The Glockensteine are located southwest of the small village of Steigerthal at a crossroads of the Karstwanderweg trail and the hiking trail to the Himmelgarten district of Nordhausen.
The middle cross is complete, but only the shaft of the other two remains. Stone crosses were erected in the late Middle Ages for people who had died suddenly and unprepared (without last rites). The majority of these stone crosses are former murder and atonement crosses, which were erected in memory of a person who had been killed or died in an accident.
All three stones are made of sandstone. A tanning iron is carved on the back of two of the stones, while a blade from a thrusting weapon can be seen on the third cross. A simple depiction of a
bell with a clapper can be seen in the head of the fully preserved cross.
According to a legend about the stones, a bell founder from Stolberg killed his journeyman
here because the latter was better at casting bells than he was.
From Steigerthal, you can reach the Glockensteine via the “Schwarzer Weg”, which is signposted with a blue cross, after a short hike, which you should continue to the “Helmetalblick” viewpoint. From there, you have a panoramic view of the town of Nordhausen and the southern Harz mountains.
