A total of ten proposals from different regions of the Geopark were received by the project office by March 26. "There were many, great geotopes among them and the selection was particularly difficult this year," says Kim Peis. The suggestion for the Riesenstein near Heimarshausen was provided by a Geopark guide from the GrenzWelten Geopark, Ms. Herwör Großenbach from Borken. "The geotope convinced in this case through archaeological value. In the crevice between the giant stone and the rock face of the mountain side, finds have been dated to the early Mesolithic period (about 10,000 years)" emphasizes Peis. The geotope is also easily accessible and connected to hiking trails of the Naturparks Habichtswald (hiking parking lot Ferienhof Schneider).
The Riesenstein is a prominent mushroom rock in the southwest of the Habichtswald Hills. The approximately 8m high natural monument is part of a cliff-like rock formation on the crest of the Ziegenrücken and consists of sandstones of the Middle Buntsandstein (approx. 245 million years). Particularly striking is the rough and partly pitted to warben-like surface of the gray-beige rock.
The unusual geomorphology of the Mushroom Rock was created by chemical and physical weathering processes on the surface of the rock.
However, if one believes the legend, the devil is said to have thrown the rock against Naumburg when the church was built there. However, the stone got caught on his sleeve and thus came to a standstill in its present place!
For more information, please contact the project office of the GrenzWelten Geopark and the Habichtswald Nature Park.
Bildquelle: Paavo Blofield
On the way to the Riesenstein you will pass the site where the armored amphibians were found in a sandstone quarry!
Here you can find more information about the site and the fossil finds...