Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth
Encyclopedia
The Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth is a felsenmeer
made of granite
blocks several metres across and is part of the Großes Labyrinth Nature Reserve near Wunsiedel
in Germany
. For a long time its formation was believed to have been caused by natural disasters such as earthquake
s. Today it is known that processes such as weathering
and erosion
over a long period of time are much more likely to have been responsible for the formation of the rock labyrinth.
Goethe
wrote in 1820
The well-rounded shapes of the individual blocks were formed by woolsack weathering
in the tropical, humid climate of the Tertiary
period. Over the course of time they were left behind as the ground around was eroded; they became unstable and began to shift. This resulted in the jumble of rocks with wild, romantic paths through the narrow clefts and steep steps.
) named after Queen Louise
was already being exploited for tourism in the 18th century and it is also well-known today as a result of the natural amphitheatre surrounded by rocks as well as the annual Luisenburg Pageant that take place there.
The concept of opening it up and exploiting it was heavily influenced by the Society for the Portrayal of the History, Customs and Rights of the Fatherland (Gesellschaft zur Aufklärung vaterländischer Geschichte, Sitte und Rechte) established in Wunsiedel in 1784. The local townsfolk began around 1790 to turn the rocky area into a landscape garden. The first construction phase lasted until about 1800 and resulted in the name Luxburg. Visitors to the site had to stoop or even crawl if they wanted to explore its natural beauty. For the nobility of the time this was a rare posture that for many of them gave it an additional charm. In 1805 the Prussian queen visited the prehistoric, natural wonder with her husband, Frederick William III
and, totally spellbound, told her son about the experience. A second construction phase took place between 1811 and 1815. The Luisenburg developed into a jewel of civic culture and landscape architecture.
The terrain was used in 1794 for the singspiel
Die kleine Ährenleserin by Johann Adam Hiller and Christian Felix Weiße
.
The site is owned and maintained by Wunsiedel town council (forestry department). They charge an entry price of EUR 4.00 for adults (as of September 2010) (with reductions for children, etc.), which is used for the care and preservation of this natural monument
.
Felsenmeer
The term felsenmeer comes from the German meaning 'sea of rock'. In a felsenmeer , freeze-thaw weathering has broken up the top layer of the rock, covering the underlying rock formation with jagged, angular bolders...
made of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
blocks several metres across and is part of the Großes Labyrinth Nature Reserve near Wunsiedel
Wunsiedel
Wunsiedel is the county town of the Upper Franconian district of Wunsiedel in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town became well known for its annual Luisenburg Festival and the Rudolf Hess Memorial March held by the Neo-Nazis here until 2005.- Geography :...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. For a long time its formation was believed to have been caused by natural disasters such as earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s. Today it is known that processes such as weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
and erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
over a long period of time are much more likely to have been responsible for the formation of the rock labyrinth.
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
wrote in 1820
The well-rounded shapes of the individual blocks were formed by woolsack weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
in the tropical, humid climate of the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period. Over the course of time they were left behind as the ground around was eroded; they became unstable and began to shift. This resulted in the jumble of rocks with wild, romantic paths through the narrow clefts and steep steps.
Tourism
The jumble of rocks (a blockfieldBlockfield
A blockfield or felsenmeer is a surface covered by block-sized angular rocks usually associated alpine and subpolar climates and periglaciation...
) named after Queen Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
was already being exploited for tourism in the 18th century and it is also well-known today as a result of the natural amphitheatre surrounded by rocks as well as the annual Luisenburg Pageant that take place there.
The concept of opening it up and exploiting it was heavily influenced by the Society for the Portrayal of the History, Customs and Rights of the Fatherland (Gesellschaft zur Aufklärung vaterländischer Geschichte, Sitte und Rechte) established in Wunsiedel in 1784. The local townsfolk began around 1790 to turn the rocky area into a landscape garden. The first construction phase lasted until about 1800 and resulted in the name Luxburg. Visitors to the site had to stoop or even crawl if they wanted to explore its natural beauty. For the nobility of the time this was a rare posture that for many of them gave it an additional charm. In 1805 the Prussian queen visited the prehistoric, natural wonder with her husband, Frederick William III
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
and, totally spellbound, told her son about the experience. A second construction phase took place between 1811 and 1815. The Luisenburg developed into a jewel of civic culture and landscape architecture.
The terrain was used in 1794 for the singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
Die kleine Ährenleserin by Johann Adam Hiller and Christian Felix Weiße
Christian Felix Weiße
Christian Felix Weiße was a German writer and pedagogue. Weiße was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children's literature.-Life:...
.
Today
Today the rock labyrinth is a popular destination and can be appreciated by anyone with stout footwear. Children also enjoy climbing and crawling over the rocks. In 2006 the rock labyrinth was awarded the status of a national geotope.The site is owned and maintained by Wunsiedel town council (forestry department). They charge an entry price of EUR 4.00 for adults (as of September 2010) (with reductions for children, etc.), which is used for the care and preservation of this natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
.
Sources
- Karl Braun: Luisenburg. Ein vergessener Landschaftsgarten der Frühromantik. Jonas, Marburg 2005, ISBN 3-89445-349-4
- Dr. Hans Vollet und Kathrin Heckel: Die Ruinenzeichnungen des Plassenburgkartographen Johann Christoph Stierlein. 1987.