The purpose of this website is to provide English speaking tourists with a working guide to the Harz Mountains of Germany. (p.1) This website will have a major focus on the Harz and Hoch Harz National Parks in the Harz Mountains. Brief over views of a few of the towns and tourist attractions in the Harz Mountains have been included as well.

National Park Introduction

The Harz mountains lie in central Germany, with Hannover 70km to the North-west, Berlin 300km to the North-east and Frankfurt 350km to the South West.

There are 13 National Parks in Germany, of these the web page will focus on two, namely the Harz National Park and the Hoch Harz National Park.

The Harz National Park was founded in 1994. Since then it's visitor use has grown to an amazing 10 million visitors per year. Over the past few years the Harz and Hoch Harz National Parks have been making efforts to integrate their services and become one park. Issues with administration and the fact that the two parks lie in different regions of Germany have limited the park managers' ability to do this.

Due to the nature of the Harz National Parks, there is a special focus on sustainable tourism, wildlife management and outdoor education. The reason for this focus is explained further in the remainder of this website.

The Economic Forest

The Harz National Park protects a variety of landscapes, one of the most important being the economic forest. The term economic forest refers to the area of land which was once used for mining in the 1700's. In 1718 there was a law passed to save the nature and wildlife which inhabited what is now park land. The aim of this law was to restore and protect the forest. Even today the forest is recovering from the extensive damage incurred because of the mining industry.

The forests in the Harz contain only a few species of trees. The majority of which are Harz Spruce, Norway Spruce, Beech and Sycamore. There is limited undergrowth, and the trees are planted in un-natural rows. (p.2) The result of this mass planting is a forest composed of trees which are all the same age, size and species.

(p.2 Economical forest Picture by Sarah Welch)

Landscape

The Harz National Parks protect a variety of different landscapes. Among these are the economic forest, glacier rock and marshlands. Each of these landscapes has something unique to share about the Harz. The Glacier rock is home to a very rare type of spider which is not usually found in the cool, damp habitat it has chosen in the rocks underneath the Achtermann. Portions of the economic forest which have been affected by acid rain remain untouched for visitor observation. On the Torfhaus trail through the national park, tourists come to a place where the economical forest is dying. Most of the tall trees are dead and some lie on the ground.(p.3) At first glance this area seems ugly, but once it is realized that the rebirth of a forest is occurring, it becomes a beautiful thing.

(p.3 Death and regrowth Picture by Sarah Welch)

Users

Harz and HochHarz Management

The German National Park system differs from the North American system in many ways. For example, there is minimal infrastructure in the Harz National Parks. There are no user fees to get into the park, anyone can walk in freely at any time. To go along with this, there is no camping, or no over-night stay in the German Parks. On the other hand, the park management is not allowed to punish anyone who would break the rules. For example, they can not give fines. Another difference is that there are few interpretive signs, the few signs in the park are mainly used for trail direction and distances.

There is a lack of money to pay future managers of eco-tourism and/or managers of national parks in Germany. One of the problems regarding this lack of money says F. Knolle, Harz National Park Public Relations, is that when German's think of saving nature, they think by sending money to save the whales or the pandas, they are doing their part. Hence, few Germans think of nature as being close to home and so very few contribute to saving the German National Parks.

The Harz National Park management is divided into 3 parts. The first part is left untouched by humans. This part is for nature to work its own course over time.

The second part is managed by man to help the forest against nature. For example, the park manager introduced a box to eliminate the borkenkäfer, a bug that kills Spruce trees overtime. (p.5) This bug is attracted to this box and because of the cone shape of the box, once the bug goes into the box it is unable to get out and eventually dies. (p.5 box Picture by Sarah Welch)

Another example is where the spruce or needle trees have been moved away from the water and replaced with bushy trees so leaves feed the crustaceans and other life forms living in the water. One more example is in the forest where trees have been planted to increase the variety of species in the forest. These trees have been targeted by deer in the parks, so fences have been brought in to manage the damage that the trees receive.(p.6)

(p.6 Fencing Picture by Sarah Welch)

The third part is also managed by man but this time to help the forest against man. In this third section, the management dealt with trails instead of signs. Because signs with negative messages would get stolen and would not be followed; the managers had to figure out another way to protect the forest against tourists. The solution they found for this was the use of environmental barriers. One example of this is where the trail would lead to a fork in the road and on one side of the trail there would be a wider well groomed trail, and on the other, there would not be a an easily accessible trail. This aspect of managing works in the Harz national park because most of the visitors that go to the parks in Germany are wearing city shoes. Another example is the wood fences that have been put up as a barrier that most people respect and don't climb over to the other side. There are also board walks in the marshlands to keep tourists from destroying the landscape.

