Klusfelsen

Near Halberstadt in the Harz foreland you will find the Klusfelsen. The sandstone formation, which is 250 metres above sea level, measures 20 metres in height. They are especially significant because of their 50-metre extension, which is unique of its kind in Germany. The rocks are easily accessible and are suitable for a quick excursion.

How do you get to the Klusfelsen?

If you want to explore the sandstone formation on a hiking tour, you start from Halberstadt. Your route could look like this:

1. Go to the car park on Kirschallee.
2. Follow the road in an easterly direction until you reach Hans-Neupert-Straße. This becomes the street Vor der Klus.
3. Keep straight on until you reach the Klus waterworks.
4. Turn right into the forest and follow the footpaths.
5. In front of you, you will see the Fünffingerfelsen on the left and the Teufelskanzel on the right. Follow the path that leads between the two rock formations and keep left.
6. The path leads you around the Klusfelsen and right up to it.

This is what awaits you on the ascent to the sandstone rocks

If you climb the path to the sandstone formation, you will be offered an unobstructed view of the surroundings: in addition to the other sandstone rocks such as the Fünffingerfelsen, you will see the area around the Spiegelsberge as well as parts of Halberstadt.

Inside the rocks, which are lined up next to each other, caves connected by passages await you. The largest is 10 metres long and 8 metres wide. It is called the upper cave or Klause. To the east of it is the so-called chapel. You can recognise it by a cross carved into the rock. Next to these two caves, there are other cavities that are smaller and resemble storage cellars.

How the Klusfelsen near Halberstadt got their name

The sandstone from which the rocks near Halberstadt are made was formed 110 million years ago during the Lower Cretaceous in a shallow sea. In the Old Tertiary, which began 66 million years ago, the formed stone rose in layers. These vertical layers can still be seen today.

Finds indicate that people were already settling in these mountains in the Neolithic period. However, the Klusfelsen was first mentioned in a document in 1070 when the nuns of the Münzeberg Monastery in Quedlinburg built a hermitage there. The stay of a hermit is even confirmed in a document: A man named Tile Voigt moved into the hermitage without permission and got himself into a legal dispute with the nuns of the monastery.

At that time, hermits were called Klausner, which is where the name of the rock comes from. But they were not the only ones who used the sandstone massif: In the caves you will find stonemasons' marks from the 15th century. This is because the stonemasons involved in the construction of Halberstadt Cathedral at that time met every Sunday in the cave system. Evidence from the early 16th century, shortly after the Reformation, shows that a brotherhood of shepherds and shepherdesses also lived there. At that time, the caves were no longer used as a chapel. However, this changed again at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1983, the chapel was even renovated.

The uncertain future of the Klusfelsen

Sandstone is soft and therefore easily damaged. Weather conditions, the roots of the surrounding trees, but also vandalism have taken their toll on the rock in recent decades. To slow down the decay, Halberstadt regularly soaks the sandstone. In addition, supporting pillars have been inserted inside the cave system and some areas have been closed off with grids. During your visit, you will therefore only see some of the caves from the outside. To avoid causing additional damage, visitors are not allowed to climb the rock or take rock samples. If you wish, you can also support the conservation measures with donations.