Externsteine Rocks

North Rhine-Westphalia (State), Germany

About Externsteine Rocks

The Externsteine Rocks are located in the Teutoburger Forest in north-west Germany. They are a series of five sandstone columns, the tallest of which is 37.5 m...

Externsteine Rocks has a Easy difficulty level and is Family Friendly.
North Rhine-Westphalia (State), Germany
Latitude: 51.868928, Longitude: 8.917459

Activities

Walking
Hiking
Landscape Photography
Wildlife Watching

About Externsteine Rocks

About Externsteine Rocks

The Externsteine Rocks are located in the Teutoburger Forest in north-west Germany. They are a series of five sandstone columns, the tallest of which is 37.5 m (123 ft) and together they form a wall several hundreds of meters long. 

Flora and Fauna

The rocks lie within the Teutoburg Forest / Egge Hills Nature Park, which is home to the rare wild cat as well as red deer, fallow deer and wild boar. It is forbidden to climb on some parts of the rocks, which are a habitat for rare plant species.

Activities

Visitors can climb the rocks via two staircases carved in the rock, one leading to a viewing platform and one to a well preserved prehistoric chapel. They may also climb the sides of the rock without stairs, although some parts are protected to prevent damage to fragile flora. A scene of The Descent from the Cross from the Christian religion is carved at the base of one of the rocks. Another is topped with a rocking stone which is now anchored by iron hooks.

The site has a long and fascinating history.