Harz National Park is a wonderful nature reserve stretching over 2 German federal states, Lower Saxony (where we live) and Saxony-Anhalt. Over 90% of this area is covered with lush forests, including bogs, creeks, lakes, rivers, ice age granite rocks. The park is also part of the Natura 2000 network and is well known as the perfect place for hiking, skiing, mountain biking cycling and more. Decades ago, there was a high number of lynx living in the area, now they are trying to increase the numbers with the so-called “Luchsprojekt Harz” programme. It is basically our nature playground, less than an hour away from where we live and in the past 9 years I have visited it many many times. In this mostly flat part of Germany the mountains in Harz NP are practically the first mountains you come across coming from Denmark. But, it is not all just in its natural treasures, there are also lots of charming tows up there and the area is full of historical sites, legends, tales about witches and more. In this post I have gathered most of the best corners of Harz national park and wrote about what you can see and do here. Read more below.
GOSLAR | a gorgeous Unesco town with an imperial palace and great architecture
ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING TOWNS IN THE AREA and definitely my favourite has an over 1000-year history and used to be a Free Imperial Town. It was refereed to as the “ROME OF THE NORTH” because it was a centre of Christianity and a favoured seat of government. The impressive Romanesque IMPERIAL PALACE offers a great view over the city and the 600m high RAMMELSBERG MOUNTAIN WITH ITS MINES which closed down in 1988. In 1992 the mine and the Old Town of Goslar have been entered on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. Goslar is full of beautiful “FACHWERK” TIMBER WOOD HOUSES, churches and old stone cobble-stoned streets and it is a great place to visit during the weekend on a sunny day – the main square is full of people eating ice creams or drinking a beer, enjoying the easy going atmosphere. The also have a very beautiful CHRISTMAS MARKET every December.
1 hour drive from HANOVER, 30 minutes from BRAUNSCHWEIG and 40 minutes from HILDESHEIM it´s simply one of those places you have to visit if you live near by or if you visit the HARZ NP in Lower Saxony, northern Germany. You can park the car either at one of the CITY GARAGES or even better, at a large “Kaiserpfalz Nord” CARPARK at the foot of the Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz).
HAHNENKLEE & LIEBESBANKWEG | a holiday resort town, a longer circuit hike dedicated to love and more
HAHNENKLEE is a charming quiet little town with lots of restaurants, shops and things to do in the surrounding nature. My favourite is the LIEBESBANKWEG which is about 7KM LONG and is known for the 25 UNIQUELY CARVED WOODEN BENCHES, all of them symbolising and REPRESENTING LOVE. There are also POETRY STONES and interesting wooden SCULPTURES dedicated to specific occasions of love. If that sounds too cheesy for you, just don´t pay too much attention on it and concentrate on the breathtaking nature. On the way you walk through the FORESTS and MEADOWS, by the LAKES and (optionally) over the BOCKSBERG HILL. In the winter you can also SKI HERE, or you just take the lift up the hill and walk from there. And don´t forget to visit this amazing MEDIEVAL WOODEN CHURCH, resembling the Scandinavian ones.
If coming from the north you have to take the road to GOSLAR and follow the signs to CLAUSTHAL and ventually turn right to Hahnenklee. Coming from the south, follow the road to Osterode am Harz or Clausthal and watch the signs to Hanenklee later on. There are 3 PARKING LOTS from which you can start your hike on the LIEBESBANKWEG. One is in the town of HAHNENKLEE, one is in AUERHAHN and one in BOCKWEISE .There is also one CAMP SITE by one of the lakes called “das Kreuzeck Campingplatz”.
ODERTEICH | a hike around the lake in summer and winter time
ODERTEICH, a larger ARTIFICIAL LAKE was built by miners from the nearby St. Andreasberg for water supply purposes and it is still ONE OF THE LARGEST AND OLDEST DAMS IN GERMANY. You can walk around the lake on a NEARLY 5KM LONG SCENIC WATERSIDE FOOTPATH called WASSERWANDERWEG, which is also an EDUCATIONAL TRAIL. The northern area of Oderteich is considered a BIOTOPE, so it´s not allowed to swim in this part, but in the summer you can jump into the brownish water in all other parts of the lake. The water is brown because of its humic acid, which might also be responsible for the fact that there are no fish in the lake.
After a 45min drive from Braunschweig you reach the FREE PARKING AT ODERTEICH. First you drive to Bad Harzburg and follow the signs for Torfhaus or Braunlage. Once you pass Torfhaus you have to turn right, in direction of Altenau and you are there soon. Now all you have to do is cross the road and start the walk.
