The dance of the devils

For rational, sober-thinking people, the Devil's Wall in Saxony-Anhalt is merely a rock formation made of hard sandstones from the upper chalk in the northern Harz foreland. For people with imagination, however, it is much more than that.

What do films as different as "The Pope Joan", "The Medicus" and the whimsical "1 ½ Knights - in search of the adorable Herzelinde" have in common? You guessed it: In all three productions, the Devil's Wall in the Harz Mountains also plays a role as a motif, this strange rock formation that has attracted nature lovers in Saxony-Anhalt for generations. The bizarre sandstone landscape was supposedly created by a dispute between God and the devil, which the latter lost. The rocky landscape begins with so-called Gegensteinen northwest of Ballenstedt and ends between Timmenrode and Blankenburg. It is not only this long rock spectacle that stimulates the imagination of the visitors who hike along a rather newly laid out hiking route of 35 kilometers between Ballenstedt and Blankenburg, but also the names of the rocks: There are the knight's stairs and the devil's hole, the Brocken view and the grandfather, there are cow stables and devil's chairs. And good luck to the one who lands in time in the thunderstorm grotto under appropriate climatic conditions... And just by the way: The area has been under nature protection since 1852, but the reason for this is curious. It is a "rare natural feature".