The Hübichenstein (N51o49.210’; E10o14.097’) is part of an ancient coral reef and is located in close proximity to the federal road B 242. The site consists of two rock cliffs that are joined with one another. The limestone of the Hübichenstein is composed of reef carbonates of late Middle Devonian age (Givetian). In terms of geological history, the site is part of the calcareous complex of the nearby Iberg. The nest-like occurrences of siderite (sparry iron ore) and limonite (brown iron ore) from the Iberg massif also can be found below the Hübichenstein, as witnessed by the presence of old pits and other remains of ore mining activity. The adjoining cliffs of the Hübichenstein rise approximately 50 metres above their surroundings. From the summit of the cliffs, accessible via steps chiselled into the stone, one is rewarded with a magnificent view over the town of Bad Grund and the Winterberg quarry. According to a Harz saga, HÜBICH - a medieval king of the dwarfs – was the ruler of the Hübichenstein. He was for the most part a kindly man, ready to help others and offering generous gifts to needy persons. In olden times he was said to have given golden fir cones to the poor people. No one, how ever, was allowed to climb up the Hübichenstein. Such frivolous behaviour was immediately punished by HÜBICH. During the Thirty Years’ War, soldiers in an orgy of destruction devastated the summit of the Hübichenstein. Since that time, the dwarf king HÜBICH has never again been seen. In the year 1897, a bronze eagle was erected on top of the Hübichenstein. Located at the foot of the Hübichenstein is a small outdoor theatre. Every year, this spot becomes one of the most important locations for the Walpurgis celebrations in the night from April 30th to the first of May.

An arboretum located close to the Hübichenstein is also worth a visit. Maintained by the local Forest Ad ministration of Lower Saxony in Riefens beek under scientific supervision of the Forest Research Agency of Lower Saxony, its arboretum is one of the largest tree gardens in Germany, covering an area of about 200 hec tares. About 75 hectares are stocked with over 600 exotic tree and shrub species. In this research plantation, tests are conducted to determine which species of trees are viable and can adapt to the climatic conditions of the region. Three networks of learning trails introduce visitors to the forests of Europe, Asia and North America. The arboretum is a particular joy for visitors during the spring when the rhododendron, the magnolias and the cherry trees are in blossom. Even more visitors are attracted to “Indian Summer” when the blood-red and the golden fall splen dour of the maple, the birch and the tulip trees is on display.

The map can assist you in planning your own personal geo-route in the area around Landmark Hü - bichen stein. Geological institutions and selected historic buildings built of the local stone can be visited, viewed and explored on foot. The descriptions include additional information about opening times. The Regionalverband Harz e.V. wishes you pleasant recreation and interesting glimpses into the geology and history of that portion of the Nature and Geopark Harz covered here!

Publishing of map with the kind permission of the Verwaltungs-Verlag Munich www.Stadtplan.net licence no. 07-08-110

Located directly on the highway B 242 is the Cave Experience Centre of the Iberg Dripstone Cave with exhibitions of cave archaeology in the Lichtenstein Cave (Landmark 11 Geopoint ) as well as of the geological and mining history of the Iberg. From a geological point of view, above all, the Iberg is a rarity. Surrounded by younger rock formations which are typical for the Harz, such as greywacke and slate, the massive Iberg rises up as the remains of an ancient coral reef which developed in tropical, warm seas south of the equator in the Palaeozoic Age (Middle and Late Devonian) about 385 million years ago. Transported by continent movements which are still in process, Europe and the reefs slowly reached their present position in the northern latitudes. The area at that time resembled the reef atolls we know today from current southern seas, atolls characterized by shallow lagoons and reef rims with flat islands. In the Iberg Dripstone Cave one can find numerous sinter formations on a smaller scale, along with a heavy stalagmite of more than 10 tons, the so-called “dwarf-organ”, and a “petrified waterfall” with an age of perhaps 350,000 years. In the Iberg Dripstone Cave and in the newly opened passages of the “Museum in the Mountain” we can observe directly the calcareous precipitations of the former reef lagoon and experience the history of the earth. Ceiling potholes, dome-like cavities in the walls and water level marks indicate that the caves of the Iberg developed in calm groundwater. The unique evolutionary history of the Iberg caves began around 10 million years ago in connection with the last intense phase of uplift of the Harz in the late Tertiary. There is no better access to such a range of phenomena as evidenced here in the Iberg caves. Geological evolution of the site is based on subsurface chemical alteration processes of extended sparry iron ore deposits which were formed in fractures of the limestone deposits after the death of the reef and its descent into the area of calm groundwater. Along with the reaction of iron with oxygen from the water, carbonic acid was formed which could dissolve the limestone – normally resistant to a reaction with pure water - around the deposit on a large scale. On the floors of the new cavities this “rusted” iron was deposited as so-called ironstone with a percentage of 60 % iron. Since the beginning of the ice age two million years ago, the groundwater level sank around the Iberg and the caves dried out. In certain of them, marvelous stalactites and wall sinter cascades were formed. Starting from the parking area, a hiking trail goes to a well-known restaurant for visitors of the “Albertturm” (Albert Tower). From the Albert Tower itself, there is a splendid view on Bad Grund and the Harz. In front of the restaurant a circular hiking route begins which passes the quarry of Winterberg on its way to the Hübichenstein. The trail offers an opportunity all year round to experience the seasonal changes in its scenic attractions. Today, the calcareous complex of the Iberg with its typical lime-beech forests constitutes one of the most precious biotopes of limestone karst in Lower Saxony, and the area is an important spot for endangered bat species.

