Schwammerling

The Schwammerling stands in the Mühlviertel nature park near Rechberg in Upper Austria. It is a granite boulder known as a wackelstein, or rocking stone, registered as a natural monument since 1984. The stone rises from a small island of rock surrounded by farmland and is reached by a signed walking path off the Schwammerling farm track. The wackelstein is made of Weinsberger granite and shows a typical weathering shape called wollsackverwitterung. A large block sits on a 3.5-metre pedestal, measuring about 8 metres long and 4 metres wide, while the upper piece is 5 metres long and 2 metres high. According to local legend, French troops under Napoleon once tried to topple the stone with ropes and horses but only managed to shift it so that it no longer rocks. Visitors find the site marked by a small sign and a waymarked trail that leads close to the base. The rock is partly covered by light woodland of oaks and birches, and the surrounding fields stretch away to the horizon. The stone’s unusual shape and the story of Napoleon’s failed attempt draw walkers who want to see this curious geological feature for themselves.