The Elfenstein is a hill spur, about , in the northern foothills of the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

of central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the site of the eponymous

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

rock formation above the town of

Bad Harzburg Bad Harzburg (; Eastphalian: ''Bad Harzborch'') is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa and climatic health resort. Geogra ...

. It is located in the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

in the county of

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

in the state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Location

The Elfenstein lies in the

Upper Harz The Upper Harz (german: Oberharz, ) refers to the northwestern and higher part of the Harz mountain range in Germany. The exact boundaries of this geographical region may be defined differently depending on the context. In its traditional sense, th ...

within the Harz Nature Park. It rises west of the town of Bad Harzburg and southwest of the village of

Bündheim Bündheim (; nds, label= Oker dialect, Binten ) is a village that forms a part (''Stadtteil'') of Bad Harzburg in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. As of 2020, Bündheim had a population of 5,204. Geography Bündheim is position ...

between the valley of the Gläsecke to the west and that of the Bleiche to the east.

Description and history

On the hill is the

rock formation also known as the ''Elfenstein'' (ca. ), which was first mentioned in the records in 1578 as ''Elwenstein''. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the rocks were seen as a dwelling place for

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes " ...

and similar creatures. Excavations in the area indicate that it has been settled in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. On the northeastern slope of the wooded hill, near the way between the Bleichebach and the old ''Silberborn'', in 1857 an old Germanic dwelling and gravesite were discovered.

Views and walks

The ''Elfenstein'' rocks, which may be climbed by means of steps, are no. 120 in the system of checkpoints in the

Harzer Wandernadel The Harzer Wandernadel is a system of hiking awards in the Harz mountains in central Germany. The hiker (or mountain biker) can earn awards at different levels of challenge by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and stamping his or ...

hiking network. From the top there are views of Bad Harzburg and the northern

Harz Foreland The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

References

Topographic ma
Elfenstein
at natur-erleben.niedersachsen.de Harzer Wandernadel
Checkpoint 120 – ''Elfenstein''
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105044235/http://www.harzer-wandernadel.de/home/stempelstellen_details.php?id=120 , date=2012-11-05 at harzer-wandernadel.de
at ausflugsziele-harz.de
at woick-wandern.de Hills of the Harz