Butterberg, Mountain summit in Bad Harzburg, Germany

The Butterberg is an elongated ridge of the northern Harz foothills directly north of Bad Harzburg's town centre. Its crest, wooded along a narrow strip, reaches about 325 m; the slopes fall north to the Kattenbach and west to the Radau. The ridge consists of steeply inclined Upper Cretaceous calcareous sandstone.

The summit received protection status in 1952, marking an important moment in preserving Lower Saxony's natural heritage. This designation helped ensure the long-term conservation of the hillside and its surroundings.

The name derives from Low German buten ("outside"), so a Butterberg is a hill lying outside or at the edge of a settlement; many such hills exist in German-speaking regions. The elongated crest has been a nature reserve since 1952, covering 6 hectares, and the hill lies within the Harz–Brunswick Land–Eastphalia Geopark.

The Butterberg is climbed on paths and trails that start from the L 501 south of the hill or from side streets running through the residential areas up to the southern slopes. Adventure trails run on and across the hill, and the E11 long-distance footpath passes southeast of it, with connections up to the ridge.

The rock formations display steeply inclined strata that belong to the Northern Harz Boundary Fault system. This geological structure reveals tectonic processes that have shaped the broader Harz landscape over millions of years.