Tom`s travels: Trip to the Harz (24-26/09/2021)

For a weekend trip, Ania and I decided to head out of Berlin and spend a few days in the Harz mountains. Our friends Margo and Denisz from Hamburg would meet up with us there as they would be coming by car. After an early rise, we took the train leaving Berlin in the direction of Quedlinburg. We were supposed to switch in Magdeburg but just before approaching the city, we were told the train was going to stop earlier as there was construction work of some kind on the lines and so we couldn't go on. Thus after reaching the tiny station of Magdeburg Herrenkrug just outside the city we were then told to wait for a bus that would take us on. The bus took so long to arrive and there were quite a few people from the train waiting. Eventually, just one bus came and of course, everyone tried rushing to it in order to arrive in Magdeburg in time for whatever connection they had. We luckily managed to get on the bus but many more people were left stranded waiting for the next bus which would come who knows when. This was such an annoying and frustrating situation as considering the fact that there had been construction work taking place the German rail company should have known about it and planned appropriate alternative transport. Unfortunately, that was not the first nor last time such a thing would happen as we would suffer an even worse situation a few months from then. After reaching the central station of Magdeburg we obviously had missed our connection and so were only able to take the train leaving an hour later. Because of this, our plan to meet with our friends in Quedlinburg was delayed and so we thought instead to stay on the train one stop more in order to reach the town of Blankenburg which would've been closer to where they were coming from and closer to the Harz mountains. However, the unfriendly train checker told us we could not do that, even after trying to explain to him that we had missed the connection because of a problem on the part of the German rail company and so because of our 1-hour delay we were hoping to compensate by heading closer to where our friends would be coming from. He did not budge and insisted we got off earlier. So after texting our friends, we reached the town of Quedlinburg and eventually met them in front of the station. At this point, we thought to head to the town of Blankenburg from there directly. After reaching it we parked the car and continued on foot; as we walked around the pretty old town we admire the typical timber-framed buildings. We then reached the central square, the Markt, where the nice Renaissance town hall was set. The square was curiously on the sloping part of the town and as we continued uphill from it we then reached the nearby church of St Bartholomew, a nice small Romanesque church from the 13th century with a simple yet nice interior. Continuing further up we then reached the castle, built on the highest point, on a hilltop at about 305m above sea level. Originally a 12th-century defensive structure it received major restructurings and refurbishments which eventually gave it its current baroque look at the beginning of the 18th century. In the 20th century, it served as a technical college in the period of the East German government to be then left abandoned for a while after reunification. Eventually, a plan to restore it was carried out at the beginning of the 21st century, now featuring a theatre and a part of the building holding a museum. Once there we visited the nice central courtyard but did not go in as it seemed closed, as it is probably only open on weekends. As we left the castle we then passed through the nice nearby castle gardens designed in a baroque fashion, part of the complex of the so-called Kleine Schloss, or small castle. This nice Rococo castle was built in the 18th century and is now a picturesque attraction in Blankenburg. From there a short walk brought us then back to the car, and after a short drive, we then reached the Rappbode Dam. Built in the 1950s to dam the Bode river, is the largest dam in the Harz region as well as the highest dam in Germany. Here we had booked at 4pm a run on the Megazipline, one of the main attractions in the Harz region. This zipline, which opened in 2012, hangs a maximum of 120 m high above the water and is about 1000 m long making it the longest in Europe. Once there we parked the car and found out we even had to pay to park and got our tickets for the zipline. We then awaited our turn, and after being given the equipment and shown the proper way to go on it, we took our spots to zip down across the valley. Margo and Denisz went first and then it was the turn of Ania and me, as it was a double zip line and you could go two at a time next to each other. It was a really fun and exciting experience and gave us the thrills as we were speeding at over 100km/h right above the lake and valley. The whole way down though seemed to be over so fast but we were so happy to have done it. One unfortunate thing though was that once we had reached the end we had planned to walk back up to the car through the suspension bridge and had bought tickets for that extra as well. However once there we found out it was only possible to enter one way and of course, the entrance was back up where the zipline started so we had to walk back up, walk on the bridge, and then once again walk back to the car. After reaching the entrance to the suspension bridge we started to walk across it admiring the nice view, which was the same as from the zipline but in a much calmer setting. Right above us we then watched other people zipping past us, hearing their excitement and sometimes scared screams. Opened in 2017 the bridge measures 483m and is one of the longest pedestrian suspension bridges in the world, probably being classified as the longest if considering its free-standing section of 458.5 m. It was quite nice to walk on it but nothing particularly special compared to other bridges I had walked over, and rather expensive too. Once we had completed the round we headed back to our car and from there as we still had a couple of hours before dinner decided to head to visit some stuff on the way. We stopped at the Regenstein castle, and after parking the car at the parking lot, continued on foot. We reached the castle after a couple of minutes' walk but found out it was just closing, so instead had to admire it from the outside. It consists of a ruined castle originally built probably around the 12th century, on a 294m high sandstone rock towering over the surrounding rocky landscape and forest-covered land. Around the 17th century, it was turned into a Prussian fort and later throughout the centuries slowly abandoned. It is said that the castle holds a well that is over 197 meters deep, making it thus the deepest castle well in the world, however, it was filled in long ago. Before heading back to the car we decided to explore the area around the castle. We followed a path descending downhill through the thick forest in an area called the Heers which surrounds the castle and rock formation on which it stands. At one point after walking for a bit, we reached an open area in the middle of the forest where we saw some interesting small caves. It was in fact the natural monument known as Sandhöhlen or sand caves, consisting of a large sandy open space surrounded by quartz walls that featured caves. The quartz was in fact so brittle that most passersby had carved their initials, names, or other drawings on the walls of the caves. We toured around the area and then decided to walk back to the car. Once there we then drove to reach once again the town of Quedlinburg where we eventually checked in our accommodation. Then we were off through the city to look for a place to eat. Not much was open, unfortunately, and the town looked quite deserted, and the only places open were mostly full. We eventually settled for a small Asian restaurant right behind the beautiful town hall. After dinner and a last stroll around town, we headed back to sleep ready for our hike the next day.

