Camel or King: Well-hidden is half-lost

 

In the unassuming town of Westerhausen, nestled in the northern foothills of the Harz Mountains, the so-called Königsstein Rock adorns the town’s coat of arms. Officials have at least acknowledged that this peculiar rock formation points to an ancient place of worship—and excavations in the immediate vicinity seem to support this theory. But what exactly lies behind this stony mystery?

 

The Königstein, or Camel Rock, perched on a hill, is so densely overgrown that you can’t get a clear view of the entire rock formation. Reason enough to hike up those few meters to get a better look. In any case, you shouldn’t just happen to stop along the country road and notice this formation. You can be sure of that.

 

Here, it looks unremarkable and is clearly hidden by dense underbrush from a few meters away. The rock formation continues to the right, but it’s impossible to capture the whole thing with a standard camera from a distance. Next time, I’ll bring the drone.

 

 

What are we looking at? A rock formation shaped like a camel on a hill—or is it something else?

 

Anyone who already has the word “camel” in mind and approaches the hill from the highway will indeed recognize a rock formation resembling a camel. But only because the word is already in your mind and you’ve read about it beforehand. Without that reference, I personally wouldn’t spontaneously think of a camel.

 

Which doesn’t surprise me at all: The panorama is—as is so often the case with such sites—meticulously shielded from view by young vegetation and thus hidden from a casual glance. Even in March, when the trees have barely any leaves, the view is significantly obstructed. The reason for this lies literally right in front of you: densely planted young trees block any clear view of the formation. This planting is said to have existed only since the 1960s.

 

So what now? Coincidence or design, this business with the dense younger planting in front of it?

 

I’m betting on the latter. The property (at least the ridge line) is said to belong to the church—and this rock anomaly has likely been a thorn in the clergy’s side since time immemorial. Whether church or state organizations. Such structures have always been (or, more recently, increasingly so) camouflaged, removed, or repurposed by virtually all authorities. A pattern I’m all too familiar with.

 

Front view. The camel, which strikes me more as a giant lizard positioned like a sphinx, shows clear signs of carving. Especially at the top of the head and along the chest.

 

Close-up of the “snout.” Here, I can clearly see areas where the surface has been chiseled.

 

 

A kind of solar calendar carved in stone?

 

This camel-like rock formation isn’t just randomly placed in the landscape. Its orientation runs parallel to the edge of the Harz Mountains—and apparently not without reason. It appears to be a prominent solar observation point, aligned with the most important astronomical events of the year. At least that is the conclusion reached by a YouTuber and local historian, whom I would like to acknowledge here along with his video (see below):

 

- Equinoxes: Sunrise over the Lehofberg near Quedlinburg – Sunset over the Brocken

- Summer solstice: Sunrise over the Markberg at Hakel – Sunset in the large Sonnental valley on the Hoppelberg

Winter solstice: Sunrise near the Gegensteine (Ballenstedt) or the Eselstall – Sunset over the so-called Heiligen Land (a nearby place name).

 

I have not personally verified these alignments, but I consider them plausible. Local historian Werner K. has certainly verified them reliably.

 

 

 

A camel, a dragon, or something else entirely?

 

Then there’s the shape itself. Officially: a camel with humps, formed by natural erosion of the sandstone. Upon closer inspection—and I’ve personally examined the formation up close—a completely different picture emerges:

 

I see two dragon-like creatures one behind the other, whose flanks are certainly partially covered by too much soil.

 

Here is the second section of the dragon (behind the first). The narrative here makes use of a continuous “camel body.” There is a break between the two creatures, and in my view, the corresponding head formed at the top marks the beginning of the second creature. Side view from the left.

 

Here's a slightly closer zoom yyy

 

 

Here is a close-up of the head from the side (the nostrils on the left, the eye sockets in the center). But perhaps one might interpret it differently. At any rate, this is my interpretation, which is that the rock formation consists of two separate shapes.

 

 

Incidentally, the camel motif isn’t even a hundred years old. Personally, I find that both the design and historical-symbolic considerations point more toward the depiction of two giant lizards—but as I said: it’s purely a matter of opinion.

 

Despite all the fascination, one thing must not be overlooked: the site is badly damaged. During my admittedly cursory inspection, I noticed numerous signs of alteration—and it is now almost impossible to distinguish which depressions are attributable to the original purpose (possible shell sections or seating areas) and which to later mill or sandstone quarrying.

 

 

Here are the traces of the work done on the rear section. On the one hand, to extract “clean” sandstone free of veins (with a surprisingly smooth break surface, which gives one pause once again); on the other hand, to possibly create seating areas on the backs of both “lizards.”

 

 

 

A significant portion of the material was likely deliberately dismantled for construction purposes—on behalf of the church, as it is said. I suspect here the deliberate destruction of an important landmark: a place that once served astronomy, specific cults, and possibly a symbolic visual language, which today survives only in fragments and without any discernible context.

 

Here is the rear section of the rocky ridge.

 

Whether the entire site originally served as a counterpart to the Sun Chariot—as a grand cosmic symbol in stone and landscape—remains to be seen. At least from a figurative perspective, the site in its current state does not remind me of it.

 

It would be worthwhile to explore the site again with a drone and spend more time there investigating further clues. Personally, I certainly haven’t been there for the last time.