View to the Petersberg

300 million years ago this was an active volcanic area, producing the porphyritic dome known as the Halle Porphyry Complex. Included in this complex are the Giebichenstein, the Klausberge and the 250.4-meter-high Petersberg, which is visible from here. During the last ice age, over 50,000 years ago, the Petersberg was a resting place for Paleolithic hunters who had a clear view of distant herds of reindeer and wild horses from the summit.

Before 1100, when the Archdiocese of Magdeburg dedicated a Christian church to the apostle Peter, after whom Petersberg was later named, the hill was called Lauterberg or Leuchtberg, first a Germanic and then a Slavic holy place. To Christianize the pagan population, Count Dedo IV of Wettin founded an Augustinian monastery in 1124. The elaborate tomb of the monarch of Wettin can be viewed today in the monastery church, as can the aluminum relief Allegorie auf Leben und Tod (Allegory on Life and Death) by Karl Müller, a former BURG professor.