In the morning, we woke up early and had breakfast in our accommodation. Then we got in the car and drove westwards towards the town of Ilsenburg which we reached in just less than half-hour. Here we then found a parking spot just south of the town and right by the trail which we had planned to take in order to hike up to the Brocken, the summit of the Harz mountains and the highest mountain in Northern Germany, at about 1141m. We were following the Heinrich Heine Weg, a trail that the famous German poet is said to have followed when hiking up the Harz in 1824. The way started at about 266m above sea level, and after a length of 11km reach the top of the Brocken for a total of 875m of ascent. After leaving the car we started heading on along the trail, noticing how it was already quite full of hikers and walkers despite the cloudy weather. The trail went through a nice deciduous forest which, as we headed up in altitude, started to give way to mostly pines. We mostly walked along the Ilse river, which gives its name to the valley, Ilsetal, and to the previous town, Ilsenburg. Then coming out of the forest the trail went over what seemed like a cemented road, probably used by service vehicles. We were out in the open, with just some low pines around us. The view in some spots was really nice encompassing the whole forest around us and the flatlands far below us in the distance. One unfortunate thing we noticed which would be more apparent later on the day, was the grey dead patches of forest which were easily visible among the rest of the greenery. Apparently in fact, despite the altitude, deciduous trees such as beech mixed with maple, birch, ash, and other tree species are supposed to be native here. However, due to the high need for wood for mining and large deforestation in the past, spruce trees were the preferred option to be planted and grown in the area. Because in recent years, weather extremes such as storms and drought have severely affected the trees, they are now weakened and lack natural resilience. Because of this bark beetles, have been eating their way through the conductive pathways of the spruces, which cannot produce anymore the resin which once helped them to protect themselves, resulting thus in their decaying and eventual death. After a short break to admire the panorama, we then continued uphill eventually reaching the peak of Brocken at 1141m. As we reached it we noticed how it was covered in a thin fog, something I read happens about 300 days a year, so it was not unexpected. On the highest point stands the Sender Brocken, two transmission towers, one from the 1930s, 53m high, and the other from 1973 and 123m high. Around them was a series of restaurants, one of which we picked to have our lunch. Before heading in though we took a picture with the monument to Heinrich Heine, to celebrate reaching the end of his namesake trail. A German walking next to us commented to his wife after hearing us speak in English, how we were probably unaware of who the monument was dedicated to and thought us, typical stupid tourists. Funnily all the other three in the group answered him back in German at which he became super red and just left with his head down. After this funny scene, it was time to have lunch so we entered the aforementioned hut and grabbed something to eat. I took a solyanka soup with sausage which was quite tasty. After lunch and the break, it was time to head on. We decided to follow a slightly different way down in order to change the scenery a little bit. We left the foggy peak behind and at one point passed right by the famous black steam locomotive which from the station of Drei Annen Hohne, at about 542m, stops right below the mountain peak. Continuing on we then reached another part of the forest where most of the trees were dead. Here the feature which I mentioned earlier was even more visible and dreary as there was no single green vegetation left around. Panels set up along the trail showed how it must have looked before when it was still lush. We continued on along the path and after a bit of walking downhill reached then once again the trail we had used to come up. We followed it, walking along the Ilse river, reaching then the car after about a 5h 30 hike and nearly 23km. Once we reached the car we then drove shortly to reach the nearby Ilsenburg Abbey, located on a hilltop overlooking the town. This nice monastery originally dates to the 11th and 12th centuries and features a mostly Romanesque style with a wooden bell tower added later on. Unfortunately, the interior was already closed so we were just able to see the church from the outside and walked around the premises admiring the rest of the complex comprising the cloisters which were partly demolished during the 16th and 18th centuries. From there we then got back in the car and drove to the nearby village of Drübeck, where we found a parking spot and headed on to visit another monastery, the Drübeck Abbey. The complex is composed of a central main church surrounded by several different buildings which are now used as conference venues, an educational-theological institute, and a pastoral center. As we headed towards the church we passed by the nice garden which was once where the monks had their little huts and a small patch of land to grow plants and crops. The monastery still keeps a small area dedicated to growing plants where we found some really nice flowers and other types of plants. We then entered the crypt of the church which featured a separate entrance. It was small, low, and dark, but featured some nice decorated column capitals. Then after exiting we headed to see the church itself. Built in the 11th century it received renovations during the 12th century when the west wing with the two towers was added. Its interior was simple yet nice with still most of the original Romanesque columns and arches, later partly walled during the Baroque period. After the visit to the church, we then had a stroll around the nicely kept monastery complex and returned to our car. We then decided to head to nearby Halberstadt to stroll around a bit and then look for a place for dinner. Ania and I had been here already visiting so we walked around a bit just seeing the whole city and showing the others around as they had not been there before. After that, we then decided to eat at an Italian restaurant, Ristorante Roma. We ordered the pizza, which despite not being the typical Neapolitan one, was quite good and actually felt it was rather tasty if looked as if it was pita bread with ingredients on top. After dinner we decided to head back to our accommodation, tired after a nice day hiking and visiting.