KUTTELBACHERTEICH LAKE | forest natural swimming pool near Hahnenklee
There are many lakes in the national park and you can swim in some of them. The water is never really warm based on my experiences, but after a longer hike a jump in the lake feels very good regardless of the temperature. Here in KUTTELBACHERTEICH there is a very nice SWIMMING AREA tucked away in a forest 8but still close to the main road). You can also walk around a little bit, eat something at the RESTAURANT and RENT A PADDLE BOAT and explore the lake like this. In ny case, this is a great stop for the whole family.
Kuttelbacherteich lake is very close to HAHNENKLEE, along the L516 road. There is a smaller PARKING LOT close to the lake, free of charge, but it can get quite busy over the summer weekend
St. ANDREASBERG | Unesco mines and winter & summer sports activities
ST. ANDREASBERG, featuring a CHARMING SMALL TOWN with colourful wooden houses, SKI SLOPES, CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRAILS, MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS, a 550m long SUMMER TOBOGGAN, CYCLING PATHS and more, is the highest mountain town in Harz NP. It is a part of a 200km long hiking trails network in Harz NP. Besides the sports and outdoor activities, you should not miss visiting the famous SAMSON MINE MUSEUM, which is a part of the Unesco heritage as well. Another fun thing to od in the winter is to take a TUBING RUN on the illuminated slopes in Teichtal.
St. Andreasberg is situated between BRAUNLAGE and ALTENAU, not far from Oderteich and Torfhaus as well. It´s a nice stop on the way or a few days base for exploring the national park in any time of the year.
BROCKEN | hiking up the highest mountain in Lower Saxony
Brocken (1141m) is THE HIGHEST PEAK IN HARZ NP and also in the whole northern Germany. Its peak is just above the tree line and its micro climate resembles that of the ALPINE MOUNTAINS. On the way up you see lots of these giant granitic stones, which have been there since the Ice age. On the top there is also a historic BOTANICAL GARDEN (made in 1890 it was the first German alpine garden) of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. A part of the path leads you over the OLD TANK ROAD, running along the once existing BORDER BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST GERMANY . The BROCKEN RAILWAY was opened in 1899 and the station on the top is one of the highest railway stations in Germany. There is an interesting story behind the TV TOWER on the top as well, overall Brocken mountain has played a huge role in many eras of German history. Besides a few RESTAURANTS serving food & drinks on the top, there is also a HOTEL if you wish to spend the night.
There are 4 WAYS TO GET TO THE TOP OF BROCKEN: from SCHIERKE (7 km), from TORFHAUS (8 km), from ILSENBURG (12 km) and from BAD HARZBURG (13 km). You can also take the HISTORIC STEAM BROCKEN RAILWAY which takes jut right to the top. We usually take the the way from Torfhaus, also known as the “GOETHEWEG”. For this one, you can leave the car on a big CARPARK in Torfhaus, fees apply.
BRAUNLAGE & WURMBERG | a famous holiday resort and the second highest peak
BRAUNLAGE is a known WINTER RESORT in Harz NP, with lots of HOTELS different ranges, RESTAURANTS and many possibilities for OUTDOOR and INDOOR ACTIVITIES. It is a good place to accommodate yourself during your stay in the national park. WURMBERG MOUNTAIN though, is the star of this place. It is THE SECOND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN HARZ NP and there are 6 SKIING PISTES (the longest is almost 5km long), which in summer turn to MOUNTAINBIKE TRAILS. It´s great to take the gondola up and walk down in the summer (around 8km). There are 2 STATIONS, you can get out on any of those – there are places to RENT BICYCLES and COTTAGES offering food & drinks and the VIEWS are stunning. The LAKE ON THE TOP was made to satisfy the needs of making artificial snow for the skiing pistes. There is a really cool PLAYGROUND next to it. On the way down, if you walk, you will come across a SKI JUMP too. Definitely my kind of place, a real gem in this otherwise very flat part of Germany.
It will take you around 1 hour to get to Braunlage from Braunschweig. Drive through Bad Harzburg and pass TORFHAUS. Once in WURMBERG, SEILBAHN GONDOLAS are on your left side – there is a bigger PARKING LOT in front of it. You can either WALK UP TEH MOUNTAIN or get a lift with the GONDOLA. One way TICKET for adults & kids above 6yrs to the top is 7€.
