Landmark 9
Bode Valley - „Teufelsmauer“
Bode Valley - „Teufelsmauer“
Harz Basement Rocks The Legendary “Rosstrappe” near Thale ( 1 )
Recommended starting point::
There is always parking space to be found in the vicinity of the Thale train station. After a walk of a few minutes you will reach the valley station of a chair lift – the most convenient way up the “Rosstrappe” (horse hoove-print) site (N51°44.139, EO11°01.071). People who prefer to hike should take the route “Präsidentenweg” via the “Eselssteig” up to the “Rosstrappe”. The “Präsidentenweg” begins at the bottom of the Bode Valley just beyond the valley station of the “Hexentanzplatz” cable car lift. After crossing the path of the chair lift overhead and rounding a few turns in the zigzag trails, you will arrive at a stairway of 32 steps up to the granite cliffs of the “Bülowhöhe”. Although you do not have an overview of the entire expanse of Landmark 9 from the “Bülowhöhe” nor, respectively, from the view point at the mountain hotel “Rosstrappe”, on clear days you will be able to see a wonderful panorama of the Harz foreland. The actual goal, the “Rosstrappe” itself, can be reached from the mountain hotel on a clearly designated trail. According to a myth from the realm of the giants, Brunhilde, daughter of the king, was pursued by Bodo, a bohemian prince. She could save herself in a bold leap with her horse from the “Hexentanzplatz” across the Bode Valley. Bodo’s horse failed. Both horse and rider plunged into the depths, where Bodo – now turned into a black dog – still guards the crown that Brunhilde lost during her jump. The river is said to be named after Bodo. The cliffs of the “Rosstrappe” consist principally of granite. In numerous places quartz veins of varying thickness traverse the rock. After the visit to the “Rosstrappe”, it is worth taking the rocky, winding path of the ”Schurre” down into the Bode Valley. The “Schurre” leads through rubble slopes comprised of weathered rock boulders. Upon arriving at the Bode, the Königsruhe Inn invites you to take a rest. Guided geological tours are organized by the “Thale- Information” agency. Geological, a somewhat different concept for experiencing nature, combines site-related discoveries with understandable scientific explanations.
Contact: Martin Danielzik,
(0049 3947) 77 94 99 5 oder (0049 171) 28 68 360
Thale-Informationin der Rathausstraße 1
Tel.: (03947) 2597
www.thale.de
A Cult Site, a Wildlife Sanctuary and a Mountain Theatre "Hexentanzplatz Thale" ( 2 )
Recommended starting point:
The “Hexentanzplatz” (Witches’ Dancefloor) can be reached by cable car from the valley station in the “Bodetal”. It is also possible to walk or to drive up by car (following the indications of the park’s navigation system). The “Hexentanzplatz” is located at the point where the Bode River emerges from the lower end of the valley. The cliff, 451 meters high, is made up primarily of Ramberg granite. “Quartz, Mica, Feldspar – I won’t forget what you are”. This geological couplet declares that everybody who has memorized the rhyme will recall the trinity of minerals composing this type of rock. “Hexentanzplatz” and “Rosstrappe” (horse hoove-print) represent important cult sites of pagan beliefs. The intermittent presence of humans at these sites is documented by prehistoric finds dating back to the Neolithic period. Around 750 BC, the Saxons erected a rampart here. Remains of this “Sachsenwall” are still visible along the walk from the parking lot to the mountain theatre. Bernhard SEHRING, an architect from Berlin influenced by various tales of the “Hexentanzplatz", built the Walpurgis-Hall on this site. In 1907, construction of the blockhouse, which was designed in old Germanic style, was completed. In the interior, there are five paintings by Hermann HENDRICH illustrating the festival of Walpurgis (“Walpurgis Night”) from “Faust” by Goethe. Furthermore, a sacrificial altar inscribed with Germanic runes found during the construction work on the Walpurgis Hall is on display. The animal park on the “Hexentanzplatz” is a popular goal for excursions and is famous as a refuge for native and formerly native species of the Harz Mountains. A special attraction is the Harz mountain theatre, which is embedded in a gorge opening up to the northeast. The founder of the institution, Dr. Ernst WACHLER, constructed the open-air theatre, built in imitation of Greek amphitheatres, in 1903. If you wish to visit a performance, be sure to arrive in advance, early enough to enjoy the fantastic view across the Harz foreland before the actual program begins.
www.tierpark-thale.de
Opening hours cable car &
May - Oct. 9 am - 6 pm*
chair-lift: Nov. - Jan. 10 am - 4.30 pm*
Feb. - Apr. 10 am - 4.30 pm*
* often open only on the weekend
Industrial History Metallurgical Museum of Thale ( 3 )
The Metallurgical Museum of Thale is
located between the train station and
the valley station of the cable car.
Opened in 1986, the museum exhibits
the 300-year history of metallurgical
engineering and production in the
ironworks of Thale. Who can ever forget
the enamelled pots from Thale?
Here, in 1835, the factory owner Johann
Carl BENNINGHAUS built the first plant in
Europe for the enamelling of kitchenware.
He was the inventor of the double-sided enamelling
process for sheet metal. By 1910, ten percent of all the enamelware
produced in the world came from Thale. A very special
machine - the “Tandem-Walzen zug dampf maschine”- a
steam-powered tandem engine, was in operation as a rolling
mill from 1912 up to 1990, when the plant was closed down.
This steam engine propelled a rolling mill via a comb-roll
through three stations. Photographs, a functional model and a
video presentation demonstrate how the machine worked. In
2005, the restored original became part of the museum, and
it can be visited in action once a year on the “Day of the Open
Monument.” Guided tours and pedagogical demonstrations
are available on request: Tel.: 03947-72256.Opening hours:
Nov. - Apr.: Tue - Sun 9 am - 5 pm
May - Oct.: Tue - Fri 9 am - 5 pm Sat/Sun 10 am - 6 pm
The Klamm Gorge and Metamorphic Rocks as Hornfels Tour through the Bode Valley to Treseburg
The dramatic valley of the River Bode,
situated between the small towns of
Thale and Treseburg, represents the
most important cliff gorge north of the
Alps. Numerous German authors, such
as HEINE, FONTANE, GOETHE and KLOPSTOCK,
found poetic inspiration in the Bode
Valley. The guidebook “Fuehrer durch
das Bodetal” (Guide through the Bode
Valley) published by the city authorities
of Thale is recommended for tours through
the valley. This publication offers information
on the geology, history, flora and fauna of the
valley, as well as summaries of its legends. Examples of the
spectacular geological phenomena of the valley include the
following: first, the all but vertical, sheer rock walls of the only
gorge in the Harz region (just upstream from the Königsruhe
Inn) and second, further upstream, the “Teufelsbrücke” (The
Devil’s Bridge) with its visible line of contact between granite
and hornfels, a metamorphic slate resulting from magma contact
at a high temperature. A walk from Treseburg to the scenic
view of the “Wilhelmsblick” (N51°43.399’; EO10°58.017) is
recommended, a site to be reached from either the road to
Treseburg or to Wienrode via a tunnel hewn through the rocks.
Alongside the road, one encounters huge boulders in a slate
matrix. These are part of the submarine glidings (“olisthostroms”)
which originated at the beginning of the mountain
forming (“orogenic”) processes. Their discovery has greatly
enriched the geological understanding of the Harz Mountains.
Boundaries Continental Glaciation and „Preussischer Saalstein“ ( 5 )
Two episodes of glaciation
reached the northern
margin of the Harz
mountain area: the
phases of Elster-glaciation
and of Saale-glaciation.
Around 480,000
years ago, in the course
of the Elster-glaciation,
a glaciation front reached
the Harz Mountains
for the first time.
To the east, the ice up
to the level of Friedrichsbrunn
blanketed the
Harz. 6 “Eiszeit-Denksteine”,
or ice-age
memorial stones, located
on the main street
of Friedrichsbrunn and
at the Lühnertor Square
in Blankenburg, delineate
the southern
boundary of the continental
glaciation. Another line of division demarcating the
border between the dukedom of Anhalt and the kingdom of
Prussia is designated by the “Preussischer Saalstein”, or the
“Boundary Cliff of Prussia” (N51°43.006’; EO11°06.081) at a
point situated on the left-hand (Prussian) side of the “Kaltes
Tal” (Cold Valley) between the towns of Friedrichsbrunn and
Bad Suderode. Like the “Anhaltinischer Saalstein” (the
„Boundry Cliff of Anhalt“) on the opposite side (see the flyer
for Landmark 15), the “Preussischer Saalstein” is a spectacular
cliff-like structure with rubble strewn slopes composed
of two-mica granite of the Ramberg pluton.
The town of Friedrichsbrunn is both the starting and the
end point of the “Köhlerhüttenweg” (Trail of the Charcoal
Burners’ Huts), an 8,5 km long round tour. This trail passes
by remains of charcoal manufacturing, forestry and mining
from the past (mining holes and old stock piles, shaft
holes). Signs bearing the symbol of a charcoal hut mark the
trail. Finally, the former border between the kingdom of
Prussia and the dukedom of Braunschweig (Brunswick),
which was measured and marked in the course of the
Prussian land survey of 1844, also passes through Landmark
9 from south to north.
„Aufrichtungszone” (Zone of Ascension)„The Grandfather“ and „The Coat of
Arms of Hamburg“ near Blankenburg
Arms of Hamburg“ near Blankenburg
Between the “Grandfather”
near Blankenburg, the western
most rock-cliff of the
“Teu felsmauer” (Devil’s Wall),
and the village of Timmenrode
lies one of the most adventurous
hiking areas of the region.
A challenging trail with
numerous short sections for
climbing runs on top of or
alongside the rocks of the
“Teufelsmauer”, which, for
the most part, are hidden in
the forest. Many are high
enough, however, to offer
scenic views of the edge of the Harz and the northern Harz
foreland. Parallel to the rim on the southern slope of the
five km long elevation, there is another trail without obstacles.
The forest is very diverse: old red beech trees, chestnut
oak, as well as pine trees
accompanied by orchards
strewn over the meadows all
together comprise the habitat
for seven species of
wood peckers ranging from
the black woodpecker to the
wryneck.
Children are certain to find
ample entertainment in this
area for a two-week vacation;
caverns and other places to
hide between the cliffs guarantee
exciting adventures.
The outline of the rock formations
close to Timmenrode
resembles the towers appearing
in the coat of arms from
the Hanseatic city of Hamburg.
Because of these similarities,
the cliffs have been
named “The Coat of Arms of
Hamburg”(N51°46.609’;
EO11°00.108). The exposed rocks belong to the Heidelberg
Formation, which contains large pebbles of older rocks
along the margin of the Harz. These are indications of the
early uplift of the Harz mountain area and of erosion processes
of Buntsandstein and Muschelkalk rocks.
Popular starting points for excursions in this area are the
“Helsunger Krug” hotel (just off the federal road B 6 between
Blankenburg and Westerhausen in the direction of
Timmenrode) or the “Am Großvater” restaurant. You can
also reach the area on a 3 km long hiking trail that begins
at the Blankenburg train station.
Tourist- und Kulturinformation
Blankenburg (Harz) Tel.: (03944) 2898
www.blankenburg.de
One of the Oldest Wildlife Sanctuaries The “Teufelsmauer” near
Weddersleben ( 8 )
You can begin a round tour,
part of it on newly completed
paths, from the parking place
at the “Friedensbrücke” between
the small towns of Weddersleben
and Neinstedt. Human hands
did not erect the imposing
„Teufelsmauer“ (Devil's Wall),
nor was it influenced by the
devil. According to the legend,
God and the devil decided to
parcel out the earth between
them. They agreed that the
devil should possess all the
land that he could encircle
within a wall during the course
of one night before the first
cockcrow. The devil was very
busy and had almost finished
his work. A woman, however,
was on her way to the market
before dawn to sell her cock.
She stumbled and startled the
cock, who began to crow. Bad
luck for the devil – his construction time was up. Furious, he
tore down parts of the wall, which explains its appearance
today.
In actual fact, however, the “Teufelsmauer” came about in the
movements of rock formation that occurred during the uplift
of the Harz Mountains and the steep inclination of the massive
beds of the Heidelberg-Sandstone. About 80 million years ago,
the Harz mountain range was lifted up and transported northward.
The layered crest of the “Teufelsmauer” consists of silicified
sandstone formations.
First human settlements date back to Palaeolithic times. The
broken off boulders strewn about everywhere on the
“Teufelsmauer” site were exploited throughout the 19th century
and used for architectural purposes. Later, material was
taken directly from the outcropping. It was obvious that the
cliff was in danger of
disappearing completely.
For this reason,
in 1833 the Royal
Prussian District
Administrator WEYHE
placed a prohibition
on the excavation of
stones and sand at
this site, because, in
the words of his edict:
“It is not to be tolerated,
that the ‘Teufelsmauer’,
which constitutes
a true ornament
for the entire region,
be des troyed.”
Geological Hiking Trail
Blankenburg ( 9 )
Starting at the monastery Michaelstein
near Blankenburg, a five km long geological
hiking trail includes several
exposures that provide an extraordinary
insight into 400 million years of
the earth’s history. Of particular interest
is the slope of the “Teufelsbach”
valley, where vertical limestone layers
of the Muschelkalk occur. These are
sporadically overlain by late Cretaceous
(Campanian) sandy marls and sandstones.
The geological uniqueness of
this slope gives it international significance.
On the well marked hiking trail
you will also find the
audit opening of a
medicinal mud pit.
Information panels at
each exposure present
specific information
about the
particular site.
The map will help you to schedule your personal “geo-route”.
Also tours guided by experts can be arranged (contact: leader
of the geo-guide working group in the Regionalverband Harz,
Dr. T. Steiger, 00493944-369085 or email: T_Steiger@gmx.
de). The Regionalverband Harz e.V. wishes you a pleasant holiday
and interesting insights into the geology and history of this
portion of the Natural Park Harz/Sachsen-Anhalt.Publication of the map with friendly permission of the Verwaltungs- Verlag München – www.stadtplan.net – Lizenz-Nr. 087-08-110
The Blankenburg Syncline The “Helsungen Moor” near
Timmenrode ( 10 )
The area northeast of the “Teufelsmauer”
near Timmenrode is covered by an erosional
basin that developed in the iceage.
Waters descending from the Harz
mountain range washed out the depression.
The basin is divided into two hollows
resulting from subterranean dissolution
of salt. Later, at least one lake
then developed in one of the depressions,
supplied by calcareous formation waters. Typical lacustrine
muddy sediments were deposited (Mudden). At the bottom
of the lake, which is poor in nutrients, a dense carpet of charophyte
algae grew. Across it, dissolved calcareous material
could be precipitated. Small bivalves found in the calcareous
muds indicate that the Helsungen swamp represents the only
calcareous lower-moor area in the northern Harz foreland.
During periods of siltation, the area became overgrown with
reeds. The peat covering the muds consists almost entirely of
decomposed reed material. The exploitation of peat in the
“Helsungen Moor” began in 1752, after the Prussian King
FRIEDRICH II. ordered the excavation of peat. After the beginning
of brown coal mining in the areas of Nachterstedt and in the
Königsaue, peat lost its importance as an energy supply.
Nowadays, peat is excavated only in small areas for medical
purposes and is used in the “Teufelsbadklinik” in Blankenburg
to treat spinal and joint diseases. Remains of the undisturbed
swamp are protected in the wildlife reserve “Hammelwiese”.Castle of a Robber Count in the Sandstone Cliffs Regenstein near Blankenburg ( 11 )
The “Regenstein” is an isolated sandstone massif
characterized by a steep slope of 75 meters
dipping to the north. The rocks are composed
of late Cretaceous sandstones (Heidelberg
beds). Because of its exposed position, the site
was early used for fortification. It is assumed
that the counts of Regenstein settled here in
the 12th century. In these days, the castle was
almost completely embedded in the cliff. The history of the
town of Quedlinburg tells us that 1336 Count ALBRECHT II. of
Regenstein came into conflict with the Bishop of Halberstadt.
The Count assaulted Quedlinburg, occupied parts of the town
and the castle of Gersdorf as well. In the end, the Count was
defeated and taken into custody. According to the legend, he
was held in the so-called “Raubgrafenkasten” (Robber Count
Cage), which is still on display in the castle museum of
Quedlinburg. In the 17th century, the history of fortification
on the Regenstein began. Although the fortress was razed by
the Prussians in the 18th century, one can still discern the former
military complex as a whole and in many of its details.Opening hours castle ruin:
Apr.- Oct. daily 10 am - 6 pm
and Nov. - Mar.: Wed. - Sun.; 10 am - 4 pm
The Quedlinburg Anticline Castle-Hill of Quedlinburg ( 12 )
The Castle-Hill of Quedlinburg is located on the southern
flank of the Quedlinburg anticline. The Qued linburg
anticline with hercynian orientation divides the eastern
portion of the “Subherzyne Kreide mulde” (subhercynian
cretaceous syncline) into two parts: the Halberstadt syncline
in the north and the Blanken burg syncline in the
south. Along the western slope of the Castle-Hill, there
is considerable exposure of early Cretaceous sandstones.
Because of the elevated position of the Castle-Hill, its proximity
to the Bode River and the fertile soil surrounding it, the German
Emperor HEINRICH I. ordered that an imperial palace, called a
“Pfalz,” be built here. He and his wife Mathilde founded a secular
endowment and residence for ladies of rank, which afterwards
was to play an important role in the German Empire.
In the Romanesque church of this endowment, still well preserved,
the “Domschatz” (church treasures) of Quedlinburg are
exhibited, a collection of precious relics and illuminated manuscripts.
In addition, five panels of the oldest known knotted
carpet of the occidental world are preserved in the church.
The castle, in use as a residence and for representational purposes
of the endowment until the year of 1802, now houses a
museum with exhibitions devoted to the geological and historical
development of the town of Quedlinburg and of its surroundings.
The old city of Quedlinburg, containing approximately
1,200 half-timbered houses, constitutes one of the largest historical
aerials to be designated in its entirety as a monument in
Germany. It belongs to the UNESCO world cultural heritage.The “Camel” and a Vineyard The “Königstein” Cliff near
Westerhausen ( 13 )
There is, in fact, a vineyard on the “Königstein”, a
rock formation called the “camel” by the locals.
The site consists of a spectacular cliff with an
outline resembling a camel in repose. Like the
Castle-Hill of Quedlinburg, the lithified sandstone
of the “Königstein” (190 m above sea level) marks
the southern flank of the Quedlinburg anticline.
The sandstones here are also impregnated by silica, and a silification
process that converted them to „quartzite“ is responsible
for the remarkable hardness of the rock. The undulating
surfaces of the rock walls were generated by silicified veins and
zones of unequal lithification. To the northwest, in the proximity
of the cliff, the new B 6 highway passes over the ridge where, in
the course of preliminary construction work, an elaborate gravesite
of the Bell-Breaker culture from the middle Neolithic period
(about 3,000 to 2,800 years B.C.) was excavated.A Hill Rich in Fossils "Salzberg" Quedlinburg ( 14 )
The “Salzberg” is located at the southwestern exit ofQuedlinburg to Warnstedt and belongs to the southern
flank of the Quedlinburg anticline. Lithologies designated
as the Salzberg marls are part of the Upper Cretaceous
(Santonian). These beds are exposed along the road as a
late Cretaceous deposit. The site represents a local concentration
of a great variety of fossils of certain types, in
particular bivalves and snails from Cretaceous times. For
this reason it is protected as a nature reserve.
"Marienglas" The Sewecken Mountains of
Quedlinburg ( 15 )
The wildlife reserve “Seweckenberge” constitutes the eastern
portion of the Quedlinburg anticline. The area can be reached
from Quedlinburg on the road to the Gersdorf castle. From the
“Seweckenwarte” tower, once part of a system of watch towers
surrounding Quedlinburg, one has a good view of both the
Blankenburg syncline and the “Gegensteine” in the “Aufrichtungszone”
(Landmark 15) as well as of the Harz Mountains.
The former mayor of Magdeburg, Otto von Guericke, best
known for his scientific experiments (the half globes of
Magdeburg), described the fossil remains of bones found in the
“Seweckenberge” in 1663. He assumed that the bones were
those of a unicorn. The universal genius Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz published this report in his "Protogaea" (Early
History of the Earth). It turned out that these bones were
actually those of a mammoth. Later, bone material of
mammals from the Weichsel period was also found in
gypsum holes. In the former quarries, excavation of
gypsum of the Anhydrite sequence took place.