One of the major issues in the National Park is "packing in, packing out". This concept is trying to be enforced by the managers, with little cooperation from German tourists. There are no garbage containers found in the park because the park managers are trying to implement the tourists to bring the garbage back with them. This is an aspect of management that might be successful in the future if funds provide. Until then, the effective management techniques mentioned above will hopefully keep being successful.

This ends the section of the website on the Harz National Parks. The following sections of the website include tips and guidelines on visiting the many towns and tourist attractions which surround the Harz Mountains of Germany. Please feel free to print these guidelines to take along for reference when you visit the Harz!

Brocken

-Everything in the Harz Mountains seems to have a focus around the Brocken. The Brocken is the highest peak of the HochHarz National Park, and of Northern Germany. The Broken reaches into the sky 1142m. (p.7)

-At the top of the Brocken there are winds that range around 55km/hr and there is an average temperature of 2.9 C.

-You can walk up the trail with a guide, by yourself or you can take the train up.

(p.7 The Brocken Picture by Sarah Welch)

-The hike up is very strenuous, people with heart or lung problems are recommended to take the train.

-The train leaves from Wernigerode, making 10 to 12 trips a day and it takes one and a half hour to get to the top of the Brocken. (p.8)

-Because of the environmental impact the train has on the environment, the Park management wants to minimized the trips to 5 times a day.

(p.8 Train ride from Brocken Picture by R.J Payne)

At the top

-There is a great interactive museum explaining the history, and the animals that can be found on the Brocken. (p.9)

-There are 4 web cams around the Brocken for you to be able to see your friends and/or family members from your home when they are up there...remember the time difference (6 hours).

-An interesting thing about the top of the Brocken is the compass with major cities of Europe and Germany, and small surrounding towns.This compass gives you the direction and the distance of those cities.

-There is also a hotel with restaurant, a weather station, and many chip stands for your convenience.

(p.9 Top of Brocken Picture by Annie Pouliot)

Torfhaus

-In Torfhaus there is a very good interactive centre about the Harz national park. Here you can find a guide who will answer all your questions in English and there is the possibility of a guided tour.

- There is a point on the Torfhaus trail where the planted trees (from the economical forest) are dying and the natural regrowth is taking over. To tourists this area looks ugly but if you look at the environmental aspect, is it actually beautiful to see the nature take back the forest.

- Also while walking the trail, dead tress can be seen everywhere in the forest. Because of the rainy weather in Germany, there are very few forest fires to burn the fallen or dead trees. In fact, even when there are fires, firefighters are called ASAP and the fires are put out.

-On the Torfhaus trail, there is also the Goethe (famous German writer) trail to the Brocken. This is an easier, longer way to walk to the Brocken. After walking this trail to the Brocken, Goethe wrote a story about the trail, the Brocken, and the National Park, and so they named the trail after him.

-Besides the interactive centre and the trail through the National Park, you can find a few chip stands to satisfy your hunger before you leave for your next adventure.

Königskrug

-Königskrug is a small town which is home to one of the entrances to the Harz National Park.

-Königskrug is a 30 minute walk from the town of Braunlage.

-There is also a youth hostel called the schullandheim in Königskrug, situated in the woods, and as close to wilderness as you will get in the Harz Mountains.

-Trails which surround the youth hostel will lead you into the Harz National Park. A 20 minute hike will have you arriving at 'Silver Lake'.(p.10)

(p.10 Silver Lake Picture by Annie Pouliot)

Braunlage

-Braunlage is a small town of 6000 people situated 30 minutes walking distance from Königskrug. There are grocery stores, convenience stores, as well as several souvenir shops. You can also find a post office where you can do your mailing, purchase stamps, and even buy phone cards.

-If ever you need to go somewhere by taxi while you are in Braunlage, a good thing to know is that the taxi drivers do not accept money. You have to pay with an electronic phone card. You buy the card for a certain amount of money and it works like a debit card with a declining balance. You can buy these phone cards at the post office or at a few convenient stores. So do not forget to carry the card around with you, you never know when you could need it.

-An exciting event in Braunlage is Walpurgisfest on the night of April 30^th. This event is from the old myth of witches changing Spring, April 30^th, into summer, May 1^st. This party is mostly celebrated in the North of Germany. After the show there are fireworks, a concert, and a bonfire.

-Also, before, during, and after the show, you can purchase Hexenbier which means, hexen = witch bier = beer. This party is set outside and everyone from the town attends. Several of them dress up in witch or devil costumes. (p.11) Some of them even go around in the night either tapping people with their broom, or taking people's arms and dancing a few steps with them. (p.11 Hexen Picture by R.J. Payne)

-Other interesting things might be to go ice skating at the rink, (p. 12) where they rent skates. Or, if you prefer, you can have a dinner at one of the nice Italian restaurants finishing it all off with an ice cream cone.

