A walk up the Brocken can begin at many of the geopoints of the landmark, or one can take the Brockenbahn from Drei- Annen-Hohne via Schierke up to the highest mountain of the geopark (1,141 meters above sealevel). On a walk around the Brocken summit, located above the natural timber-line, we encounter granite rocks called the Teufelskanzel (Devil’s Pulpit) and the Hexenaltar (Witch’s Altar) (N51’47.860’; E01036.984’) which were first described by JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE (1749–1832). The Dachgranit (roof granite) of the Brocken massif is a biotite granite composed of medium sized crystal grains; the rocks are characterized by flat-lying joints dipping to the south. Here, and not only in frequent case of inclement weather, the exhibition in the Brockenhaus invites visitors to a voyage through time with manifold impressions of the magic of the highest mountain in northern Germany. Over four floors of exhibition space, we are presented with interesting facts about the history and nature of the mountain area with its unique geology, flora and fauna. The tour begins with a virtual flight on a broomstick and follows the tracks of famous Brocken hikers, such as HEINRICH HEINE (1797–1856) or HERMANN LÖNS (1866–1914). Further themes of the museum includes use of the Brocken as a military base during most recent German-German history as well as the building’s function as an interception post of the Ministry of National Security of the GDR. As geosites and, at the same time, biotopes, the raised bogs and the primeval Brocken forest still manifest their pristine natural states. These two examples offer valuable insights into the complex ecologic connections within the Harz National Park and into the global network of its habitats as well. The history of the worldwide growth of the idea of national parks is also presented for all age groups. On the way out to the dome’s terrace, German broadcasting and television history is documented in a series of original exhibits from the time when “pictures learned to move”. With a visit to the multimedia show and then the cafeteria, our tour comes to an end.

Opened daily, www.nationalpark-brockenhaus.de

The Brocken area with its long-term average of 1,561 mm of rainfall per year receives more rain than almost any other location in Germany. The weather side is clearly of maritime character as a result of the westerly winds that drive the clouds into the area, leading to rainfall on the Brocken. Because of reduced evaporation rates as a consequence of the low mean annual temperature of 3o C and the given topographic characteristics of the area, excess waters are produced, a precondition for the development of rain bogs. Like a hourglass, these areas are arched upwards towards their centre; for this reason they are called “raised bogs”. In the region of the Brocken and its neighbouring Bruchberg there are 2,800 hectars of bogs and bog spruces forests. In order to get an impression of this beautiful bogland we drive to Torfhaus, with a large parking area beside the Federal Road B 4. A tour is best begun with a visit to the National Park visitor center; here one receives information about the moor area through exhibitions, slide-shows with commentary, a column profiling the progressive phases of the evolution of the bog and suggestions for excursions. We begin with a short walk along the Goetheweg in the direction of the Brocken. On the left, we arrive at the Radauborn-Moor, also called Großes Torfhausmoor. Wooden footbridges provided by the Harz National Park enable visitors to experience all the beauty of this unique raised bog. This region is the headwater source of the Radau, a tributary creek of the river Oker. The parallel Goetheweg and Abbegraben establish a man-made demarcation of the bog. The formation of the bog area began at the end of the last period of glaciation, and approximately 3,000 years ago the bog structure had already taken on its present dimensions, making it one of the oldest extensive raised bogs of the upper Harz range.