“Marienglas” – a special variety of gypsum – also occurs
here. “Marienglas” is a transparent, flat window-like
gypsum. The name “Marienglas” is derived from replacements
for windowpanes or glass covers made of gypsum,
which were used in the Middle Ages for relic receptacles
and for images of the Madonna.
Geological Development of the Area
The geological history of the Harz region and its foreland is charcterized
by certain fundamental processes of elevating. Evidence of these
phenomena is to be found in typical rocks and tectonic features. The
first formation of morphological relief presumably took place during
the ascent of the Ramberg pluton, manifesting the intrusion of granite
magma predating rocks from the border of a subduction zone already
in a phase of ascension. This took place 300 million years ago at the
end of the Paleozoic. The second phase of uplift can be recognized in
the area of the so-called “Aufrichtungszone”. Here, the emergence of
the Harz ramp structure can be observed. This movement began
approximately 75 million years ago in late Cretaceous times. In this
phase, the Harz rocks moved along main tectonic faults, located north
and south of the mountain range, therefore designated as the
“Harznordrand-Störung” (Harz north rim fracture zone) and
“Harzsüdrand-Störung” (Harz south rim fracture zone). An impressive
example for these tectonic movements are the steep sandstone beds
of the “Teufelsmauer” (Devil’s Wall). Another episode of processes of
ascension in the Harz area can be recognized in the Quedlinburg anticline.
This structure was formed in the course of “updoming” movements
of a longitudinal subterranean salt dome (from 190 million years
ago up to the present). The Blankenburg syncline is located between
the “Aufrichtungszone” and the Quedlinburg anticline, and is characterized
by horizonal beds of Cretaceous and Tertiary age. In addition,
there are remains of Pleistocene phases of glaciation. Loess beds, built
up of windblown sediments, are also of ice-age origin. In the Harz
foreland, these beds are covered with fertile, black-earth soils.
The rocks of the Harz express the effects of weathering and erosion
processes in different ways. The granite of the Ramberg formed typical
figures of so-called “wool-sack weathering”. Due to their rigidity, slate,
greywackes and limestones were washed, dissolved and eroded in
varying climatic regimes, and, as a result, the most recent hilly landscape
of the Lower Harz mountain range could evolve. The
“Aufrichtungszone”, as a narrow zone of almost vertically positioned
sediment beds, is located along the northern hercynian boundary fault,
which offers a spectacular and complex documentation of the mountain
building processes of the Harz.
Selected Hotels and Restaurants
Ausflugsgaststätte und Hotel"Helsunger Krug" Blankenburg
www.helsunger-krug.de
Tel.: (0049 3944) 353061
Gasthaus und Hotel"Königsruhe" Thale
www.koenigsruhe.de
Tel.: (0049 3947) 2726
Ferienhotel und Reisedienst"Forelle" Treseburg
www.forelle-reisen.de
Tel.: (004 39456) 564-0
Parkhotel / Family Club Harz Quedlinburgwww.familyclub.de
Tel.: (0049 3946) 77220
Berggasthof und Pension „Ziegenkopf“ Blankenburgwww.ziegenkopf.de
Tel.: (0049 39 44) 35 32 60
Berghotel Rosstrappe
Thalewww.rosstrappe-berghotel.de
Tel.: (0049 39 47) 30 11
The general map tells you where to find Landmark
9 - Bode Valley – „Teufelsmauer“ (Devil’s Wall).
This flyer, like all the others, will help you plan
your next visit to the Nature and Geopark Harz
Publisher: Regionalverband Harz e. V., Hohe Straße 6, 06484 Quedlinburg
(00493946) 96410, Fax: (00493946) 964142, Internet: www.harzregion.de,
Email: rvh@harzregion.de)
Authors: Dr. K. George, C. Linke & Dr. T. Steiger
Photos: George, Linke, Tierpark Thale, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie des Landes Sachsen Anhalt
Editing: Dr. K. George, C. Linke
Translation: Dr. H. Watts, Dr. T. Steiger
Authors: Dr. K. George, C. Linke & Dr. T. Steiger
Photos: George, Linke, Tierpark Thale, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie des Landes Sachsen Anhalt
Editing: Dr. K. George, C. Linke
Translation: Dr. H. Watts, Dr. T. Steiger