BAD HARZBURG & BURGBERG | wonderful spa town and the hill with a historical tour trail
BAD HARZBURG is a well known SPA AND CLIMATIC HEALTH RESORT, with lots of really nice hotels, restaurants and shops. It is very pleasant to walk around and there´s lots to do in the area. BURGBERG is actually a name for 2 PEAKS RIDING UP ABOVE BAD HARZBURG. One is 483 and the other one 436m high. You can either WALK TO THE TOP or take a GONDOLA. Once you are up, there are some great VIEWS on the town and surrounding nature. The best way to do it is to follow the so-called “HISTORICAL TOUR”, which takes you around all the important sights on top – the RUINS OF AN OLD CASTLE, THE CANOSSA COLUMN and others. The area on the top is not that big, so you can easily explore it also with small kids, they might find it interesting to climb the old stones. From here you can also do a hike to Brocken, but it´s really a long way.
Bad Harzburg is about 40min drive from Braunschweig. Once you drive in to the town there will be signs for the CABLE CAR STATION on your right side. There is also a big PARKING LOT and the town centre is also not far away. Close by there is also a place for MOTORHOMES. RETURN TICKETS for the gondola are 4€ for adults and 2€ for kids.
BAUMWIPFELPFAD | an educational walk in the tree canopies in Bad Harzburg
At the edge of BAD HARZBURG town, you can take a WALK IN THE TREE CANOPIES on the so-called BAUMWIPFELPFAD. First, you will walk up on a circular path of a tower, which gets you up to the tree tops, reaching a larger platform with nice views on the surroundings. On the 1km LONG WALKWAY around 20m from the ground, there are 18 PLATFORMS with 33 EDUCATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS where you can learn about the national aprk, forests, plants and animals. There are no stairs so everybody can visit it. Once at the end you can either walk back tot he tower and return the same way or descend at the end of the walkway and walk back through the forest.
This place is a 40min drive from BRAUNSCHWEIG. You can buy the TICKETS at the Tourist Information centre or at the pavilion close to the Gondola Station. You can also buy COMBINED TICKETS, for the canopy walkway and the gondola to the top of Burgberg. The canopy walkway is opened all year and you will pay 8€ for adults, 4 to 17 years 6,50€ and the younger ones go for free.
OKERSEE | cruising & other activities on the lake at the Okertalsperre
OKERSEE is a lake which was created with the building of the OKER DAM called OKERTALSPERRE on the road between ALTENAU and GOSLAR. The dam is 75m high, 260m long and provides hydropower, flood protection and water regulation at times of low water. It is also used indirectly for the production of drinking water. You can go for a WALK or a BICYCLE RIDE AROUND THE LAKE or take a 1.5hrs long BOAT TOUR. This boat service is the highest above sea level in Lower Saxony. In addition, during the summer months, numerous, private, unmotorised water craft grace the waters of the reservoir. SWIMMING AND DIVING are also permitted, except directly in the zone near the dam wall.
You can reach the Okersee from GOSLAR, where you drive about 20 minutes towards ALTENAU. You can also drive from BAD HARZBURG, if you drive through TORFHAUS and turn right towards Altenau. Coming from the south, follow the signs to Osterode am Harz and Altenau. By the lake you will find a small village, Schulenberg. If you wish to stay the night, there is a nice CAMPING, called simply “Camping Okertal”.
WERNIGERODE | a wondeful medieval town with a hilltop castle
WERNIGERODE used to be an important medieval capital and the main attractions today are the STONE & HALF TIMEBERED CASTLE built in the 12th century above the city and the HISTORIC OLD TOWN with its narrow streets and traditional “FACHWERK” HOUSES. There are several interesting buildings from the GOTHIC TIMES, some of which are decorated with amazing wood-carvings. The chambers, gardens and the CASTLE´S panorama terrace are opened to the public and are really nice. There is also a great park close to the castle, LUSTGARDEN, with an ORANGERY, PLAYGRIUNDS FOR KIDS and more.
WERNIGERODE is a smaller town picturesquely located on the Holtemme river, about an hour drive from Braunschweig. You can reach it by train, bus or your own car – in this case you can park anywhere in the center, but you will need to hike up to the castle.
REGENSTEIN CASTLE | exploring the ruins of a medieval castle
REGENSTEIN CASTLE was built in the early MIDDLE AGES on an almost 300 metres high sandstone rock,. Today only ruins are left but they are as much interesting as a castle would be. For kids probably even more. You can walk around former chambers, now looking like CAVES, climb to the top and ENJOY THE VIEWS and peak inside underground rooms. There is also a knight´s tournament and a garrison festival organised every year on this site. Once in the area, you can check out BLANKENBURG CASTLE as well.
It took us 1 hour to get here from Braunschweig, the easiest way to find it is to take the first exit for BLANKENBURG town and then follow the signs. From the parking lot you have to walk 400 metres (on the road or through the woods) to the castle area gates. The ENTRANCE FEE is 3€ for adults, kids above 6 years pay 1,5€. There is also a restaurant at the top (Mondays closed).
