The
Harz is a mountain range in central Germany. It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen Bundesländer of Germany...
,
Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million...
and
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
. The name
Harz derives from the
Middle High GermanMiddle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
word
HardtIn Germany names including Hardt are quite common. "Hardt" meant a bank or slope with trees in the Old High German of the 8th - 11th centuries AD, but is a word not found in modern German.-Cities:...
or
Hart (mountain forest). The following districts (
Kreise) fall wholly or partly within the Harz: Goslar and Osterode am Harz in the west, Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in the north and east, and Nordhausen in the south. The Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz Mountains with a height of . The
WurmbergAt the Wurmberg is the second highest mountain in the Harz and the highest in Lower Saxony .- Geography :The Wurmberg lies north of Braunlage, in the district of Goslar, and west of Schierke. Its summit is located due south of the Brocken and roughly 400 m south of the state border with...
is the highest peak in the Harz within the state of
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony lies in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen Bundesländer of Germany...
.
Geography
Location and extent
The Harz has a length of , stretching from the town of
SeesenSeesen is a town and a municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz, approx. 20 km west of Goslar. It is twinned with the English town of Wantage, Oxfordshire.-See also:...
in the northwest to
EislebenEisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as the hometown of Martin Luther, hence its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. As of 2005, Eisleben had a population of 24,552...
in the east, and a width of . It occupies an area of , and is divided into the
Upper Harz (
Oberharz) in the northwest, which is up to 800 m high apart from the 1,100 m high Brocken massif, and the
Lower Harz (
Unterharz) in the east which is up to around 400 m high and whose plateaus are capable of supporting arable farming. The disticts of the Upper Harz are Goslar and Osterode (both in Lower Saxony), whilst the Lower Harz is on the territory of Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz districts (both in Saxony-Anhalt). The Upper Harz is generally higher and features
firFirs are a genus of between 48-55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. All are trees, reaching heights of 10-80 m tall and trunk diameters of 0.5-4 m when mature...
forests, whilst the Lower Harz gradually descends into the surrounding area and has deciduous forests interspersed with meadows.
The dividing line between Upper and Lower Harz follows approximately a line from
IlsenburgIlsenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilsetal valley of the small Ilse river, a tributary of the Oker, about six north-west of the town of Wernigerode. It received town privileges...
to Bad Lauterberg, which roughly separates the catchment areas for the Weser (Upper Harz) and Elbe (Lower Harz). Only on the southeastern perimeter of the Upper Harz, which is also called the
High Harz (
Hochharz) (Goslar, Osterode and Harz districts), does the mountain range exceed on the Brocken massif. Its highest peak is the Brocken (1,141 m), its subsidiary peaks are the
HeinrichshöheThe Heinrichshöhe is a subsidiary peak of the Brocken and, at , the second highest elevation in the Harz mountains. The summit lies about 1.4 km southeast of the top of the Brocken near the Brocken Road in the Harz National Park....
(1,044 m) to the southeast and the
KönigsbergThe Königsberg is a neighbouring peak of the Brocken and, at 1034 m above sea level the third highest elevation in the Harz mountains. It lies on a long ridge that runs from southeast to nortwest about 1.5 km south of the Brocken's summit....
(1,023 m) to the southwest. Other prominent hills in the Harz are the Acker-
BruchbergAt the Bruchberg in the Upper Harz is the second highest mountain in Lower Saxony and the third highest in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It lies between Altenau and Torfhaus in the middle of the Harz National Park. The Bruchberg is more like a plateau and has no real summit...
ridge (927 m), the
AchtermannshöheThe high Achtermannshöhe in the Harz National Park is the third highest mountain in Lower Saxony and the fourth highest in the Harz mountains....
(925 m) and the
WurmbergAt the Wurmberg is the second highest mountain in the Harz and the highest in Lower Saxony .- Geography :The Wurmberg lies north of Braunlage, in the district of Goslar, and west of Schierke. Its summit is located due south of the Brocken and roughly 400 m south of the state border with...