At the Iberg, mining started very early because of the occurrence of rich iron stone deposits which could be easily excavated. Its beginning goes back into the first century BC and represents one of the oldest testimonies of mining activity in the Harz. Today, old tunnels, pits, piles, quarries and hollow ways can be seen from the hiking trails around the Iberg. Not a single square meter of the landscape remained untouched during its mining history, which finally ended in the year 1885. The iron stone adit which was built in the years 1870 – 1875, can be attributed to the final phase of the mining at the Iberg. It was refurbished as a site for cave therapy in 1985. Its adit entrance is located in the Teufelstal beneath the federal road B 242 (parking area Cave Experience Centre). 80 to 130 m apart from the adit entrance, there is a therapy room for 50 persons which is climatically connected to the wide-spread cave system of the Iberg. Temperature as well as humidity scarcely change and range between 6 and 7 degrees Celsius at almost 100 % air humidity. The subsurface- climatic therapy is a careful medical treatment for respiratory diseases without side effects for patients, also at an advanced age. It supports relief from the symptoms of respiratory diseases. The therapy normally takes two hours and is also conducted on Sundays and on holidays. Before such a therapy, a balneologic doctor should be visited. The “Asthmastollen” is outstandingly successful and guests are happy with it.

Gesundheitszentrum Bad Grund
+49(0)5327 700710
www.gesundheitszentrum-badgrund.de

Like the Iberg, the Winterberg also is part of the coral and sponge-reef complex north of Bad Grund. The fossiliferous limestones and fissure fillings within the reef have been dated as late Middle Devonian through early Carboniferous. The rigid reef complex has tectonic boundaries along its sides and builds a tectonic window be tween Carboniferous lithologies such as greywacke and slate. The pure reef limestones with a calcium carbonate content of more than 96 % are of great commercial value and have been excavated in the Winterberg open-pit quarry since 1938. The lime works of Münchehof, where these limestones have been processed since then, produce coarse quicklime lumps, fine white chalk, limestone and calcium hydroxide for the iron and steel industries, for the production of engineering construction materials, for environmental protection and for the chemical industry. On the other hand, raw limestone material is used as well as coarse and fine grained crushed stone in mineral mixtures for road construction and in the concrete, plaster and cement industries. Originally, the limestones were used as basic additions for melting point reduction in the metallurgical processing of iron in the iron industry centre of Salzgitter which was erected since 1938. At this time, the so-called Iberg settlement at Bad Grund was built, where during the period of National Socialism approximately 300 quarry workers from South Tyrol were housed in simple timber houses built in the traditional style of mining colonies. Today, this settlement is preserved as a historical monument. Also many slave workers were employed here in the Nazi time.

