Josephskreuz Observation Tower – Stolberg Historic Old Town loop from Großer Auerberg

Hiking trails & Routes

Harz Mountains

Mansfeld-Südharz

Südharz

Josephskreuz Observation Tower – Stolberg Historic Old Town loop from Großer Auerberg

Moderate

4.6

(336)

1,039

hikers

Josephskreuz Observation Tower – Stolberg Historic Old Town loop from Großer Auerberg

03:44

12.4km

390m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily walkable paths. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Biosphärenreservat Karstlandschaft Südharz

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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1.03 km

Josephskreuz Observation Tower

Highlight • Monument

Wonderful view of the Harz. The HWN stamping point is also located here.

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1.08 km

Josephskreuz on the Great Auerberg

Highlight • Monument

The Joseph Cross is a must in the south-eastern Harz. It stands on Josephshöhe and is, so to speak, a piece of Paris in the Harz Mountains. The Joseph Cross …

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4.78 km

View of Stolberg Castle through the old town's alleys

Highlight • Viewpoint

The streets with their beautiful half-timbered houses in Stolberg are simply beautiful. It is definitely worth a visit.

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4.87 km

Beautiful half-timbered houses

Highlight • Historical Site

Only in a few cities are the historical buildings so well preserved.

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5.00 km

Half-timbered houses on the market square, Stolberg

Highlight • Historical Site

You can see very beautiful half-timbered houses here.👀

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5.17 km

Stolberg Town Hall

Highlight • Historical Site

The town hall from 1454 is an architectural curiosity because it has no staircase. Access to the upper floors is only possible via an external staircase, which also leads up to the late Gothic St. Martini Church.
Source: Wikipedia

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5.83 km

Viewpoint

6.14 km

View of Stolberg from the Lutherbuche

Highlight • Viewpoint

The small town of Stolberg is by far one of the most beautiful historical towns in the Harz Mountains. The place is beautifully at your feet from the Luther beech. …

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6.53 km

Stolberg Historic Old Town

Highlight • Historical Site

City of Stolberg (Harz) is a district of the municipality of Harz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt. The approximately 1400 inhabitants town in the Harz had city rights …

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12.4 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.95 km

3.23 km

799 m

395 m

Surfaces

5.18 km

5.05 km

1.18 km

682 m

231 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (580 m)

Lowest point (300 m)

Weather

Sunday 1 November

8°C

1°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 8.0 km/h

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Comments

April 5, 2024,Von Stolberg auf die Josephshöhe und zur Lutherbuche

Stolberg in the southern Harz is a dream of half-timbered houses and was the discovery of the holiday. There are beautiful half-timbered houses elsewhere, but here everything was just right: the views of the town from the surrounding hills showed that there are no ugly modern buildings disturbing the well-preserved ensemble.

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July 13, 2024,Stolberg - Josephskreuz - Stolberg

An easy hike with a highlight. Actually two highlights, because the whole of Stolberg itself is a highlight in itself. The Josephskreuz is impressive - definitely do it. There are numerous hikes

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October 28, 2021,Stolberg Harz - HWN 215 + 216

Nice little town ...

After a really long journey with various road closures around Stolberg, we arrive at the Kaltes Tal parking lot below the castle. The place is still in the light morning fog, the sunlight penetrates only slowly into the valley. We first hike up to the castle - the property, which has already been extensively renovated and …

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April 13, 2024,Josephskreuz (HWN215) - Lutherbuche (HWN216)

Today we wanted to do a little walk before our evening event in Stolberg.
We started at Stolberg train station, where you can park for free.
From there it felt like it was only going up towards Josephskreuz. Unfortunately the paths are not small forest paths, but they are easy to walk. We were alone the whole time and didn't …

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December 28, 2024,Stolberg - Josephskreuz

Today the weather in the Harz was wonderful again. So we wanted to use the day for another trip from Stolberg to the Josephskreuz.

Incidentally, Friedrich-Wilhelm Witte was the founder of the biscuit factory in Stolberg. Hence the name FriWi.
You can watch the production of chocolate and biscuits and drink coffee while you do so.

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July 19, 2023,Harz: Stolberg, Lutherbuche, Josephkreuz

The destination of today's hike was a city that we only know from driving through and visiting a swimming pool xx years ago. The basic conditions were negotiated: no visit to the castle, just a bit of walking on the pavement and the tour could be a little longer. So I incorporated the two stamp offices in the area into …

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September 25, 2025,Stolberg Lutherbuche und Josephshöhe - HWN 216, 215

Today was the day the HWN stamp booklet received its 2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣. stamp 😊. It was the Josephshöhe with the Josephskreuz, which had been chosen for this a few weeks ago. Definitely a good decision, because the building and the view are truly special. Together with the Luther Beech and the historic town of Stolberg, it was a worthy conclusion to …

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September 30, 2025,Wanderung zur Josephshöhe (Auerberg) (HWN 215), Lutherbuche Stolberg (HWN 216)

A wonderful combination of hiking, history, and enjoyment—with the Joseph's Cross, the idyllic half-timbered houses of Stolberg, the Luther Beech, and several opportunities for refreshment, this trail is highly recommended. 🍺🌲🏰

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