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Other destinations in Harz
Other destinations in Harz
The Brocken
The Railway
The Brocken is the highest mountain in the Harz range and the higest mountain in Northern Germany. The fastest way to get to its 1,141 metre summit is by Harz narrow guage train. The Harzer Narrow-Gauge Railway has a long history: Built at end of the last century, this was done in order to connect the Harzs’ mineral resources, forestry and small industry to the rest of the economically rising Germany, as well as to promote the beginning of tourism. Originally there were three companies that laid the railway, opening the Harz:
• 1886 the Gernrode Harzgeroder railway AG (GHE) was formed.
• 1896 the Nordhausen-Wernigeroder-Railway (NWE) followed.
• 1897 followed the Southern-Harz Railway from Walkenried to Braunlage.
Since 1899 it has been possible for passengert to travel up to the summit. Altogether there operated a narrow guage railway net over 130 km long, The Southern-Harz Railway did not survive and the GHE and NWE were eventually taken over by the authorities of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)from 1949 to up to the fall of the Inner German Border. The main route to the Brocken starts at Wernigerode with several minor stops on the way. The two main connection stops are Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke. Be aware though, the trip up and down will take about 1¾ hours. The night train journey is most beautiful in the winter months especially when snow is on the ground.
Walking
There are several trecking routes to the summit of the Brocken, from different sides. The most common routes are:
Schierke - Brocken - Schierke, approximately 15km with a 600m height diference, the return route takes approximately 5 hours not including stopovers.
Torfhaus - Brocken - Torfhaus (Goethe Trail), approximately 17km with a 550m height diference, route takes approximately 6 hours not including stopovers.
The TV Tower
The tradition of Radio and TV engineering on the Brocken dates back to the beginning of TV broadcast. It was determined in 1929 during the first wireless television broadcasting, that the short wave used was not suitable for television. Also, very high locations were required for its transmitters to transmit the very high frequency required for TV to succeed. In 1934, the post office was given responsibility for the building of a mobile transmitter. 1935 saw the first public picture transmission. 1936 saw the live transmissions of the Olympic summer games in Berlin. From 1936 to 1937 a 52 meters high television station and Hotel with 16 floors was built. With the installation of the antenna system in 1938 the television station became operational. With the beginning of the WW2, television transmissions stopped, however radio broadcast on up to 40 transmitters was carried on. Only the explanation breaking into to the fortress, let feel the mountain of the Germans also the war.
In April 1945 a bombing attack by the Americans destroyed the hotel. The transmitter however was spared to be used by the occupying forces. In 1947 the allied troops pulled out toward the west. To justify the Americans having their part of Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt was handed to the Soviets. The Americans left in a state of chaos and left the station a gutted ruin. In 1948 the TV tower was shortened by around seven floors and a flat roof was added. 1973 to 1976 saw the new landmark 152 meters high metal end transmitter masts built to enable the transmission of the East German TV channel “DDR 2”. Now there is a museum and restaurant, a more modern hotel and various cafes. Thew views from the summit are breathtaking and with the correct equipment and right weather conditions, some towns and refernce points can be seen up to 80km away.
The Witches
The Brocken is surrounded in myths and stories of witches and broomsticks. Also known as the "Blocksberg", it is the surrounding for a very well known German childrens character called "Bibi Blocksberg", a child witch in modern times. The summit, surrounded in mist and cloud most of the time, gives lead to the many stories of witches, devils and trolls and of them flying arount the summit at night. This is also why the symbol of the harz is a witch flying on a broomstick. A Well known German writer "Goethe" was facinated by the Brocken and wrote a famous play called "Faust". Incidentally, this can be seen in the form of a rock concert in the Goethersaal (Goethe Hall) on the summit. This is a combination of a night trip on the train and concert.
The roots of the Present Walpurgis Night celebrations are well documented in pre-christian times. But it is a far cry from the christian festival that was Walpurgis Night is always celebrated on the eve of the feast of the holy Saint Walburga, a learned woman and abbess of a convent, whose life has no connection with witches and the devils celebrated today. Only her canonization by Pope Adrian II on a first May is the connection to today's Walpurgisnacht, this due to numerous miracles which were attributed to her. She is however also the patron saint of the seafaring and against evil spirits.
According to Harz legend, the witches gather on Walpurgis Night on the Hexentanzplatz (Witches Ballroom) in Thale, in order to fly together from there to the Brocken on brooms and pitchforks with their cats, where the witches feast takes place. Supposedly they dance in a large circle with their backs to each other, around a fire and then kiss the devil's behind. The witch’s apprentices can then marry the devil, whereupon the witch was given a physical mark and given full powers of witchcraft. As stated previously, this is now a well known modern festival and people can be seen on the night dressed as witches, devils and such like and a very big party atmosphere is enjoyed.
[Oker Valley] (Okertal)
The Oker Valley can be found approximately 6km southeast of Golsar. A romantic valley with magnificent rocky scenery and the Romkerhall Falls, it is considered by nature and trekking enthusiasts as the most beautiful valley in the Harz Mountains. The River Oker runs through the this stunning valley, starting in the middle of the Harz National Park , at over 900m high and runs in a general northerly direction, for 105 killometers until it joins with the River Aller at Muden Ortze near Celle. Historically, the River Oker has formed an important policital boundary. It flows through deep rocky ravines and over waterfalls. This is the Oker Valley at its best. Since 1956 the Oker Valley Dam (Okertalsperre) has stopped the river from overflowing. This was an issue in the late 40's when the towns of Brunswick (Braunschweig) and Wulfenbüttel were flooded. The dam stopped this happening again. However the small hamlet of Schulenburg was destined to flood, by the dams construction. So the site was evacuated in 1954 and rebuilt above the Dam. The Dam provides drinking water for towns as far away as Hildesheim and Hannover, as well as being a very efficient Hydro Electic site, that provides over 4 Megawatt of power to the surrounding area.
The Oker Valley branches out and can accumulate up to 47 million cubic meter water in the Oker Lake (Okerterrasse). Below the Dam, the river flows leisurely to the Raven Cliffs (Rabenklippen), so called from an old legend: A pious man was ordered by a Holy Bonifatius to return the Northern Harz to Christianity. But he was ridiculed and retreated into the Harz, where he got lost. At the site of today's Raven Cliffs he nearly dead from hunger, until a flock of Ravens saved him. They supposedly dropped a dead pigeon close to him on which he fed thus saving his life. A visit here to the Luchsgehegen (Lynx re-intergration project) is a must. This area has been made accessible to the public by stairs and railings. From here, one has a wonderful view of the Harz. The River Oker and Valley continues towards Goslar, coming next to Romkerhall, the smallest kingdom of the world ever proclaimed. This settlement consists of only a few houses and the hotel "Kingdom of Romkerhall", which resembles a fairy tale castle. The area was, in the second half of the 19th Century, the hunting grounds of King George V of Hannover. Also here, is the Romkerhall Waterfall, approximately 64 metres in height. Upstream from the waterfall the River Oker is used occasionally by canoeist. Downstream where the water flows faster, the crags left and right of the Oker are popular with climbers. Also downstream of the waterfall is "Betrothal Island" (Verlobungsinsel), which is accessible via a small bridge.
The River Oker finally arrives in the village of Oker on the outskirts of Goslar, leaving behind the beauty of the deep ravines and rocky outcrops. Instead you will find that the river has been serioulsy polluted from many years of metal smelting in the area.
Rubeland
Selke Valley
Falkenstein Castle
Bode Gorge
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Harz
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WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Harz Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.