© Lonely Planet Publications 229 Harz Mountains The Harz Mountains rise picturesquely from the North German Plain, covering an area 100km long and 30km wide at the junction of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. Although the scenery here is a far cry from the dramatic peaks and valleys of the Alps, the Harz region is a great year-round sports getaway, with plenty of opportunities for hiking, cycling and skiing (downhill and nordic) in and around the pretty Harz National Park. The regular influx of visitors in all seasons is testament to the enduring appeal of the Harz; historically, too, its status as a prime national holiday destination has never been questioned. From 1952 until reunification, the region was divided between West and East Germany, effectively becoming an uneasy political holiday camp straddling the Iron Curtain. The Brocken (1142m) is the focal point, and has had more than its fair share of illustri- ous visitors: the great Goethe was frequently seen striding the local trails and set ‘Walpur- gisnacht’, an early chapter of Faust, on the mountain, while satirical poet Heinrich Heine spent a well-oiled night here, as described in Harzreise (Harz Journey; 1824). Elsewhere the charming medieval towns of Wernigerode and Quedlinburg pull the crowds, while equally venerable steam trains pull them along between the mountain villages, spas and sports resorts that litter the region. Get out your knee socks or your ski mask and treat yourself to a taste of the active life. HIGHLIGHTS Pagan Rituals Trek to the Brocken or party on Hexentanzplatz, Thale, for Walpurgis- nacht festival ( p249 ) Venues Sleep in a Renaissance mansion, eat in a Gothic cellar and walk among 1400 half-timbered houses from over six centuries Goslar in Quedlinburg ( p243 ) Clausthal- Zellerfeld Wernigerode Free Wheeling Get on a mountain bike and Brocken Quedlinburg pedal the forest trails ( p240 ) behind Werni- Thale gerode in the Harz National Park Gernrode Harz National Park Mother Lode Descend rocky shafts into the mining past in Clausthal-Zellerfeld ( p238 ) and explore 1000 years of mining history in Goslar ( p231 ) HARZ MOUNTAINS Night Walks Explore the Wernigerode Altstadt ( p239 ) at night and marvel at the floodlit ducal castle Mountain Steaming Wind through the spectacular wilds of the Selketal from Quedlinburg or Gernrode on a steam train ( p241 ) 230 HARZ MOUNTAINS •• Information lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com WESTERN HARZ •• Goslar 231 0 20 km HARZ MOUNTAINS 0 12 miles throughout the mountains. The quality of Founded by Heinrich I in 922, the town’s To Hildesheim (25km); To the slopes might disappoint real enthusiasts; early importance centred on silver and the Hanover (55km) Braunschweig (30km) conditions for cross-country skiing, however, Kaiserpfalz, the seat of the Saxon kings from A7 Bockenem can be excellent, with lots of well-marked 1005 to 1219. It fell into decline after a sec- A395 B6 trails and equipment-hire shops. For weather ond period of prosperity in the 14th and SAXONY- LOWER Vienenburg SAXONY B82 ANHALT reports and snow conditions, ring the Harzer 15th centuries, reflecting the fortunes of the ὈὈὈὈὈLangelsheim B81 Innerste- B244 Verkehrsverband (%05321-340 40). There’s Harz as a whole, and relinquished its mine Stausee Goslar To Magdeburg Wolfshagen (30km) also a German-language information service to Braunschweig in 1552 and then its soul to Bad Oker Gandersheim Granestausee B6 Halberstadt Römkehalle (%05321-200 24). Prussia in 1802. The Altstadt, Rammelsberg B64 Bad B498 Harzburg Ilsenburg Hahnenklee mine and Kaiserpfalz attract visitors by the Torfhaus B79 Einbeck Clausthal- Brocken Wernigerode SPAS busload in summer, when it’s always best to Oker- (1142m) Zellerfeld Stausee Quedlinburg Bad Schierke B244 B6 Often mocked by young Germans as a pen- reserve ahead. B3 Grund B241 Altenau B4 Drei Annen Elbingerode Blankenburg ὈὈὈὈὈHohne sioners’ paradise, the Harz is sprinkled with B242 Rappbode- To Halle Thale L239 Wurmberg B27 Rübeland Stausee (75km) thermal spas and baths where the weary and/ Orientation (971m) Elend Osterode Rosstrappe & Braunlage Harz B185 or infirm can take a cure. Most spa towns have Rosentorstrasse leads to the Markt, a 10- St Andreasberg Hexentanzplatz National Park Treseburg Gernrode Northeim B243 Hasselfelde Sternhaus a Kurzentrum (spa centre) or Kurverwaltung minute walk from the train and bus stations. L519 B242 Ramberg Selketalbahn A7 B27 Sorge Herzberg Mägdesprung (spa administration), which often doubles as The small Gose River flows through the cen- Oderstausee L1037 Stiege Alexisbad B81 Güntersberge Harzgerode a tourist office. tre south of the Markt. Streets in the old Bad Lauterberg Friedrichshöhe ὈὈὈὈὈStrassberg town are numbered up one side and down Bad Sachsa Eisfelder Bovenden Talmühle Getting There & Away the other. Ilfeld The area’s main towns of Goslar, Werni- B27 B247 Göttingen B4 gerode and Quedlinburg are serviced by Information B243 Duderstadt THURINGIA Mittelbau Dora daily