Grund was one of the earliest settlements in the upper Harz, with first documentary evidence dating back to around 1320. Iron, stone and silver mining were probably already in process at that time. In 1524, Grund and other Harz localities were invested with Bergfreiheit (special mining privileges) by Duke HEINRICH DER JÜNGERE VON BRAUNSCHWEIG-WOLFENBÜTTEL. Whereas iron ore mining at the Iberg was more or less continuously in process until the end of the last century, silver mining came to halt at the end of the 16th century. The site of the iron mine of Grund covers the south west portion of the “Oberharzer Gangerzrevier” (Upper Harz ore vein district). The ore, which was minable down to a depth of more than 700 metres, contained an average of 10 % metal. The most important ores were silver-rich “Bleiglanz” (galena, PbS) and “Zinkblende” (sphalerite or false galena, “black jack”, ZnS). As vein stuff, there are occurrences of “Kalkspat” (calcite, CaCO3), “Eisenspat” (siderite, FeCO3), “Schwerspat” (barite, BaSO4) and quartz. The mine of Grund, run by the former Preussag AG, excavated the vein complex of the western “Silbernaaler Gangzug” and its auxiliary vein systems up to the year 1992. This vein system with its ore extended 10 kilometres from east to west. The ore complex was opened by four shafts, one of which was the Knesebeck Schacht at the foot of the Eichelberg in the municipal area (N51o45.390'; E010o74.594'). Today, the build ings above ground house the mining museum of Grund. The Mining Inspection Grund was founded in 1887 by the consolidation of the mining inspection authorities of St. Andreasberg and Silbernaal under Prussian sovereignty. After discovery of the deposits of the “Westfeld-Erzmittel I” in 1934, and the “Westfeld-Erzmittel II” in 1950, the existence of the last mine in the upper Harz area was secured until 1992. The museum Knesebeck-Schacht demonstrates the technical development of the plant from the middle of the 19th century to its final closing. It includes two restored wheel rooms in which up to 12 m high water wheels produced energy for shaft operations along with a historical hoist from 1923 as well as a large electric compressor. The landmark of the plant is its 47 m high hydro compressor tower. This unique mining monument, erected already in 1912, was part of the hydropower plant, where for decades compressed air was produced for the machines in the mine. From the shaft with a daylight tunnel, a water drainage system from 1850 and a search tunnel opened in 1894 lead into the Eichelberg. This subterranean area is a mine opened to visitors on guided tours.

Opening hours: daily - except mondays
guided tours (1h length) at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.,
Special guided tours on request. Phone: +49(0)5327 2826

In the middle of the 18th century, mining in the upper Harz was engaged in a serious struggle for its further existence. The biggest problem was water seeping into the pits, a situation that was all but easy to control. Ore deposits close to the surface had already been excavated. In order to open new ore deposits, it was necessary to reach greater depths. Numerous mines had reached the limits of their economic resources and were already closed down. In particular, storing and channelling the rainfall as well as the maintenance and operation of water wheels and waterworks were a tremendous financial burden for the individual mines. The only remedy for these problems was to construct a central deep tunnel for water transport serving all mines in the upper Harz. The Tiefer Georg-Stollen (Deep George Tunnel), built 1777 – 1799 and situated 135 metres beneath the 13-Lachter-Stollen (Landmark ) and 290 metres beneath the market church of Clausthal, made it possible to release trapped waters and open new storage spaces for usable water. The level of water drainage could thus be lowered tremendously. In 1803, the Tiefe Wasserstrecke (Deep Water Passage) was constructed, which helped to collect waters pumped up from the deep pits of the Clausthal and Zellerfeld district and to transport it up to the level of the Tiefer Georg-Stollen. The adit entrance is located at Bad Grund near the driveway to the former Hilfe Gottes (Help of God) mine and is passable by foot for some metres. In 1857, a new water transportation tunnel was started on the level of the Tiefe Wasserstrecke, extending to the Harz margin near Gittelde. The tunnel took 13 years to build, and construction work was divided up into 18 tunnel divisions carried out in alternating, opposite directions. The Knesebeck Schacht was originally built as a daylight shaft in 1855 for the new Ernst August Stollen. In combination with a side-track tunnel into the Bockswiese and Lautenthal district, finished in 1880, the Ernst August Stollen was 26 km long. As the private share holders would no longer have been in the position to support continuous mining, especially the construction of the Ernst August Stollen, the Kingdom of Hannover took over their shares in 1864. The adit ended at the Regenbogen mine near Clausthal- Zellerfeld. Because of its significance for the entire mining industry in the upper Harz, it was named after King ERNST AUGUST VON HANNOVER (1837-1857). The adit entrance was constructed as a portal in neo-Romanesque style with round side towers and parapets. It is located in the little town of Gittelde in the middle of a small park (NS7o47.751'; E070o11.463') near the train station.

