A 5,500-year-old megalithic tomb has been brought back to life in the heart of Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt region. Located in the forest near Haldensleben, the Küsterberg tomb—one of Central Europe’s most prominent Neolithic burial monuments—was officially inaugurated on April 27, 2025, to coincide with the annual Day of Megalithic Culture.

The reconstructed entrance area of ​​the megalithic tomb of Küsterberg. Credit: State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt, Anja Lochner-Rechta

This monumental reconstruction was carried out by the city of Haldensleben in collaboration with the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt (LDA) and the Insтιтute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology of Kiel University. The tomb had been excavated earlier in several campaigns between 2010 and 2013 as part of the German Research Foundation’s Priority Program 1400, “Early Monumentality and Social Differentiation.”

Situated to the southeast of Haldensleben, close to the town of Hundisburg, the Küsterberg tomb features an east-west-oriented burial chamber measuring eleven meters in length and two meters in width. It was initially built from seven huge capstones weighing a total of 13 tons and 19 standing stones (orthostats). Dry stone masonry constructed from fractured greywacke filled the interstices between the stones, also forming the chamber floor. A circle of sixteen large megaliths surrounded the chamber, set within a rectangle measuring around 16 meters in length and five meters in width.

Aerial pH๏τograph of the ‘Küsterberg’ megalithic tomb ahead of reconstruction work, March 2025. Credit: State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt, Barbara Fritsch

The entrance to the tomb was centrally placed on the south side, preceded by a semicircular forecourt paved with stones and at least three freestanding megaliths—two of which were aligned with the chamber axis. The entire complex was originally covered by a large earth mound, most likely built using soil excavated nearby during its construction.

Archaeologists discovered that the tomb was later disturbed during the Late Bronze Age, some 3,000 years ago. Looters had removed some of the mound and one of the orthostats. One of the finest pieces from this intrusion was a very nearly intact bird-shaped ceremonial vessel. The site was last used during the Iron Age, between 600 and 200 BCE.

Placing the capstones based on the excavation documentation. Credit: State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Barbara Fritsch

The restoration work, completed in the spring of 2025, combined heavy machinery for repositioning the mᴀssive stones with the manual labor of dedicated volunteers. The chamber was refilled with gravel and the entrance was sealed again, putting the ancient monument back to its near-original state.

Today, the Küsterberg tomb is a sign of the region’s prehistoric heritage. The site is also part of the European Route of Megalithic Culture, making it an even greater cultural symbol.

Megalithic tombs like the Küsterberg were not just burial places but also long-standing features in the landscape, deeply rooted in folklore and communal heritage. Their survival is a testament to the advanced level of social and architectural skills of Neolithic societies.

More information: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt