Local Attractions
Beyond the trails — heritage sites, natural wonders and cultural landmarks across the Harz region.
Over a thousand years of continuous ore extraction ended in 1988. The entire site — shafts, processing buildings, machinery — is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most comprehensively preserved mining landscapes in Europe. Allow at least three hours underground.
The most complete medieval town in the northern Harz. Over 1,500 half-timbered houses have survived. The Kaiserpfalz imperial palace, the Marktkirche and the Goslarer Museum are worth a full day. The old town is walkable and well-signed.
The Bode river gorge at Thale is the most dramatic piece of geology in the Harz. A 4 km trail through the gorge connects two cable car stations — it can be done in either direction.
The highest peak in northern Germany. On clear days the views extend to Hamburg. Reachable on foot via multiple approach routes or by the HSB steam railway. The Brocken weather station has operated since 1895.
A less visited alternative to the Bode — the Ecker gorge below the Eckerstausee reservoir narrows dramatically in its lower section. The path requires some scrambling.
140 km of metre-gauge railway connecting Nordhausen, Wernigerode, Quedlinburg and the Brocken. Running since 1898 and still operated with steam locomotives on many routes. The most atmospheric way to see the Harz without a car.
The twin mining town at the heart of the Upper Harz. The Market Church of the Holy Spirit is the largest wooden church in Germany. The town's Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum covers 500 years of Upper Harz mining in detail.