(971 m) near
BraunlageBraunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony in Germany. It lies within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken.Nowadays Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly ski tourists...
. In the far east, the mountains merge into the East Harz foothills (Harz district, Saxony-Anhalt), which are dominated by the Selke Valley. Part of the south Harz lies in the Thuringian district of Nordhausen.
The
Harz National ParkThe Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises large portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg on the northern slopes...
is located in the Harz; the
protected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental value, or environmental plus cultural values. Examples include parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries...
covers the Brocken and surrounding wilderness area.
Approximately 600,000 people live in towns and villages of the Harz mountains.
Rivers and lakes
Because of the heavy rainfall in the region the rivers of the Harz Mountains were dammed from an early date. Examples of such masonry dams are the two largest: the Oker Valley Dam and the Rappbode Valley Dam. The clear, cool water of the mountain streams was also dammed by early mountain folk to form the various mountain ponds of the Upper Harz waterways, such as the Oderteich.
The 17 dams in the Harz block a total of twelve rivers. Because the Harz is one of the regions of Germany that experiences the most rainfall, its water power was used from early times. Today the dams are primarily used to
generate electricityElectricity generation is the process of creating electricity from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
, to provide
drinking waterDrinking water or potable water is water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm...
, to
prevent floodingIn communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
and to supply water in times of scarcity. Modern dam-building began in the Harz with the construction of the Söse Valley Dam, that was built between 1928 and 1931. The dams of the Upper Harz lakes are some of the oldest dams in Germany that are still in operation.
→
See List of dams in the Harz
The largest rivers in the Harz are the
InnersteThe Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.The river's source is in the Harz mountains, 4 km from the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld to the Southwest. The place is at an elevation of 615 m, it is called Innerstesprung in German...
, the
OkerThe Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and in length, running generally northerly.Its source is located on the Bruchberg mountain near the town of Altenau within the Harz mountain range. Leaving the Harz, the river winds through a narrow valley...
and the
BodeBode may refer to:in people by surname:*Boyd Henry Bode , American academic and philosopher*Denise Bode , American politician*Erin Bode, American singer*Hans-Jürgen Bode , German handball player...
in the north ; the Wipper in the east; and the
OderThe Oder is a 56 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhume. Its source is in the Harz mountains, near Sankt Andreasberg. It flows southwest through Bad Lauterberg, Pöhlde and Hattorf am Harz. The Oder flows into the Rhume in Katlenburg-Lindau....
in the south. The Innerste merges into the
LeineThe Leine is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and 281 km in length.The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia...
and its tributaries are the
NetteThe Nette is a small river in Lower Saxony, Germany, a left tributary of the Innerste. It rises in the Harz, in the municipality of Seesen. The Nette flows through Bockenem before reaching the Innerste in Holle, between Hildesheim and Salzgitter....
and the
Graneis a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trofors. Grane was separated from Vefsn on 1 July 1927...
. The rivers Radau,
EckerEcker may refer to:As a name:*Danny Ecker*Janet Ecker*Guy Ecker*Haylie Ecker*William Ecker*Tyler Ecker*Enrique Ecker*Alexander Ecker*Johnny EckerComics*Meng and Ecker...
and Ilse all discharge into the Oker. The
HasselThe Hassel is a river in the East Harz Mountains in Germany. It flows through several municipalities including Stiege and the town of Hasselfelde. Its sources is located not far from Stiege. After about it flows into the Hassel Vorsperre and later into the Rappbode Reservoir....
, the
Selke-People:*Frank J. Selke, Canadian hockey manager*Margrit Selke, Agriculturist*Walter Selke, German physicist-Awards:*Frank J. Selke Trophy *Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy...
and the
HoltemmeThe Holtemme is a 47 km long tributary of the river Bode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It rises in the Harz mountains at the eastern foot of the Brocken, descends during its upper course as the Steinerne Renne, a steep stream bed riddled with granite rocks, flows through Hasserode, Wernigerode and past...
