Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
2 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
3 days ago
Beneath downtown Minneapolis, Schieks Cave has surprisingly warm groundwater, evidence of a subterranean heat island.
Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage
4 days ago
Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.
The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Usterling Growing Rock of Usterling

Growing Rock of Usterling

Nestled within a German forest is an intriguing, growing rock.

Usterling, Germany

Added By
Rolf Schulte
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Growing Rock of Usterling.   rolfschulte74 / Atlas Obscura User
Growing Rock of Usterling.   rolfschulte74 / Atlas Obscura User
Growing Rock of Usterling.   rolfschulte74 / Atlas Obscura User
Growing Rock of Usterling.   rolfschulte74 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Set in a beautiful, tranquil forest, the Growing Rock of Usterling is a magnificent example of stone troughs. Over a span of 5,000 years, this geological oddity has grown out of springs containing limestone. With a length of roughly 130 feet and a height of nearly 16.5 feet, it's the largest stone trough in Germany. Amazingly, it is still continuing to grow.

Related Tags

Geological Oddities Geology Rocks Natural Wonders Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

rolfschulte74

Edited By

yellingBytes

  • yellingBytes

Published

May 14, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wachsender_Felsen
Growing Rock of Usterling
1 Sturmstraße
Usterling, 94405
Germany
48.661826, 12.648605
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dingolfing Ossuary

Dingolfing, Germany

miles away

Baroque Library of Metten Abbey

Metten, Germany

miles away

Trausnitz Castle and Wunderkammer

Landshut, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 755
Stories 68

Nearby Places

Dingolfing Ossuary

Dingolfing, Germany

miles away

Baroque Library of Metten Abbey

Metten, Germany

miles away

Trausnitz Castle and Wunderkammer

Landshut, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 755
Stories 68

Related Places

  • Looking Glass Rock seen from the Looking Glass Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

    Brevard, North Carolina

    Looking Glass Rock

    This granite rock face is named for the magnificent reflection that occurs when the sun hits it just right.

  • Sasso Menicante on Monte Cimino

    Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

    Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

    This massive rock balanced for thousands of years being tossed here during a volcanic eruption.

  • Bonhomme de Bourail

    Bourail, New Caledonia

    Bonhomme de Bourail

    A beachside monolith shaped by years of waves crashing against hard quartz.

  • The Devil’s Nest.

    Nokia, Finland

    Pirunpesä (The Devil's Nest)

    This honeycomb-textured tafone looks like a petrified troll head.

  • Hengifoss.

    Iceland

    Hengifoss

    The bright red stripes streaking across the rocks are the star feature at this Icelandic waterfall.

  • Sculptured rocks.

    Hebron, New Hampshire

    Sculptured Rocks

    This narrow canyon has been carved by the river over thousands of years into spectacular and curious forms.

  • Similar rock formations cover other parts of the hill

    Cusco, Peru

    Rodadero Slides

    Did Inca children also slide down these smooth rocky slopes above Cusco?

  • The Mountain Sphinx.

    Bușteni, Romania

    The Mountain Sphinx

    Conspiracy theories and occult legends surround this mysterious natural rock formation.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.