## Lasten und Tragen (Wolfsburg): How to Visit Joseph Henry Lonas’ “Molar” Sculpture on the Klieversberg

If you like the kind of sight that rewards context (not crowds), Lasten und Tragen is one of Wolfsburg’s most interesting quick stops. It’s a three-meter-tall outdoor stone sculpture by the American artist Joseph Henry Lonas, installed on the eastern slope of the Klieversberg in 1962 and later purchased by the City of Wolfsburg (purchase completed in January 1963).

Locals reportedly nicknamed it a “molar” in the 1960s—an early example of how public art can become a shared reference point even when people don’t agree on what it “means.”

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## What “Lasten und Tragen” actually is

Lasten und Tragen (“Loads and Carrying”) is:

– An outdoor stone sculpture by Joseph Henry Lonas
– Approximately 3 meters tall and around 12 tons
– Connected to Wolfsburg’s early municipal push to place modern sculpture in public space

The City of Wolfsburg’s historical write-up ties the work to a broader postwar idea: international artistic collaboration and a civic statement in favor of peaceful coexistence (rather than pop-culture myths that circulated later).

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## Why it’s worth your time (even if you’re not “into art”)

This is not a museum-style “go inside, read plaques” attraction. It’s more like a 15–30 minute micro-pilgrimage that works best if you treat it as:

– A marker of Wolfsburg’s early cultural identity (the city is young; public art became one way to build “memory”).
– A lens into how communities interpret objects in public space—letters to the editor, jokes, debate, and urban legends were part of its story.
– A small, low-friction add-on if you’re already doing Wolfsburg’s bigger headliners (museums, architecture, Autostadt, etc.). Tourism

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## Where it is

Trip listings consistently place Lasten und Tragen at:

– Klieverhagen 50, 38440 Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany

The City of Wolfsburg describes the sculpture as erected on the eastern slope of the Klieversberg, historically near the Scharoun Theater area.

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## Practical visiting notes (what you can plan with confidence)

Based on public attraction listings:

– Open hours: shown as open 24 hours / all day
– Ticketing: no ticketing is indicated in those listings (it’s presented as a public outdoor monument).

Reality check: outdoor public art can be temporarily affected by weather, nearby works, or maintenance. If you’re routing a tight day, it’s smart to keep this as a “flex stop.”

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## What to look for on-site

Because the sculpture is frequently described as “mushroom-like” and “molar”-like, it’s a good place to practice “slow looking” for 2–3 minutes:

– Step back far enough to read the overall silhouette (the nickname makes more sense at distance).
– Move around it to see how its mass and symmetry shift with angle—Lonas’ piece was explicitly discussed as compelling viewers toward “succinct forms.”

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## Nearby context you can pair it with in Wolfsburg

If you’re building a Wolfsburg day, the city’s official tourism material emphasizes that Wolfsburg mixes industry + culture and has major museums and galleries. Tourism
That makes Lasten und Tragen a strong “texture stop” between larger attractions.

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## Outdated-data flags (so you don’t over-trust old reviews)

– A Tripadvisor review from Feb 2023 calls it a historical monument/artwork and comments that it seemed “quite old” and could use cleaning. That’s one visitor’s observation at one point in time, and the current condition may differ.

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