The small village of Schierke, a health and winter sport resort, is located southeast of the Brocken massif in the valley of the Kalte Bode (Cold Bode River). It is the ideal point of departure for excursions into the National Park Harz. The village has been a stop on the Harzquerbahn (Harz narrow gauge steam railroad) since the railway began service from Wernigerode to the Brocken in 1899. From the Schierke train station we begin our geological tour, starting with a short trip to a famous rock called the Feuersteinklippe (Flint Rock). Already in 1784, GOETHE was fascinated by the reddish granite rocks. On winding foot paths, or, in winter, preferably along a winter hiking trail starting at the Schierke train station, we walk towards the Erdbeerkopf, following the trail signs to the Ahrensklint rock, 822 meters above sea-level. The rock was originally known also as Arneklint or the Adlerfels. On January 28, 1411, the count of STOLBERG-WERNIGERODE acquired in an exchange with the township or Wernigerode the identically named forest in order to expand his hunting ground. Like the Feuersteinklippe rock, the Ahrensklint shows intense vertical and horizontal jointing, which came about during the cooling of the granite magma. Along these joints, weathering processes were at work, splitting the rock into rounded pieces which resemble so called “wool sacks”. This type of weathering – Wollsackverwitterung – is typical for the local granite formations. The Ahrensklint rock is located near the Glashüttenweg, which indicates that in the Harz mountains the granite debris, rich in quartz, was converted into glass in early times. From the top of the rock (N51”46.395’; E010”40.017’), there is a panoramic view to the Brocken, the Wurmberg, to Schierke, to the limestone quarries of Elbingerode and the Hohnekamm. We return to Schierke (2,3 kilometers) by way of the Pfarrstieg.

Starting from the parking area at the Oderteich on Federal Route B 242, we can walk southward along the Rehberger Graben to Sankt Andreasberg. The Oderteich, with a capacity of 1.7 million cubic meters, and the seven kilometer long Rehberger Graben were constructed in order to supply the Sankt Andreasberg mines with the water necessary for operating machines in the mines. After about half a kilometer, we arrive at a point of geological outcrop which manifests the phenomenon of granite weathering. During the Tertiary period, warm, humid climates partially turned the potassium feldspar into a clay mineral called Kaolinite through the incorporation of water, which reduced the hardness of the granite and brought about its process of decomposition. This transformation did not take place uniformly, however, and parts of intact granite blocks were separated from those portions where the rock was already decomposed into grains of sand. In the outcropping, the granite fabric has disintegrated to such an extent that only singular, large granite blocks float in a sandy ground mass. This is an old sand pit (N51”45.655’; E010’32.148’), where the granite debris was exploited for road construction. The site is located in the National Park Harz and is thus protected. We continue our walking tour and reach the Goetheplatz. The rocky cliffs to the right of the Rehberger Graben display the the upper edge of the granite intrusion. Here older, metamorphically altered sedimentary rocks – the “hornfels” – overlay the granite, which later intruded. This site of exposure was visited already by GOETHE in the year 1783, and it reinforced his (mistaken) conviction that granite embodies the “Urgestein”, primeval rocks underlying all younger sediments. GOETHE was so impressed by the outcropping that he climbed up on the shoulders of v. TREBRA, a mining manager of Zellerfeld who was his companion, just to be able to place his hand directly on the contact surface. From the Grabenweg our view descends into the deeply carved, steep-walled valley of the Oder river. On the opposite slope, large boulder fields – Blockmeere – of isolated granite rocks are visible. At the bottom of the valley, the presence of moraine deposits as well as of blankets of debris, barrier silts and sands indicate that the Harz mountain range was, to some extent, affected by glaciation processes during the Pleistocene. The trail continues to the National Park restaurant Rehberger Grabenhaus, which was built in 1772 for the Grabenwärter – the ditch keeper - who was responsible for maintaining the watercourse. From here, we cross the Jordanshöhe on a footpath which has been converted into a petrographical educational trail (N51’43.422’; E010“31.268’) leading to the mining town of Sankt Andreasberg.

Tourist-Information Sankt Andreasberg
(0049 5582) 8 03 36
www.sankt-andreasberg.de

