Jun
15

More Information About The Harz Mountains Region In Central Germany

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It has been several days since I have managed to provide some further information about this intriguing part of Europe.

I was forced to undergo some oral surgery a while ago, then have been away at a seminar, and simply didn’t get time to write more information for this blog.

I do plan to get back into the swing of things in the next day or two, but in the meantime, am giving a linkage to a very thorough information source about the region.

If you want to find out more information about the region, why not visit the site of der Harz Immer Ganz Oben

I feel sure that this site will offer you a very good understanding of what the Harz Mountain region has to offer the visitor and holidaymaker.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
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Jun
02

The Harz National Park Nature Reserve

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The Harz National Park nature reserve is located in the Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt regions of Germany.

Harz National ParkThe reserve occupies large portions of the western Harz mountains with a total area of about 250 square km,and extends from Bad Harzburg in the north to Herzberg at the southern edge of the range.

The Harz is Germany’s most popular walking and holiday area. The central and eastern Harz, in the former East Germany, includes most of the finest country, including the High Harz National Park.

The area has associations with Goethe and witchcraft. The highest mountain, the Brocken, has a deep spiritual importance for the German people.

The eastern Harz is also known for its superb half-timbered towns such as Quedlinburg and Wernigerode, as well as one of Europe’s finest narrow gauge steam railway networks which offers excellent access to the whole area.

The current park was created in 2006 by joining the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony with the Upper Harz National Park in Saxony-Anhalt. The elevation is between 230 m and 1141.1 m, with some 95% of the area being covered with forest.

One of the future priorities in the management of the Harz National Park consists of carrying out environmental information and education services.
With its location, beautiful landscapes and natural characteristics, environmental facilities and topography, the Harz National Park region is one of the most significant recreational areas within Central Europe.

Rare animals of the Harz National Park include the dipper, black stork, peregrine falcon and especially the lynx. The lynx became extinct in the Harz Mountains in the early 19th century, but in 1999 a project for reintroducing the lynx was established.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Vacations
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May
23

Harz Germany – Witches’ Haven

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Any visitor to the Harz Mountains region wll soon realise that there is an odd emphasis on witches and other supernatural elements amongst many of the villages and towns.

This area, which is often steeped in mists that seem to weave in and out of forest trees and rock formations, is also steeped in folk tales and traditions which probably go back to pre-christian times.

These include many tales of witchcraft, apparitions and enchantments. These traditions spread widely, and in many parts of Europe there was a belief that Walpurgisnacht was the occasion when all of Europe’s witches gathered together on the peak of Brocken Mountain (Brockenberg) to await the dawn of spring. The date of this event is the night of April 30th, the eve of May.

It is believed that the tradition of Walpurgisnacht has its roots in an ancient pagan spring festival. However,under Christian influence, the rite of spring was transformed into a day to drive out the forces of pagan darkness, rather than the darkness of winter. Saint Walburga, now remembered on May 1, emerged in the eighth century to battle with the old goddess.
Brocken Mountain was where Goethe set the witches’ Sabbath scene in the story of Faust, who sells his soul to Mephistopheles, the devil. The tradition has even been remembered in modern music when the band Black Sabbath presented the song entitled “Walpurgis”.

Of course, this season has recently been promoted by local councils as a means of attracting tourists to the area. Around this time of the year, there is a brisk trade in “Harzhexen”, a range of toys and souvenirs reresenting witches on broomsticks and similar metaphors of witchcraft.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Odd Spots
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May
20

Germany – The Harz Mountains Region

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Today we will begin an exploration of some interesting items relating to the Harz Mountains region of Germany.

This area has a special interest to me as being the area in which my grandfather spent his formative years. I have found it to be a fascinating part of Germany, as being an area rich with history and lovely scenery, yet having sheltered on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain for some 50 years.

Harz Region Location MapThe Harz Mountains comprise the northernmost mountain chain of Germany. They straddle the border between the states of Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.

The Harz is divided into the Upper Harz (Oberharz) in the northwest and the Lower Harz (Unterharz) in the southeast. The Upper Harz has a higher elevation and features fir forests, while the Lower Harz gradually descends towards the surrounding land and offers a mix of deciduous forests and meadows.

The mountain range is about 95 km long and some 35 km wide. The highest peak is the Brocken with a height at the summit of 1141 m.

Whilst the chain covers some 2,000 sq. km., the population in the area is much less than many other parts of Germany, with only about 600,000 people living in the towns and villages of the Harz mountains.

The history of the Harz region is “relatively” recent, with the dense forestation apparently precluding pre-historic settlements. Some of the earliest recorded activities in the region relate to the discovery of silver in the Goslar area around 1000 AD.

In later articles, I will tell more about the people, locations and special items of interest relating to this part of the world.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations
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Apr
10

A Memorable Rail Journey in Germany’s Harz Mountains

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This was a truly wonderful find to us on a recent trip to northern Germany.

The Harzer SchmalspurBahnen railway operates from Wernigerode at the North side of the Harz Mountains, and Nordhausen to the south.

This narrow-gauge steam-hauled railway takes us to Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz region at over 3,700ft. During the Cold War, Brocken was a military base used for border surveillance and until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the mountain was off-limits to all but the Soviet army.

The Harz mountains, 90 kilometers (56 miles) long, 30 kilometers wide, and some 400 million years old, straddle the border between what was once East and West Germany, in the central part of the country.

Brocken Mountain, has an ancient reputation of being a haunting ground for witches, goblins and other creatures in the pagan pantheon. The well-traveled Goethe called the Brockenberg his favorite mountain, and gave it a place in literary history by using it as the setting for the witches’ orgiastic Sabbath scene in Faust.
At 60.5 kilometers, it’s the the longest narrow-gauge steam locomotive route in Germany.

Other towns to visit in the region are Wernigerode, with its many half-timbered houses, Bad Lauterberg, which has the leading health spa in northern Germany based on the unusual “Kneipp” method, and Goslar, whose medieval old town is so well preserved that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can find out more about this fascinating trip into history and fantasy, by visiting:

www.hsb-wr.de/hsb_barrierefrei/hsb/streckennetz/harzquerbahn_e.htm

Submitted by Barbara Walsh-Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

Categories : Destinations, Rail, Vacations
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