Großer Auerberg
Introduction The '''Große Auerberg''' is a hill,  high, in the eastern Harz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a so-called double peak with summits that are 580.4 metres high (''Großer Auerberg'') and 580.3 metres high (''Josephshöhe''), which are about 470 metres apart.
Location The Große Auerberg rises within the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park between Straßberg to the northeast, Hayn to the southeast, Schwenda to the south, Stolberg to the southwest and Breitenstein to the northwest. East of the hill is the source of the Thyra tributary, the ''Krummschlachtbach'', west of the  Thyra headstream, the ''Kleine Wilde''.
Geology The Auerberg is made of rhyolite (quartz porphyry), a volcanic rock. In the fine crystalline matrix (''Grundmasse'') are deposits of "Stolberg Diamonds" (''Stolberger Diamanten''), up to 13 mm thick, crystallised-out quartz and orthoclase grains.
Joseph's Cross On the slightly lower peak, the so-called ''Josephshöhe'' ("Joseph's Height"), the 38 metre high ''Josephskreuz'' ("Joseph's Cross") was built in 1896.This is a steel lattice observation tower in the shape of a double cross. It is also checkpoint no. 215 in the Harzer Wandernadel.
Transport and walking The ''Landesstraße'' 236 runs past the Großer Auerberg to the north and east. Formerly known as the ''Harzschützenstraße'', it forms the border between Thuringia and Saxony. The summit may be reached in about 15 minutes walk from the car park near the hamlet of ''Auerberg'' or from the car park of the nature resort of ''Schindelbruch''. The footpath from the ''Schindelbruch'' to the Cross is called the ''Straße der Lieder'' ("Road of Songs"). Along the path are 16 boards with the text of German folk songs.
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