(whose main tributary is the Zillierbach) flow into the Bode. The Wipper is fed by the
EineThe Eine is a river, just under long in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which rises southeast of Harzgerode in the Harz mountains at 420 m above sea level. The Eine flows north of the B 242 federal road to Friedrichsrode in an easterly direction and then swings northeast into the Harz Foreland...
. The Rhume is joined by the
SöseThe Söse is a right tributary of the river Rhume, 38 kilometres long, in Lower Saxony, Germany.The river rises on the plateau of Auf dem Acker in the district of Osterode in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains in Germany...
and the Oder; the latter being fed by the Sieber. The
ZorgeZorge is a municipality in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
, the
WiedaThe river Wieda in the German state of Lower Saxony has its source above the village of Wieda, flows through the village of Walkenried, the hamlet of Wiedigshof and the village of Gudersleben before discharging in the Harz river, the Zorge near Woffleben. Its channel regularly dries up in the...
and the Uffe all flow into the Helme.
Climate
Climatically a mountain range has lower temperatures and higher levels of precipitation than the surrounding land. The Harz is characterised by regular precipitation throughout the year. Exposed to westerly winds from the Atlantic, heavy with rain, t, the windward side of the mountains has up to 1,600 mm of rain annually (West Harz, Upper Harz, High Harz); bu contrast the leeward side only receives an average of 600 mm of precipitation per annum (East Harz, Lower Harz, Eastern Harz foothills).
Origins
The Harz is the most geologically diverse of the German
Central UplandsThe Central Uplands or Mittelgebirge is one of the three major natural regions of Germany and covers most of the land area of the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland....
, although it is overwhelmingly dominated by base-poor rocks. The most common rocks lying on the surface are argillaceous
shaleShale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable...
s, slaty (
geschieferte)
greywackeGreywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly-sorted, angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally-immature sedimentary rock generally found...
s and
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
intrusions in the shape of two large igneous rock masses or plutons. The Gießen-Harz surface layer of the
Rhenohercynian zoneThe Rhenohercynian Zone is in structural geology a fold belt of west and central Europe, formed during the Hercynian orogeny . The zone consists of folded and thrusted Devonian and early Carboniferous sedimentary rocks that were deposited in a back-arc basin along the southern margin of the then...
which is widespread in the Harz consists mainlys of
flyschFlysch is a sequence of sedimentary rocks that is deposited in a deep marine facies in the foreland basin of a developing orogen. Flysch is typically deposited during an early stage of the orogenesis. When the orogen evolves the foreland basin becomes shallower and molasse is deposited on top of...
. Well-known and economically important are the
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
deposits around Elbingerode and the
GabbroGabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
of Bad Harzburg. The landscapes of the Harz are characterised by steep mountain ridges,
stone runA stone run is a conspicuous rock landform, result of the erosion of particular rock varieties caused by myriad freezing-thawing cycles taking place in periglacial conditions during the last Ice Age.The actual formation of stone runs involved no less than five processes: weathering, solifluction,...
s, relatively flat plateaus with many raised bogs and long, narrow V-shaped valleys, of which the Bode Gorge, the
OkerThe Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and in length, running generally northerly.Its source is located on the Bruchberg mountain near the town of Altenau within the Harz mountain range. Leaving the Harz, the river winds through a narrow valley...
and
Selke-People:*Frank J. Selke, Canadian hockey manager*Margrit Selke, Agriculturist*Walter Selke, German physicist-Awards:*Frank J. Selke Trophy *Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy...
valleys are the best known. A representative cross-section of all the Harz rocks is displayed on the Jordanshöhe near
Sankt AndreasbergSankt Andreasberg is a town and a municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage, and 20 km east of Osterode am Harz.- History :...
near the car park (see photo).
