HARZ – Germany’s northernmost ski resort.

E47, A7 (north: exit 63; south: exits 70-74) /37-81 km/

A stone’s throw from the motorway a beautiful woodland area stretches towards the east. The landscape is quite spellbinding with its bizarre mountain formations. Great big boulders of rock lie scattered about in the shady forest and the mountain brooks babble contentedly on their way down into the glens. Add to this a number of truly delightful towns of half-timbered houses and you have Harz in a nutshell!

Goslar seems to be the number one favourite town among the tourists, a regular tourist centre in fact, and small wonder, too! High embankments fence round a tiny area of 1,000 square metres, where at least 1,000 half-timbered houses are sharing the space either side of a peaceful little brook. The brook is spanned by little bridges and quiet cobbled streets are lined by cosy outdoor cafés.

In the town centre we have Marktplatz with its Gothic town hall and an attractive Romanesque water well. Behind the church towers and house gables Rammelsberg forms a striking backdrop. The rich deposits of minerals in these mountains greatly contributed to the wealth of the town. It was founded in the 10th century and enjoyed a golden age up until the 16th century, when it was the principal residence of the German emperors. It was a member of the Hanseatic League and business was flourishing. This wealth was brought to a sudden end in 1522, when the Duke of Brunswick took over the mines, the income from which was then channelled to Braunschweig. A period of decline ensued, but it is this very fact that has preserved the town intact for posterity.

THE MOUNTAINTOP OF THE WITCHES

The road carries on straight into the heart of Harz and down to Osterode. We could follow it, either across a beautiful, mile wide plateau past Clausthal with its large wooden church and Zellerfeld with its interesting mine museum or down into the bewitching Oker valley. Here the road runs along little mountain brooks which ripple away through the shadowy pine forests.

Not far from here lies the highest mountain top in Harz, Brocken, at 1,142 metres above sealevel. Since time immemorial this mountain has been the meeting place of witches, who assembled either here or at the Hexentanzplatz a bit further east for their annual feast for the devil. On Walpurgis Night there is dancing and merriment here, with the witches boasting about the mischief they have been causing during the year.

OSTERODE

All of Harz is crisscrossed by excellent rambling trails, often leading up to some breathtaking viewpoint with a panorama restaurant. You can also go by cable-car, ski-lift and steam train, which are the different means of transport latter-day witches use on their way to the open-air dance floors.

But we drive on southwards through the Oker valley to Osterode which delights us with even more half-timbered houses. This tiny town is totally fenced round by walls and hides quaint little nooks and crannies. In the centre is the Cornmarket with many fine historical buildings. In one of them, Ritterhaus, is a local history museum. The town invites you to several pleasant walks along the Söse River and in its pedestrian streets, where constantly new, attractive façades crop up, catching the eye and stimulating the imagination.

NORTHEIM

Shortly before the motorway we come upon Northeim, another town of half-timbered houses, but different. Here the streets are arranged in a grid pattern, giving the town rather a square impression, but is nevertheless worth a look-in. Along the wide Breite Strasse the Bürgerhäuser of the rich burghers sit especially close together and the Alte Wache and other splendid buildings parade proudly in the market square. It is all encircled by a wall and wide banks which offer idyllic walks with views across the town wall and over the rooftops.

A DETOUR TO HERZBERG AND DUDERSTADT

As if half-timbered houses and an enchanting landscape were not enough, Osterode offers the chance of a quick detour to Herzberg and Duderstadt. These are two little gems indeed. Herzberg of course has its pretty town centre, but most notably a magnificent, half-timbered castle which towers over the town from its vantage point high up on a mountain. It houses an interesting museum and a good restaurant in an authentic castle environment.

The road goes on through a beautiful landscape with sweet little villages to Duderstadt, a town noteworthy above all for its long and wide Marktplatz with a colourful town hall in the middle of it and two handsome churches at each end. Here the restaurants and cafés lie cheek by jowl, as they do along the pretty side streets leading in from the gates of the town wall to the square. Along each and every street the half-timbered houses stand in rows with gaudy timber beams with gold inscriptions of old adages, words of wisdom in Latin or German.

Further advice: In the eastern part of Harz there are other fine towns, such as Quedlinburg and Stolberg – and the landscape continues to dazzle in much the same way!

Goslar

Goslar