Karlstein Boulder

Great bike terrain. MTBs have a great advantage over CX and gravel bikes. The paths around are "deeply rooted".

The Karlstein in the Rosengarten Regional Park is a large Ice Age boulder made of reddish gray granite. Due to its size of 1.90 x 2.50 x 2.20 m, its deep grooves and its carved horseshoes, it caused great interest in all eras and was shrouded in legend.
According to legend, it owes its name “Karlstein” to the Franconian king Charlemagne. He is said to have laid to rest at the stone during the Saxon Wars. His followers were forbidden to wake him up under pain of death. While he slept, hostile Saxons approached. Since none of Charles' entourage wanted to be in danger, the ruler's dog was thrown at the sleeping man. He woke up and saw the impending danger and shouted: "As surely as I will split this stone with my sword, we will surely defeat the Saxons." He jumped onto his horse, which crossed over the stone, and split the stone with one blow. He defeated the Saxons. Today the horse's horseshoes and the dog's paws in the stone are intended to commemorate the event.

According to scientific studies carried out in 1951, the stone is in its original geological location. Coming from southern Sweden, it was transported by the glacial masses of the Ice Age and remained in its current location after they melted around 10,000 years ago. The deep grooves on its back are natural, weathered separation joints in the rock. The horseshoe symbols in the stone are of human origin. Unfortunately the meaning is unknown.

regionalpark-rosengarten.de/gehenswert/karlstein

An impressive stone on the way. Great trails in the area - invite you to explore!