The formation and
geological foldingOrogeny refers to natural mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event, and a chronological event...
of the Harz mountains began during a prominent phase of the Palaeozoic era, in the course of Hercynian mountain building of the Carboniferous period about 350 to 250 million years ago. At that time in the history of the Earth numerous high mountains appeared in Western Europe, including the
FichtelgebirgeThe Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, with a few foothills extending into the Czech Republic. It is continued by the Ore Mountains in northeastern direction, and by the Bohemian Forest in...
and Rhenish Massif. They were, however, heavily eroded due to their height (up to 4 km) and were later covered over by
MesozoicThe Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. The division of time into eras dates back to Giovanni Arduino, in the 18th century, although his original name for the era now called the "Mesozoic" was "Secondary" The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the...
rocks. From the
Early CretaceousThe Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
and into
Late CretaceousThe Late Cretaceous is the youngest of two epochs in which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
times the Harz was uplifted in a single block by tectonic movements and, particularly during the
TertiaryThe Tertiary is a term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.588 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period, the younger overlying strata were eroded and the underlying base rock left standing as low mountains. The most important uplift movements were during the Sub-Hercynian phase (83
myaIn astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Like the related unit bya, mya is traditionally written in lower case...
), when the northern edge was steeply tilted. This formed a fault zone on the northern border of the Harz (the
Harznordrandverwerfung).
The Harz is a fault-block mountain range, that rises abruptly from the surrounding lowlands in the west and northeast and gradually dips towards the south. It is dissected by numerous deep valleys. North of the mountains lie the Cretaceous layers of the Sub-Hercynian depression in the rolling hills of the Harz Foreland; south of the Harz,
PermianThe Permian
[The term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named...]
sediments lie flat on southwest-dipping Palaeozoic beds.
As a result of the northern fault zone and the vertical or, sometimes even overfolded, geological strata, the geology of the Harz sometimes changes frequently within a relatively small area of just a few square kilometres. As a consequence of this it is also referred to as the "Classic Geological Square Mile" (
Klassischen Quadratmeile der Geologie).
Flora
The vegetation of the Harz mountains is divided into six
altitudinal zonesAltitudinal zonation or Altitudinal variation is the creation of zones to explain the different characteristic climates at different elevations. The different zones can support different vegetation, agriculture, etc. As one moves to higher elevation points one enters different altitudinal zones....
:
- Subalpine
The Rocky Mountains subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line in the Rocky Mountains of North America. In Colorado, the subalpine zone occupies elevations approximately from ; while in northern Alberta, the subalpine zone extends from ....
zone: Brocken summit, over
- Altimontane zone: highest areas (except the Brocken summit) between 850 and
- Mean montane zone: higher areas between 750 and
- Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
zone: medium height areas between 525 and
- Submontane zone: lower areas between 300 and
- Colin zone: areas around the edge of the Harz between 250 and
Beech woods
From the edge of the Harz to 700 m above sea level beech woods dominate, especially the Wood-Rush beech woods on locations poorly supplied with nutrients where the Common Beech (
Fagus sylvatica) is often the only tree species. In lower, drier locations the English oak (
Quercus robur) and
sessile oakThe Sessile Oak , also known as Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...
(
Quercus petraea) occur as well.
Sycamore treesSycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
(
Acer pseudoplatanus) may be found growing in wetter places. During times of decay and rejuvenation when there is plenty of light, light-dependent pioneers such as rowan (
Sorbus aucuparia),
silver birchBetula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
(
Betula pendula) and
pussy willowPussy willow is a name given to many of the smaller species of the genus Salix when their furry catkins are young in early spring...
(
Salix caprea) play a role.
