Mülverstedt Cross

The Mülverstedter Kreuz stands on the so-called ‘Hohe Straße’, an important old pass road over the Hainich Höhenzug, which culminated in the ‘Rennstieg’ at the deserted small settlement of Ihlefeld (Betteleiche).

The explanatory board on the cross reads:
The Mülverstedter Kreuz was created at the end of the 15th century. It has no signs or inscriptions and differs from the design typical of northwest Thuringia: the arms are straight and noseless, and the angles of the side arms are not rounded.
This old land monument owes its name to the fact that it still belongs to the Mülverstedt district, despite a distance of 9 km.
The reason for its creation is unknown, but it could be an atonement cross.
In 1972 the stone cross was brought to Mülverstedt to protect it from loss at the Weberstedt military training area. It was not until 1996 that the stone cross returned to its original location on Hohen Strasse, an old trade route.
Source: suehnekreuz.de

“Each of these crosses can tell its own story and what prompted people to erect “their” cross at this point. (...) These wayside crosses were erected as visible signs and attract the attention of many people. The cross is a symbol of life. It stands as a sign of our Christian hope and wants to direct our gaze to Jesus Christ, who has overcome death (...). The cross is part of our life as it was in the life of Jesus.
So I wish that many people … visit the crosses, whether as places of stillness and breathing space before God, whether as places for community gatherings, prayer and praise to God.”
(Dean Rainald M. Ollig
in "Crossroads... small sacred monuments as a sign of popular piety")