The Steinerne Rose is a rare

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. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

. It is a

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...

rock formation, that originated on the sea bed from outflowing

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

in the middle

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

, i.e. about 400 million years ago. The lava formed pillow-like bodies which have an internal structure of concentric layers. Over thousands, if not millions, of years these layers have been weathered out (''

exfoliation joint Exfoliation joints or sheet joints are surface-parallel fracture systems in rock, and often leading to erosion of concentric slabs. ''(See Joint (geology)).'' General characteristics of exfoliation joints * Commonly follow topography. * Divid ...

s''), giving the bodies the appearance of rosebuds in bloom. The Steinerne Rose is located about 700 metres north of Kloster, a village in the borough of

Saalburg-Ebersdorf Saalburg-Ebersdorf is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany close to the Bavarian border. It is situated on the river Saale, 10 km southwest of Schleiz, 30 km west of Plauen and 30 km north-west of Hof. Th ...

in the district of

Saale-Orla-Kreis Saale-Orla is a ''Kreis'' (Districts of Germany, district) in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Saale-Holzland, Greiz (district), Greiz, the Vogtlandkreis in Saxony, the Bavarian dist ...

in the central German state of

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

, on the local road known as the ''Reußische Fürstenstraße'' (L 1095), immediately on the right in front of the bridge over the old Schleiz–Saalburg railway. There are several smaller stone roses on the Schlossfelsen rocks in Ronneburg. Stamps of Germany (DDR) 1977, MiNr 2206

External links

Website for Saalburg-Ebersdorf

Natural monuments in Thuringia Rock formations of Thuringia Saale-Orla-Kreis {{Thuringia-geo-stub