(p.12 Ice Rink Picture by R.J. Payne)

Wernigerode

-Wernigerode is a small town of 35,000 people, with an older population who are weary of strangers or tourists. Besides the permanent residents, there is a University called, Hochschule Harz which brings a younger population leaving a big gap in ages.

-Around the town there are several little shops, including souvenir shops, and ice cream shops.

-Some of the main attractions in Wernigerode are the castle and the Hasseröder brewery tour, more detail follows.

Castle

-The walk up to the castle is a good hike up but you have the possibility of taking a little train instead. (p.13)

-There is a restaurant up there if you want to rest and eat before going back down.

-There is a guided tour offered in English that takes the group around the castle explaining the importance of it. The guide will point out the differences in lifestyles between then and now, and explain the significance of the people that stayed at the castle like the Prussian prince.

-There is no admittance in the towers.

-Some residential homes have been built around the castle and can be seen on the walk or ride up to the castle.

(p.13 View from Castle Picture by Sarah Welch)

Brewery tour

-At the brewery there are no English tours available, so bring your interpreter.

-The beer you find here is Hasseröder. (p.14)

-The brewery gets the wheat ingredient from the farms surrounding the brewery grounds.

-They re-use empty bottles and with the dirty water that was used to wash those bottles, they make hydro-electric energy to run the beer plant.

(p.14 Hasseröder logo Picture by R.J. Payne)

-After the tour, they give you about an hour to drink some free beer and eat some complementary German appetizers.

-There is merchandise available for visitors to purchase.

Berlin

-From Wernigerode, it takes about 3 hours by train to go to Berlin. The ice train is usually the best train to take. There is a small difference in price, but the train usually only has one or two stops which makes the ride much quicker.

-Once in Berlin, there are bus tours offered for $4 a person. In this tour, the bus takes you to all of the major tourist attractions and/or important buildings in Berlin. By paying four dollars, you can get on and off as many times as you want in a period of 2 hours.

-Of course one of the popular sites to go to is where the Berlin wall separated East and West Germany during forty years.

Goslar

-Goslar has a population of 48,000 people.

-Goslar is home of one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Some excellent interpretive tours of the entire town are available, in English!

-Goslar is home to the Siemens' house, and is very much a town based on tourism.

-The town of Goslar has building laws that every building must maintain its look. This means that modern day people are busy looking for slate shingles to keep their buildings looking authentic.

-The river which runs through the town of Goslar was very significant years ago. The river was a natural barrier which separated the political figures from the residents of the town. (p.15 Busy Goslar shopping area Picture by Sarah Welch)

-Plumbing systems in Goslar are made from hollowed trees, the middle of the trees are burned, and the now hollow trunks are used for piping.

-Beware, most of the shops (p.15) and tours in Goslar are only available until 6 pm. Restaurants, however remain open to cater to the tourists.

Tourist attractions in the surrounding areas

Rübeland

-In Rübeland, a small town 13km south of Wernigerode there are the Hermannshöhle caves where tourists can observe a very natural phenomenon. These caves were formed 350, 000 years ago.

-The caves are full of stalactites and stalagmites, along with bats, spiders and salamanders.

-Beware, tours are only available in German, so bring along your dictionary.

-Salamanders were imported from Southern Europe to one of the man made ponds within the caves. The providers of the salamanders neglected to send a female, so for this reason reproduction was impossible.

-The bats that reside at Hermannshöhle do their part as well. In the local area it is known that the air in the caves is excellent for people with lung disease and respiratory problems, get your doctor to send you with a prescription!

Kloster St. Michaelsstein Museum and Cathedral

-This interesting museum is home to many antique musical instruments ranging from pianos to violins. In the basement of the building is the cathedral and the monastery, and even a garden.

Germany Facts

-Germany's petrol prices are extremely high in an effort to discourage use of vehicles.

-Germany imports all of its pulp and paper products. Germans are big recyclers. Public facilities all have garbage cans which are separated into paper, plastic, metal and other sections.

-After the wedding ceremony the bride and groom are to saw through a log together to symbolize their unity. On their wedding day the bride and groom are to host a party where their guests bring along porcelain. The guests break the porcelain with hopes that the noise will scare any bad demons from the couple. (p.16) The bride and groom are to clean up the broken porcelain to once again show their ability to work together

(p. 16 Bride with broken porcelain Picture by Sarah Welch)

-Every young German man must serve at least one year for his country after high school. They have a choice to either serve a year in the German army or work at a hostel for a year where they are provided with room and board as well as a paid trip home every two weeks.