TEUFELSMAUER | a hike from Timmendorf to Blankenburg along the Devil´s wall
The whole TEUFELSMAUER (“the Devils wall”) is around 20KM LONG and it stretches from BALLENSTEDT to BLANKENBURG. One can visit certain parts of this incredible sandstone rock formations and here I´m presenting A 8-9 KM LOOP WALK FROM TIMMENDORF TO BLANKENBURG and back. On the way we saw the famous HAMBURGER WAPPEN ROCK, GARNDFATHER & GRANDMOTHER ROCKS and others, also lots of CAVES and TUNNELS. While making the loop there are 2 options – you can WALK ON THE TOP OF THE WALL (I strongly suggest this) or THROUGH THW FOREST BELOW. Anyhow this is an awesome spot not to be missed while in the area.
Once in TIMMENDORF, you can park the car at a bigger PARKING LOT next to the local football field. From here, it´s just a short walk between the houses and after one time turning right, you are in the nature and will already see the wall.
TEUFELSMAUER | a hike from Neinstedt to Thale along the Devil´s wall
The whole TEUFELSMAUER (“the Devils wall”) is around 20 KM LONG, stretching from BALLENSTEDT to BLANKENBURG. One can visit certain parts of this incredible sandstone rock formations and here I´m presenting a 6 KM LOOP WALK, starting in a village called NEINSTEDT – from where we walked along the wall to the town of THALE and back. The walk is pretty easy as everything is flat around here, so it´s PERFECT FOR THE KIDS too.
We left the car at the official FREE CARPARK in NEINSTEDT, along the main road called Alte Quedlinburgerstrasse. You can walk around the walls freely, just remember climbing is not allowed.
QUEDLINBURG | a lovely Unesco town with a hilltop castle
QUEDLINBURG is a wonderful middle-sized town on the river BODE, known to have existed ever since the 9th Century. Today it is full with rich history, the city´s CHURCH, CASTLE and OLD TOWN area also on the UNESCO´s World Heritage list. It is a great day trip if you are staying somewhere in Harz NP, you will find lots of restaurants, shops and nice cafes, but most importantly – lots of beautifully preserved timber wood buildings.
Quedlinburg, actually in SAXONY-ANHALT German state, is close to THALE and BLANKENBURG and easily accessible from the main road 36. There are lots of PARKING LOTS in the city.
RAPPBODETALSPERE | amazing suspension bridge, scary zipline and the largest dam in Harz NP
RAPPBODETALSPERRE is the largest dam in Harz and the HIGHEST DAM IN GERMANY. Together with several other dams and retention basins, it forms an important flood protection system for the eastern Harz. There is a road going over it, but to get perfect views of the whole construction it is best to WALK OVER THE HANGING BRIDGE “TITAN-RT”, built in 2017. With its almost 460m FREE SPAN LENGHT it is THE LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE OF THIS KIND. You will need a TICKET to cross it and zero fear of heights. If it´s windy, expect the bridge to move as well. But it´s an awesome experience. If this is not enough adrenaline for you, you can “throw yourselves” over the Bode lake below on this amazing zip line called the GIGA-SWING.
Rappbodetalsperre is located between BLANKENBURG and HASSELFELDE, you will find the suspension bridge and the zip line along the road L96. There are 2 PARKING LOTS, each on one side. The one at the main entrance is not free of charge and can get quite full on the week ends.
THALE & HEXENTANZPLATZ | hiking, mountain theatre, dancing witches and more
THALE is a great town in SAXONY-ANHALT with many things to see and do. My favourite HIKE around here is the one to the ROSSTRAPPE, close to the river Bode Gorge, but there are 2 other ineteresting sites here. First one is the so-called HEXENTANZPLATZ which would translate to “THE WITCHES DANCEFLOOR”. This is an old CULT SITE where celebrations were held to honour a forest and mountain goddess, but were later banned – the ones who banned them were later on chased by the locals dressed as witches, therefore the name. Above the Hexentanzplatz are the remains of the granite rocks wall called SACHSENWALL, possibly a part of a greater fortification. The other attraction si the mountain theatre calLed the BERGTHEATER THALE. This is such an amazing OPEN AIR SITE and there are still plays being performed here every summer. You can reach these 2 sites either WITH A GONDOLA FROM THALE or you can drive up with your car. There is also an USPIDE-DOWN WITCH HOUSE, a WILDLIFE PARK and a SUMMER TOBOGGAN TRAIL.
THALE is situated between QUEDLINBURG, BLANKENBURG and HASSELFELDE, not so far from the suspension bridge mentioned above. There is a lot to see and do in Thale and you might need 2 days to experience everything. Definitely a great place to visit while in Harz NP.