Melic grassMelica is a genus of perennial grasses known generally as melic or melic grass. They are found in most temperate regions of the world. They are clumping grasses with long, erect stems bearing spikelets of papery grass flowers...
beech woods are found in the few places where there is an abundance of nutrients and
basesBase-richness in ecology is the level in water or soil of chemical bases, such as calcium or magnesium ions. Many organisms are restricted to base-rich or base-poor environments. Chemical bases are alkalis, and so base-rich environments are neutral or alkaline...
, e. g. over dolerite and
gneissGneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneissic rocks are usually medium to coarse foliated and largely recrystallized but do not carry large...
formations, and they have a vegetation layer rich in variety and luxuriant growth. Here, too, the common beech dominates, mixed, for example, with sycamore, ash (
Fraxinus excelsior), hornbeam (
Carpinus betulus) and Scots elm (
Ulmus glabra). As a result of the increasingly continental climate on the eastern edge of the Harz the common beech gives way to mixed forests of sessile oak.
Beech-spruce mixed woods
At intermediate heights of between 700 and 800 m above sea level, mixed woods of
spruceA spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from 20–60 m tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and...
(
Picea abies) and common beech would predominantly be found under natural conditions. Apart from a few remnants, these were however supplanted a long time ago by spruce stands as a result of deliberate
forest managementForest management is the branch of forestry concerned with the overall administrative, economic, legal, and social aspects and with the essentially scientific and technical aspects, especially silviculture, protection, and forest regulation...
. The sycamore also occurs in these woods.
Spruce woods
Spruce woods thrive in the highest locations from about 800 m to the tree line at around 1,000 m above sea level. These woods are also home to some deciduous trees such as rowan, silver and
downy birchBetula pubescens is a species of birch, native and abundant throughout northern Europe, Iceland, northern Asia and also Greenland....
es (
Betula pendula and
Betula pubescens) and
willowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s (
Salix spec.). Conditions of high humidity foster an environment rich in
mossMosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es and
lichenLichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic association of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s. In spite of the near-natural habitat there are only a few, indigenous, genetically adapted (autochthone) spruce trees. Wood-reed spruce woods dominate. A well developed ground vegetation thrives on their moderately rocky and fresh, but certainly not wet, soils, characterised in appearance especially by grasses such as
shaggy wood-reedCalamagrostis, or Small-reed or Reedgrass, is a genus in the Grass family Poaceae with about 230 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of Calamagrostis generally occur at higher elevations in...
(
Calamagrostis villosa) and
wavy hair-grassDeschampsia flexuosa Trin. or Wavy Hair-grass is a species of grass in the Poaceae family with Holarctic distribution....
(
Avenella flexuosa). The soils in the higher regions are, as in most of the Harz, comparatively poor in nutrients and bases, so that only a few herbaceous plants occur here, such as heath bedstraw (
Galium saxatile). For that reason it is more the ferns, mosses, lichens and fungi that, in addition to spruce trees, characterise these woods. Boulders and stone runs occur in the areas of weather-resistant rock in the high (alti-)montane and montane zones – these are extreme habitats for vegetation. Due to the lack of soil material, only weak, straggly, very open spruce woods thrive here. They have an especially high variety of trees and allow more room of light-loving species such as silver birch, rowan, sycamore, willow and dwarf bushes such as the
blueberryBlueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries. Species in the section Cyanococcus are the most common fruits sold as "blueberries" and are mainly native to North America. They are usually erect but sometimes prostrate shrubs varying in size from to tall...
(
Vaccinium myrtillus). Mosses and ferns are also common here. One unusual species is the
Carpathian birchBirch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae.-Description:...