trains, with Hanover the nearest major Asklepios Harzkliniken (%440; Kösliner Strasse 12) Nordhausen hub for onward travel; contact Deutsche Bahn Medical services, about 6km north of town. A38 B80 (%reservations 118 61, automated timetable information City-Textilpflege (%242 77; Petersilienstrasse 9) ὈὈὈὈὈTo Leipzig (80km) 0800-150 7090; www.bahn.de). Laundry. To Kassel B80 To Erfurt BerlinLinienBus (www.berlinlinienbus.de) runs to Deutsche Bank (%757 20; Fischemäkerstrasse 13) (35km) A38 (60km) Goslar, and some smaller towns, from Ber- Bank services and ATM. lin (€40), and there are plenty of regional Harzer Verkehrsverband (%340 40; www.harzinfo Information Activities bus services to take you further into the .de; Bäckergildehaus, Marktstrasse 45; h8am-5pm The main information centre for the Harz CYCLING mountains. Mon-Fri) Tourist information. ὈὈὈὈὈHarzer Verkehrsverband MuseumSpass (adult/child €9/4.50) This card gives Mountains is the Anyone seeking a challenge will enjoy cycling If you’re driving, the area’s main arteries (%05321-340 40) in Goslar, but information on or mountain biking in the Harz, especially are the east–west B6 and the north–south B4, admission to Goslar’s major attractions (except the the eastern Harz is best picked up in towns in quieter eastern areas. Buses will transport which are accessed via the A7 (skirting the Rathaus). there, particularly in Wernigerode. your bike when space allows. western edge of the Harz on its way south Police (%3390; Heinrich-Pieper-Strasse 1) For information on camping, ask at any from Hanover) and the A2 (running north of Post office (Klubgartenstrasse 10) tourist office for the free Der Harz Camping HIKING the Harz between Hanover and Berlin). Spielzentrum (Breite Strasse; per hr €2.50) Internet brochure (in German), which lists major The main attraction in summer is hiking the access. camping grounds and facilities that are open integrated trail network in the Harz National Getting Around Tourist-Information (%780 60; www.goslar.de; all year. Park. Trail symbols are colour-coded in red, The Harz is one part of Germany where Markt 7; h9.15am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm Sat, The kind of map that you choose will green, blue and yellow on a square or tri- you’ll rely on buses as much as trains, and 9.30am-2pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9.15am-5pm Mon-Fri, depend on the type of activity you have angular plate. Harzklub (www.harzklub.de) hiking the various local networks are fast and re- 9.30am-2pm Sat Nov-Mar) planned. Der Harz und Kyffhäuser map association maps also show trail numbers; liable. Narrow-gauge steam trains run to (€5.80) provides a good overview of trails the 1:50,000 editions are the best for hikers. the Brocken and link major towns in the Sights and major sites in the entire Harz. Harzklub offices in mountain towns are also eastern Harz. AROUND THE MARKT A local Kurtaxe (resort tax; ranging from good sources of information, including hiking One of the nicest things to do in Goslar is to €0.75 to €2.50 per night) is charged in most tips, itineraries and the availability of part- wander through the historic streets around HARZ MOUNTAINS towns. Your resort card will give various ners and guides. Tourist offices also stock the WESTERN HARZ the Markt. Hotel Kaiserworth ( p233 ) was erected discounts on sights and activities. Discount club’s leaflets. Weather conditions can change in 1494 to house the textile guild, and sports offers include the HarzTourCard (three days, quickly throughout the year; be prepared. GOSLAR almost life-size figures on its orange façade. €14.50), which gives free travel and reduced %05321 / pop 46,000 The impressive late-Gothic Rathaus comes into admission to attractions, and the Harz- SKIING The hub of tourism in the Western Harz, its own at night, when light shining through MobilCard (one month, €13), which entitles The main centres for downhill skiing are Goslar has a charming medieval Altstadt, stained-glass windows illuminates the stone- the user to concession-priced tickets on all Braunlage, Hahnenklee and St Andreas- which, together with its historic Rammelsberg patterned town square. The highlight inside HARZ MOUNTAINS public transport. berg, with many other smaller runs dotted mine, is a Unesco World Heritage site. is a beautiful cycle of 16th-century religious 232 WESTERN HARZ •• Goslar lonelyplanet.com Booklonelyplanet.com accommodation online at lonelyplanet.com WESTERN HARZ •• Goslar 233 0 200 m GOSLAR 0 0.1 miles fans of musical instruments and/or dolls. The Das Brusttuch (%346 00; brusttuch.goslar@treff owner began collecting instruments about 50 -hotels.de; Hoher Weg 1; s €63-71, d €81-112; pns) To Police Station (1.5km); AC Asklepios Harzkliniken B D Astfelder Köppelsbleek years ago; the doll collection is his daughter’s The soft colours and smart rooms in this his- (6km) SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Museum im Zwinger.......11 C3 addition. toric hotel make it a comfortable snooze-zone.