Wolfenstein, Natural rock formation in Tirschenreuth, Germany

The Wolfenstein is an isolated granite rock formation between Tirschenreuth and Hohenwald in Bavaria. Strong wool-sack weathering has shaped the blocks so they look like stacked sacks. The massive granite contains feldspar inclusions of varying sizes.

The sources record no founding date or charter for the Wolfenstein; the 1283 boundary-marker claim is unsupported. What is documented is its status: the Bavarian State Office for the Environment lists it as geotope 377R017 and as a natural monument. Local tradition holds that the rock served as an old Germanic sacrificial stone.

The name Wolfenstein translates roughly as "Wolf-Stone". An old legend holds that a great treasure chamber of gold, silver and gemstones lies beneath the rock and opens every Palm Sunday. The formation is also said to have served as an ancient Germanic sacrificial stone.

The Wolfenstein stands between Tirschenreuth and Hohenwald; the Bavarian State Office for the Environment lists it as geotope 377R017 and as a natural monument. Approach on foot through the forest and wear sturdy shoes, since the granite blocks are weathered into rounded, sack-like shapes.

The Wolfenstein is listed by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as a geotope (377R017) and as a natural monument. Its coarse granite holds feldspar crystals of differing sizes, visible in the blocks.