The „Großvaterfelsen“ (317 m above sea level), together with the „Großmutter“, forms the western end of the Teufelsmauer and is located on the eastern edge of Blankenburg.
It is one of the most imposing and highest cliffs of the Teufelsmauer and a landmark of Blankenburg. The cliff can be climbed with some skill via rock steps and iron stairs. The summit with its weather vane from 1998 offers a wonderful view of Blankenburg and the baroque garden with the Great and Small Castles. It is assumed that the name „Grandfather Rock“ dates back to the time of the Germanic tribes, who paid homage to their god Wotan here at the Great Father.
A special attraction is the so-called Löbbeckestieg, which leads to the right of the Großvaterfelsen to the Hamburger Wappen HWN 74 to Timmenrode. This ridge path was created in 1853 at the instigation of Blankenburg mayor Carl Löbbecke and offers a number of viewpoints of the surrounding countryside due to its location. The narrow path is partly carved into the rock and requires some surefootedness.
The rock rib of the Teufelsmauer (Devil’s Wall) emerges in three places over a length of 20 km between Ballenstedt in the south-east and Blankenburg (Harz) in the north-west. It begins with the Gegensteinen northwest of Ballenstedt. It continues south of Weddersleben, where the Königstein, the Mittelsteine and the Papensteine are lined up from south-east to north-west over a length of two kilometers. To the northwest, the rocky mountain range continues between Timmenrode and Blankenburg with the Hamburger Wappen, the Gewittergrotte, the Froschfelsen, the Heidelberg (331 m above sea level) and the Großvaterfelsen (317 m above sea level) with the Großmutter.
The best parking option is the guest parking lot of the town of Blankenburg (Harz) above the Small Castle. The service office of the Harz Hiking Needle is also located in the Small Castle. From there you cross Hasselfelder Straße (B81) and reach the Großvaterfelsen via Großvaterweg. The stamp box is located directly on the narrow path that leads up to the rock.