The next day, our last day of the trip, we woke up a little later and after breakfast at the place, decided to head on to visit some sites before leaving. Our first stop was the Burg Falkenstein, located just southeast of Quedlinburg, on a hilltop at the edge of the Harz mountains and surrounded by forests. After reaching the place we parked the car in the designated, obviously paid, parking lot. From here we were supposed to either walk for about 1.3km or take a little train, also paid, which would take you up to the castle. We opted for walking and headed on along the road to reach the castle. As we reached it we came upon its impressive structure, set on a hilltop over the Selke valley at about 320m with a high outer wall and an inner bailey with a central keep. It was built during the 12th century in a Romanesque style and expanded and restructured during the 16th century. It also features a central keep tower 31m in height which can be climbed to the top for a great view. As we reached the entrance we paid for the entry ticket and started our tour of the complex. We began with the outer courtyard where it seemed like they would organize a falcon show later on. Then we moved to the inner courtyard and entered the first rooms of the castle. We passed through the castle chapel and several rooms with nice exhibits including old objects and furniture. Then we headed up the tower to enjoy a beautiful view of the whole complex from above and the great forest-covered hilly landscape around as well. The sun was high and strong and it still felt quite warm despite late September, particularly compared to the previous day. After descending back down from the tower and exploring the rest of the castle we then left the complex and headed back to the car. From there we then drove for quite a while westwards, keeping the mountains to our left, and reaching all the way on the opposite end of the Harz where we stopped at the small town of Hahnenklee. We had come here in fact to visit the Gustav Adolf Stave Church. After parking the car nearby we then headed on to visit the aforementioned church. Built in 1908 it was meant to be a replica of the 13th century Borgrund Stave Church in Norway, due to the inspiration the architect had when visiting that part of Europe, and was intended to serve the local population as the town had started to become a popular spa destination in the area. We admired its exterior and interior, so typically Norwegian in style despite the rather recent age. After visiting the church we then decided to have a little walk around the town and the nearby lake, Kranicher Teich. Then back to the car, we drove to the nearby town of Goslar where we had planned a 4pm visit at the Rammelsberg ore mine. Named after the 635m high mountain under which it was built, the mine is now a Unesco world heritage site. Iron ore mining was common in the Harz region since ancient roman times, but mining in Rammeslberg was only documented starting in the 10th century. Thanks to it the city of Goslar grew in importance and wealth and continued to develop and expand the extraction of the ore. The mine worked continuously for over 1,000 years when it finally closed in 1988, during which almost 30 million tonnes of ore were extracted. It was then, after plans to demolish the surface installations and fill in the historic underground mine workings, developed into a museum to preserve its heritage and display the history of the mine and its industrial equipment. As we reached it we entered the museum and headed on to meet our guide for the tour. It was just us four plus three extra people and despite the tour being only in German it was still quite cool and I had then the others translate key facts and info for me. We were given helmets and then headed into the mine following the main shafts once used by the workers throughout the ages. It was really cool, and quite interesting as well, passing through narrow dark tunnels and also visiting larger rooms, one of which contained a huge old wooden wheel which had been constructed directly inside. It was thought, as it was in wood, it would eventually rot due to humidity and water however it unexpectedly survived for nearly two centuries and due to its size was left there still standing. After finishing the tour of the mine we went through some extra parts of the complex where exhibits introduced the mine's history and the machinery which was used when it was still in function. After the visit, we got in the car and drove into Goslar to find parking near the city center. As we had already seen it before we decided to just have a stroll around admiring the nice architecture of the old town. Eventually, it was time for us to go so our friends accompanied us to the station where we took our train back to Berlin while they took their car back to Hamburg.