen ("Camel Rocks") due to its unusually shaped sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rock formation.
Location and area
The Königstein lies in the northern Harz Foreland, northwest of WesterhausenWesterhausen
Westerhausen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 September 2010, it is part of the town Thale.- Nature conservation :...
(near Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval court and the old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
) on the road towards Börnecke
Börnecke
Börnecke is a village in the borough of Blankenburg in the northern Harz Foreland in the central German district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt....
. Its neighbouring hill to the northwest is the high Jätchenberg. The federal road B 6n
Bundesstraße 6n
The Bundesstraße 6n is a German federal road which was originally planned to be the A 36 motorway and is still currently under construction.It is intended to have four lanes running from the A 395 near Vienenburg through Wernigerode, Blankenburg, Quedlinburg, Aschersleben over the A 14 to...
runs by to the north. The Königstein is a ridge running from northwest to southeast. Its northeastern flank is relatively steep, but its southwestern slopes fall away much more gently. It is mostly covered in deciduous forest. The vineyard on the southern slopes of the Königstein belongs to the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing area. The crest of the ridge is dominated by the striking Kamelfelsen rocks, whose name derives from their shape: seen from the south or north they are supposed to resemble two camels lying down.
The Kamelfelsen
The Kamelfelsen consist of hardened sandstone, which also has very soft and crumbly sections. This rock formation, like the well-known TeufelsmauerTeufelsmauer (Harz)
The Teufelsmauer is a rock formation made of hard sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous in the northern part of the Harz Foreland in central Germany. This wall of rock runs from Blankenburg via Weddersleben and Rieder to Ballenstedt. The most prominent individual rocks of the Teufelsmauer have their...
, was created as a result of the formation of the fault-block mountain
Fault-block mountain
Fault-block landforms are formed when large areas of bedrock are widely broken up by faults creating large vertical displacements of continental crust....
s of the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
and the earth movements in the northern Harz Foreland resulting from it. Like the nearby Teufelsmauer, the Königstein is a "rib" of harder rock (Schichtrippe) from the Lower Cretaceous. The Königstein was first placed under protection as a geological feature in 1932 and has been registered as a natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
since 1997. There are several climbing routes on the Kamelfelsen up to climbing climbing grade VIIIb (Saxon grading)
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
.
History
The Königstein was probably used during the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
as a cult site, and Germanic summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
celebrations may have taken place here, as evinced by several "sun discs" (Sonnenräder) on the rocks. These are circular shapes cut into the rock, about 1 metre or more in diameter which are distributed around the lower part of the rocks on their northern side. Some sources, however, have interpreted these artifacts as millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s. There are also several archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity. The last important find was made during the construction of the German federal road B 6n which runs close by the site.
External links
- The Königstein near Westerhausen at harzlife.de