The Devil's Stone (Teufelsstein) is a large granite boulder lying beside St Mary's Church in Lübeck, just across from the Town Hall. Legend says the devil himself dropped it there after he realised the builders had tricked him into helping with a church. Since 1999 a small, grinning bronze devil has sat on top, and his horns are polished bright by visitors rubbing them for luck.
The Devil's Stone at a glance
- Where: on the Marienkirchhof, the square on the south side of St Mary's Church, beside the church entrance and facing the Markt and the Town Hall.
- Created: the boulder has been part of the legend for centuries; the bronze devil was added in 1999.
- By: the devil figure is the work of the Lübeck artist Rolf Görler.
- What it is today: a favourite photo stop in the old town, free to see at any time, at the foot of one of the great churches of the Baltic.
- Time needed: 5–10 minutes for the stone, 45 minutes or more if you also go inside St Mary's.
A church built with the devil's help
The story is set in the 13th century, after a great fire had destroyed much of Lübeck. The townspeople wanted to rebuild fast, and they persuaded the devil to help by telling him they were building a tavern. Happy at the thought of a place full of drinkers, he hauled in stones and the walls rose quickly. When he saw the tall windows taking shape, he understood it was a church. In a rage he picked up a huge granite boulder to smash the walls. A quick-thinking journeyman calmed him by promising to build a tavern right next door, and the devil dropped the stone where it still lies. The town kept its word: the promised tavern is the Ratskeller, the cellar inn of the Town Hall opposite.
Behind the legend is a real church of exceptional size. St Mary's was built in brick from roughly 1265 to 1350 by Lübeck's merchants, right beside their town hall and market, and its nave vault rises 38.5 metres. It became a model for brick Gothic churches all around the Baltic Sea. On the night of 28–29 March 1942 a British air raid set it on fire. It was rebuilt after the war, and the old town of Lübeck has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
What to look for
- The devil: a small, laughing bronze figure, more cheeky than frightening, perched on top of the boulder. Look at his polished horns, rubbed by countless hands.
- The stone itself: a big, rough granite block, quite different from the smooth red bricks of the church walls behind it.
- The church walls: stand back on the square and look up at the height of the brick, the scale that made the devil believe the building was something grander than a tavern.
- The Ratskeller: turn round to see the Town Hall across the square; its cellar is the tavern of the legend.
- The fallen bells: inside St Mary's, at the foot of the south tower, the broken remains of two bells lie where they crashed down during the 1942 fire, kept as a memorial.
Rubbing the horns
Lübeck's tourist office says rubbing the devil's horns is supposed to bring luck, which is why they shine while the rest of the figure is dark. It is a modern custom, much younger than the legend, but almost every visitor tries it. The devil is said to be in a good mood these days: he got his tavern after all.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning to photograph the devil without a queue of people waiting to touch his horns.
- Go inside St Mary's to see the bells, the astronomical clock rebuilt in the 1960s by the Lübeck clockmaker Paul Behrens, and the memorial to the organist Dieterich Buxtehude.
- St Mary's is a working church: avoid visiting during services and keep your voice down inside.
- Combine the stone with the Town Hall and the Markt, which are only a few steps away.
Nearby
- Lübeck Town Hall: one of the oldest town halls in Germany still in use, with its dark glazed brick and tall decorative walls on the Markt.
- Niederegger: the marzipan maker's flagship café on Breite Straße opposite the Town Hall, in business since 1806.
- St Peter's Church: a few minutes' walk away, with a lift to a viewing platform on the tower and wide views over the old town's roofs.
- Holsten Gate: Lübeck's landmark city gate, finished in 1478, about ten minutes' walk west across the old town island.
See Lübeck with World City Trail
Our Lübeck scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 44 minutes of walking. It includes St Mary's Church, beside which the devil sits, as well as the Holsten Gate and the Town Hall.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Lübeck.
Play the Lübeck scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Lübeck →
Play the outdoor escape game in Lübeck →
Facts checked in October 2026.