The Gegensteine are crags near the town of

Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...

on the northern edge of the

Harz Mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, 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 nam ...

in Germany. There are two: the Großer Gegenstein and Kleiner Gegenstein ("Great Gegenstein" and "Little Gegenstein"). They are striking, free-standing

rock pinnacle A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire. is a natural geomorphological ...

s and outliers of the

Teufelsmauer The Teufelsmauer (Ore Mountains), Teufelsmauer (German for "Devil's Wall") is a famous natural rock formation located in the Harz, Harz Mountains of central Germany. It stretches across the state of Saxony-Anhalt and is known for its striking, jagge ...

. They lie within the ''Gegensteine–Schierberg''

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. The Großer Gegenstein () can be ascended by means of ladders and steps carved out of the rock. A cross was erected on its summit in 1863 by order of the Prince of Anhalt; it was replaced in 1993. From the summit there are extensive views over the Harz Mountains and its northern foreland. Near the Kleiner Gegenstein () there used to be a site used for driver training purposes by the ''

Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik The Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik (GST), lit. "Sport and Technology Association", was one of the East German "Mass Organizations". Officially, it was established to structure the free time of young people interested in sports and te ...

'' during East German times.

External links

Ballenstedt {{Harz-geo-stub