The silver mine of Sankt Andreasberg is known world-wide as the “treasury“ of the Harz because of its rich occurrences of beautifully crystallized minerals. In contrast to the rest of the upper Harz, there are approximately twenty, for the most part narrow, ore veins that appear here in which, in addition to sulfuric lead, zinc and copper ores, silver ore of a complex composition is to be found. This renowned region has yielded up a total of over 320 tons of silver metal. The mining museum Grube Samson at Sankt Andreasberg consists of the entire complex of the above ground mining plant, closed in 1910 after long operation in a shaft for silver ore at a depth of 810 meters. With the only Drahtseil-Fahrkunst (in mining language, a cable elevator) still in duty in the world, the plant has been designated an international machine monument. Two giant water wheels, one a functioning Kunstrad with a diameter of 12 meters and the other a Kehrrad constructed around 1890 with a diameter of 9 meters, convey a vivid impression of highly developed usage of water in a mountainous region. The mining shaft serves not only as a museum but also as a source of regenerative clean energy. Six power plants, two of them in the Samson shaft, produce in an ecologically efficient manner more than 70 % of the energy used in this mountain town. The Gaipel – or shaft house – of the Samson mine also contains the Harzer Roller Kanarien Museum (Museum for Harz Canary Birds). More hands-on technology of mining can be experienced in the adjacent mining museum Catharina Neufang. The learning mine Grube Roter Bär (Red Bear Mine) demonstrates historical mining technology. Outfitted with helmets and mine lanterns, we are introduced by a well informed guide to the Alter Mann (The Old Man), abandoned shaft buildings. A learning trail for geology and mining history along the Beerberg with its forty information panels leads us to numerous mining relics and helps introduce us to this cradle of Sankt Andreasberg silver mining. Here, in the year 1520, the first rich silver ores were discovered. These destinations can be easily reached on a hike from the central parking area located next to the Andreasberg summer sled course. At the site where the ore was washed, the former post-extraction preparation plant of the Samson mine, we are invited in the National Park visitor center to a journey through time. A film transports us back millions of years to the period in which the Harz originated. We can experience how the forests and waters resources were exploited in the past and learn how the natural environment is now beginning to recover in the National Park Harz. “Let nature be nature” is the motto of the park. A collection of ore minerals and rocks manifests the geological diversity of the Harz. After a thorough exploration of the Geopoint 5, a café with supplementary reading materials invites us to a welcome pause over a cup of coffee.

www.harzer-roller.de
www.nationalpark-harz.de

South of the Radau Falls, we enter the Radau valley and can leave the car at the end of the public road. Hiking to the Ecker Dam, we pass the geological site of the Kohlebornskehre, where an information panel identifies and explains this point as an exposure of Harzburgite – an ultramafic rock type of the Peridodite group. Harzburgite is composed predominately of serpentinized Olivines and Orthopyroxenes. Because of the intense reflexion of the Orthopyroxen minerals, this rock is also called Schillerfels (glitter rock). The Ecker Valley Dam forms an artificial lake with the highest altitude of the lakes managed by the Harzwasserwerke. The dam wall, constructed of heavy concrete, is 235 meters long and 65 meters high and resists through its own weight a water pressure of up to 420, 000 tons. The lake’s storage capacity is 13.3 million cubic meters. The dam was finished in 1942. At that time, the Ecker river divided the Prussian province of Saxonia in the east from that of Hannover in the west. As a consequence of World War II, this dam became part of the inner German border, and the frontier troups of the GDR erected a wall on top of it. One of the concrete border columns has been left standing as a reminder of these times. Along western bank of the Ecker Valley dam, very old rocks are exposed: the Eckergneis. This segment is wedged in between the Brocken massif and the Harzburg gabbro massif. This gneis was once considered to be the oldest rock in the Harz. The Eckergneis is probably part of the Harz basement and possibly a tectonic window into the “geological cellar” of the Harz. Today however one assumes a much younger age for the Eckergneis. The Eckergneis is an example of the many questions still open in the geology of the Harz. Information panels on the barrage wall provide geological details. At the Ecker Dam wall we find the first Stamping Station for the Harz Hiking Pin.