The Muschelkalk rocks (Middle Triassic) do not belong to the Harz block. Triassic sediments there were already completely eroded by the end of the Tertiary. West of the graben structure of Gittelde, with its subterranean erosional depression, which is probably due to the dissolution of Zechstein salt, Muschelkalk deposits of about 100 m thickness are exposed. These deposits have determined soil and relief development in the hills of the Westerhöfer Forest. The exposure (NS1o45.707'; E010o09.393') in a small old quarry for road construction material contains Lower Muschelkalk (Wellenkalk) lithologies with thin, plated limestones. In the wall of the quarry a layer of Schaumkalk and a slightly overturned fold can be recognized. This fold might be the result of eastward gliding process of a local Muschelkalk sheet into the subsiding Gittelder graben structure. The small quarry is located on the left-hand side of the “Roter Weg” road, which exits from Eisdorf in a westward direction. On the right-hand side of the road, tables and benches invite the visitor for a picnic. Here, on the rock dump of the former quarry with a scenic view over the western margin of the Harz, an interesting semidry grassland has developed. With good visibility one can see the Winterberg quarry (3) to the north. It appears to be much more difficult to find the Muschelkalk exposure of the tiny outcrop at a few metres away because it is obscured by tall vegetation and a number of deciduous trees on the rubble slope.

At the point where the country road crosses over the Asseken creek, one has an impressive panoramic view of the entire region: northward to Herrhausen and the Nette valley; westward to the Margaretenkamp, the terminal moraine of the second ice age; southward to Münchehof, the area of a glacial reservoir with an ascent to the western Harz watershed in the Heinrichswinkel; and finally eastward to the rising slopes of the Harz mountains. The glaciers once extended this far. From Scandinavia to Münchehof, all was covered by a single immense ice sheet. Moving from the Scandinavian highlands southwards across the Baltic Sea basin, the glaciers assembled great amounts of rock material, which was transported southward within the ice, finally to be deposited, for the most part in the end mo raine at the edge of the glacier. Through this process, cretaceous flint stones made their way to the south and the edge of the Harz. The first humans, Neanderthals and the much earlier Homo erectus, who came to the region, collected flint material from the glaciers and formed tools such as hand axes, scrapers, borers etc. by splintering the sharpedged rock nodules. They carried these tools with them on their hunting expeditions, following the game southward into regions without glaciation. Each discovery of flint south the boundary of continental glaciation indicates the spread of human beings during the Palaeolithic period. Due to the fact that the area before the present-day Münchehof ascended southward, masses of melting water issued from the glacier gate, flooding the valley basin and damming it up. Fine glacial substances were deposited in the ice reservoir, along with all the pebbles transported by the Harz creeks.

Leaving Münchehof in the direction to Fürstenhagen, the Tiefe Kuhle Straße branches off on the lefthand side to Stauffenburg shortly in front of the domain of Fürstenhagen (Harzklub Hiking Trail no. 6). This path ascends towards the foot-hills of the Westerhöfer Forest. The trail crosses all three layers of the Muschelkalk: the Ceratites limestone and the Trochite limestone, containing numerous stem parts of sea lilies from the Upper Muschelkalk, which form the summit of the Grefenberg. Beneath the surface, the underground is composed of 40 metre thick Middle Muschelkalk with gypsum deposits embedded in rather soft marls and marly limestones. Dissolution of these gypsum formations produced karst and sink holes in this area. Decades ago, the depression Tiefe Kuhle (N51o49.972` E010o10.163') was a waste dump for the remains of beet processing. Today, there is a fen wood growing on the uplifted ground of the depression and we can directly look down upon the treetops from the foot path.

Kur und Sporthotel „Alter Römer“
Bad Grund
www.hotel-alter-roemer.de
Tel.: (05327) 7080

Ringhotel Goldener Löwe Seesen
www.loewe-seesen.de
Tel.: (05381) 933-0

The Geopark Harz. Braunschweiger Land. Ostfalen was founded in 2002. The Regionalverband Harz e. V. has taken responsibility for the Harz area. The Königslutter-based FEMO organisation is responsible for the adjacent northern area. The map of the area shows the locations of all of the Landmarks. Flyers like this one for each of the Landmarks can be helpful in planning your next visit to the Nature and Geopark Harz.

Publisher: Regionalverband Harz e. V., Hohe Straße 6, 06484 Quedlinburg
Phone: +49(0)3946 - 9 64 10, Fax: +49(0)3946 - 96 41 42
1st English Edition
© Regionalverband Harz e. V., Quedlinburg 2010
Internet: www.harzregion.de
Autors: Dr. Gerald Dehne, Dr. Stefan Flindt, Dr. Friedhart Knolle,
Dr. Ralf Nielbock, Dipl.-Geol. Firouz Vladi & Dr. Klaus George
Translators: Dr. Torsten Steiger, Dr. Harriett Watts
Photos: FELS-Werke GmbH, George, Jentsch, Johaentges, Lauterbach,
Niedersächsische Landesforsten, Rotte, Schuhose & Vladi
Editors: Dr. K. George, C. Linke
Conception: Design Office Agentur für Kommunikation, Wernigerode
Printing: Koch-Druck, Halberstadt