The ''Ottofels'' ("Otto Rock"), named after Prince Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode, is a

tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

and

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. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...

near

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

in 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 ...

. The ''Ottofels'' or Ottofelsen lie about 2.5 km southwest of

Hasserode Hasserode has been a quarter in the town of Wernigerode in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt since 1907. Location Hasserode lies at the foot of the Harz Mountains in the valley of the River Holtemme, whose upper reaches include the water ca ...

in the borough of Wernigerode. It can only be reached on foot, either from the

Steinerne Renne The Steinerne Renne is a waterfall and natural monument near the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of central Germany. Location The Steinerne Renne is east of the Harz National Park in the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park. It lies south ...

halt on the

Harz Railway The Harz Railway or Trans-Harz Railway (german: Harzquerbahn) was formerly the main line of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or ''HSB'') and runs north to south right across the Harz Mountains from Wernigerode to Nordhau ...

and

Brocken Railway The Brocken Railway (german: Brockenbahn) is one of three tourist metre gauge railways which together with the Harz Railway and Selke Valley Railway form the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways railway network in the Harz mountain range of Germany. It r ...

or from the car park at the junction of the Thumkuhle and Dränge valleys not far from the road to

Drei Annen Hohne Drei Annen Hohne is the name of a small settlement within the municipal area of Wernigerode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The place is located about southwest of the town within the Harz mountains, on the northeastern edge of the Harz National Park. ...

. The rocks stand at a height of 584 metres above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

and are 36 metres high. They are made of coarse-grained

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 ...

and have been weathered to form a

. On 27 July 1892 there was a ceremony to mark the completion of public access to the top, which consisted of several iron ladders. These ladders were replaced after the '' Wende'' in 1990. In addition the ''Ottofels'' is used for rock climbing by

mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbin ...

. From the summit there is a panoramic view of the mountains and valleys of the Harz as far as its highest peak, the

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and El ...

, and far over the northern Harz Foreland. The ''Ottofels'' is checkpoint no. 27 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.

Photographs

File:Ottofelsen2.jpg File:Ottofelsen5.jpg File:Ottofelsen6.jpg File:Ottofelsen7.jpg ''See also'': Rock formations in the Harz

References

''Der Ottofelsen''
auf harzlife.de
auf ausflugsziele-harz.de Harzer Wandernadel
''Stempelstelle 27 / Ottofelsen''
auf harzer-wandernadel.de {{Coord, 51, 47, 49, N, 10, 42, 43, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title Rock formations of the Harz Rock formations of Saxony-Anhalt Natural monuments in Saxony-Anhalt