OTTO III. (980 – 1002) donated his imperial fortress Elysynaburg, which he had used as a hunting palatine, to the diocese of Halberstadt, complete with its inventory and garrison. A cloister church (N51051.590’; E010’699’) constructed of Rogenstein was built from the years 1078 to 1087 as a threenaved cruciform romanesque basilika on the grounds of the castle. The church contains within its walls fragments of a gypsum composition floor, unique in Europe. Because of the fact that the monks and the garrison troups were perpetually quarreling, members of the garrison erected a new citadel on the opposite granite rock of the Ilsestein. In the year 1106, however, this building was destroyed by two secular princes in accordance with a papal edict. From this point on, the Ilsenburg monastary could evolve undisturbed into a cultural and economical centre of the northern Harz foreland. Already at this time, iron ore was being extracted in the area. BOTHO III., count of STOLBERG-WERNIGERODE (1467- 1538), founded in the year 1530 the Fürst Stolberg Hütte, a foundry still in existence up to the present, and in 1546, the first blast-furnace was constructed in Ilsenburg. Because of the fame of Ilsenburg’s metallurgical industry, Tsar PETER I. (1682-1725) made a short detour to the Harz during his legendary voyage to Holland. For 200 years, the foundry of Ilsenburg was one of the most important producers of pig iron and cast iron amongst the German states. In addition to the rich occurrences of ore, the hydraulic power of the Ilse river and abundance of wood were essential resources. HANS DIETRICH VON ZANTHIER (1717-1778), head forester of the counts of STOLBERGWERNIGERODE, recognized impending danger for the forests of the Harz and initiated the first restocking programs. In this approach we can discern a source of the word “sustainability” so much in vogue today. In the sense of the English term “sustainable development”, currently a theme of global policy, Ilsenburg’s metallurgical plant could survive through the centuries. The foundry and Technical Museum of Ilsenburg provide in addition information about the history of the iron foundry and models of how the foundry’s technology functioned. It also houses a rich collection of ornamental ironcasting from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Opening hours Hütten- und Technikmuseum:
Di. – Fri. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
and Sun. 1:30 am bis 4:30 pm

A visit to the National Park visitor center Ilsetal is also to be recommended.

Tourist-Information Ilsenburg
Tel.: (0049 39452) 1 94 33
www.ilsenburg-tourismus.de

Northeast of the Zeterklippen and the Hohnekamm, the Holtemme river drains the area. The river passes through the towns of Wernigerode and Halberstadt and finally flows into the Bode river near the village of Krottorf. Starting from Steinerne Renne train station, we accompany the Holtemme river along its main stream up into the region of the mountains. The first point of geological interest is situated not far from the train station of the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen. It is a replica of a historical crane construction demonstrating the two phases of granite production as it is converted into work stones. After a short break, we continue, passing the H.C. HUCH memorial stone (Huch was a member of the Harzklub) and follow the Holtemme through the Steinerne Renne up to the hotel of the same name. On sunny days you can sit on a terrace here and listen to the rushing fall. The waterfall itself is a good example of “retreating erosion”. The granite cliffs, isolated by the effects of weathering, give the valley its wild, romantic character. For the next part of our visit, we leave the valley and follow the signs towards the Lochstein and the Ottofelsen. After half a kilometer, we arrive at the Lochstein, which is also designated as Gebohrter Stein on some hiking maps. The Lochstein is an impressive granite rock exhibiting advanced “wool sack weathering”, so pronounced that at certain points you can look through the rock. About two hours after the beginning of our hike up from the Steinerne Renne train station, we finally arrive at the Ottofelsen. Stairs lead upwards to a rock plateau at the top of this giant granite rock. As a reward for your efforts, there is a spectacular view of the Brocken massif and the Harz foreland. For the way back, we choose the forest road in the Thumkuhlen valley, which passes the mountain rescue service station. To the left, we soon can see an abandoned granite quarry; from here, gravel and rocks were transported by an electric field train (provided by the hydraulic power plant in the Rennetal) to a loading station, finished in 1898. From this point we walk along the tracks of the Harzquerbahn, through the area of the Beerberg, where mining was also taking place. In the year 1707, Prussia founded the Royal Mining Authority in Wernigerode. We soon reach the entrance of the König Friedrich mine, which attests to the fact that King FRIEDRICH II. of Prussia (1712-1786) supported the mining business by giving it special privileges, for example, the right for free settlement for the miners. Our excursion ends at its starting point, the Steinerne Renne train station of the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen.

