Feuersteinklippe, Granite rock formation in Wernigerode, Germany

Feuersteinklippe is a granite rock formation on the slope of Erdbeerberg in Wernigerode, featuring characteristic rounded boulders. These stones were naturally shaped through weathering processes over thousands of years.

The granite of the Feuersteinklippe is part of the Harz mountain basement. On 4 September 1784, Goethe and the painter Georg Melchior Kraus stopped here for geological studies, as a panel on the rock recalls. The name's origin remains uncertain: Walther Grosse in 1929 suggested the hard granite strikes sparks with steel, while an older explanation points to cultic or signal fires on the nearby Schierker Feuersteinwiesen.

The name is linked to the Schierker Feuersteinwiesen to the southeast. Walther Grosse wrote in 1929 that the granite here is so hard it strikes sparks from steel; a derivation from cultic or signal fires is probably legend, and the origin remains unclear. The Schierker Feuerstein herbal liqueur, made in Schierke, is named after the rocks and shows them on its label.

The site is accessible through marked hiking trails in Harz National Park, and visitors should stay on designated paths. Ground conditions vary with seasons and weather, so careful footing is needed especially after rain.

An information board on the rocks records the visit of Goethe and the painter Georg Melchior Kraus, who came here on 4 September 1784 for geological studies. The Schierker Feuerstein herbal liqueur, made in Schierke, takes its name from the rocks and shows them on its bottle label.