Externsteine
Sign in to saveThe Externsteine () is a distinctive sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg in the Lippe district of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills. The Hermannsweg, a long-distance hiking trail, passes through the formation.
Key facts
- Landform.name
- Externsteine
- Landform.image
- Externsteine High Resolution v2 2015.jpg
- Landform.caption
- Externsteine seen from the southwest
- Landform.image_size
- 300px
- Landform.pushpin_map
- Germany
- Landform.map_caption
- Location in Germany
- Landform.location
- near Detmold
- Landform.range
- Teutoburger Wald
- Landform.type
- Tor
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Name
- Geology
- Description of the human-made structures
- History
- Prehistory
- Middle Ages
- Early modern period
- 18th and 19th centuries
- 20th century
- Today
- References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- External links
The Externsteine () is a distinctive sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg in the Lippe district of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills. The Hermannsweg, a long-distance hiking trail, passes through the formation.
In a popular tradition going back to an idea proposed to Hermann Hamelmann in 1564, the Externsteine are identified as a sacred site of the pagan Saxons, and the location of the Irminsul idol reportedly destroyed by Charlemagne; there is however no archaeological evidence that would confirm the site's use during the relevant period.