Touristinformation Wernigerode
Tel.: (0049 3943) 63 30 35
www.wernigerode-tourismus.de

The road from Wernigerode to Drei-Annen- Hohne and Schierke runs through the Drängetal. Immediately after leaving Hasserode, a town division of Wernigerode, we arrive at the Lossen Memorial on the right hand side of the road. Here we turn right and drive down to the parking space for visitors to the hiking area. Like the Lossen Memorial itself, the parking space is located near a learning trail which provides information on the natural history and geology of Hasserode. Before we follow this trail through the Thumkuhlen valley, we return to the road to take a closer look at the memorial site. In the year 1896, the memorial was constructed in honour to the geologist KARL AUGUST LOSSEN (1841-1893). As a royal district geologist of the Prussian Geological Survey of Berlin and a professor at the Royal Mining Academy of Berlin, LOSSEN won much recognition for his geological research in the Harz region. The material of the granite obelisk comes from the Leistenklippen, which are located west of Drei-Annen- Hohne. The sockel is surrounded by stone columns which display the various rock types of the Harz. Our short trip into the Thumkuhlen valley starts on a footpath which begins at the parking place and leads upwards alongside a creek named Braunes Wasser. The brown water is derived from humic acids, which are generated by the roots of plants, leaching iron from mineral soil constituents. Soon we pass by an interesting geological exposure of late Devonian age and then reach a mine entrance, all but hidden from view behind a mining waste dump on which an old Spruce tree grows. The entrance is evidence of the intense mining activity throughout the Thumkuhlen valley, which presumably was first initiated in response to the prospect of finding silver and other metal ores in the early 16th century. In the first half of the 17th century, mining here was concentrated on the excavation of cobalt ore (Hasseröder Blau) for production of blue colouring substances. At the end of the 18th century, a flooding of the mine devastated the entire plant, including the Wasserkunst (mining water technology). Further upstream, a demonstration plant with a functioning Wasserkunst (N51’48.496’; E010’43.663’) was reconstructed in the 1990’s. The last phase of the Thumkuhlen valley mining took place in the 20th century during the “cold war” with a search for uranium. Trace uranium mineralizations had been known in Sachsen-Anhalt since the end of the 19th century. In the Thumkuhlen valley, uranium mineralizations were detected in the former cobalt ore mine Aufgeklärtes Glück but like the other uranium trace occurrences in the Harz region, the uranium ores of the Hasseröder mining area proved to be not rich enough and thus spared the Harz the consequence of uranium mining.

Hotel Brockenscheideck
Schierke – Brockenstraße 49
www.harz-hotel-brockenscheideck.de
Tel.: (0049 39455) 268

Hotel König
Schierke – Kirchberg 15
www.harz-hotel-koenig.de
Tel.: (0049 39455) 383

Brockenhotel
Schierke - Brockenplateau
www.brockenherberge.de
Tel.: (0049 39455) 120

Cafe Winkler
Schierke – Barenberg 1
www.brockenwirt.de
Tel.: (0049 39455) 235

Restaurant Grimbart’s
Braunlage
www.grimbarts-Braunlage.de
Tel.: (0049 5520) 94310

The map will assist you in planning your own personal georoute around the Brocken. Tours under competent guidance can also be booked (contact: Dr. Steiger, Managing Director of the team of the Harz Mountains Regional Association’s geogides, (00493944) 369085 or e-mail: T_Steiger@gmx.de). Regionalverband Harz e.V. and the National Park wish you relaxing holidays and interesting insights into the geology and history of that part of the Geopark Harz you have just been introduced to.

Publication of the map with friendly permission of the Verwaltungs- Verlag München – www.stadtplan.net – Lizenz-Nr. 087-08-110

Authors: Dipl.-Geol. Friedhart Knolle, Dr. Klaus George,
Dr. Wilfried Ließmann, Dr. Volker Wrede
Photos: George, National Park Harz
Translation: Dr. Torsten Steiger, Dr. Harriett Watts