(
Betula carpatica). Bog-spruce woods are found around the raised bogs on marshy and boggy soils. In these sorts of places spruce woods can, in exceptional cases, also form the natural woodland in lower down the mountains. These wet, moorland woods have a high proportion of peat mosses (
Sphagnum spec.). The ground vegetation may also have a rich proliferation of low bushes such as cowberry (
Vaccinium vitis-idaea). Clumps of purple moor grass (
Molinia caerulea) are also typical of this type of woodland habitat. The characteristic species of fungi in natural spruce woods are
Phellinus viticolaPhellinus is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rots.-Description:Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in color. Clamp connections are absent, and the...
and
prunes and custardTricholomopsis is a small genus of mushroom closely related to the large genus Tricholoma. Its best known member is T. rutilans.-List of species:*Tricholomopsis decora *Tricholomopsis flavissima...
(
Tricholomopsis decora).
Ravine (
Schluchtwald), riparian (
Auwald) and river source (
Quellwald) woods only occur in small areas. In these places the common beech gives way to hardier deciduous species such as sycamore, large-leaved lime (
Tilia platyphyllos), Scots elm or ash. The herbaceous layer is similar to that of the better-nourished beech woods. Notable species amongst the plant communities here include the
Alpine blue-sow-thistleCicerbita alpina or Alpine Blue-sow-thistle is a plant species of the genus Cicerbita.-External links:* Species listing page....
(
Cicerbita alpina),
perennial honestyPerennial Honesty is a tall , hairy-stemmed perennial found throughout Europe in damp woods, and on lime. It has large, pointed oval leaves with marked serrations...
(
Lunaria rediviva),
hard shield fernPolystichum aculeatum is an evergreen fern native to Europe. It is most abundant in upland regions of the British Isles and western France, where it benefits from the combination of mild winters and moist summers, but also occurs more locally across most of Europe except northern Scandinavia,...
(
Polystichum aculeatum) and
long beech fernPhegopteris connectilis Watt is a species of fern native to forests of the Holarctic Kingdom.-References:*...
(
Phegopteris connectilis).
Raised bogs
The Harz moors or bogs are some of the best preserved in central Europe. They were formed at the end of the last
ice ageThe general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Within a long-term ice age, individual...
about 10,000 years ago. A significant proportion of the vegetation on these raised bogs is made up of peat mosses (
Sphagnum spec.). The wetter areas (
Schlenken) and the higher-lying, drier areas (
Bulten) are home to different species of flora. In the
Schlenken, for example,
Sphagnum cuspidatum is found, whereas the
Bulten are preferred by
Sphagnum magellanicum. The blanket of peat moss is penetrated by dwarf bushes such as cowberry and
blueberryBlueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries. Species in the section Cyanococcus are the most common fruits sold as "blueberries" and are mainly native to North America. They are usually erect but sometimes prostrate shrubs varying in size from to tall...
.
Bog-rosemaryAndromeda polifolia, commonly known as Bog-rosemary, is a heath found across northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Bog rosemary is only found in bogs in cold peat-accumulating areas....
(
Andromeda polifolia) is a relict of the ice age. Other such ice age plants include the
dwarf birchBetula nana is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae.-Description:It is a shrub growing to 1-1.2 m high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper colored. The leaves are rounded, 6-20 mm diameter, with a bluntly toothed margin. The fruiting catkins are erect, 5-15 mm long and 4-10 mm...
(
Betula nana) and few-flowered sedge (
Carex pauciflora). Cranberries (
Vaccinium oxicoccus) bloom from May to June. The black crowberry (
Empetrum nigrum) may also be seen amongst those bearing black fruit. Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) grows on the drier
Bulten and occasionally the cross-leaved heath (
Erica tetralix) may be found. Typical grasses are the sheathed cottongrass (
Eriophorum vaginatum), known for its bright, white clusters of fruit and
deergrassThe plant genus Scirpus consists of a large number of aquatic, grass-like species in the family Cyperaceae , many with the common names club-rush or bulrush . Other common names are deergrass or grassweed.The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in wetlands and moist soil...
(
Scirpus cespitosus), which is rust-red in the autumn. One fascinating moorland plant is the round-leaved sundew (
Drosera rotundifolia). Bog or northern bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) grows on the drier bog perimeters.
Fauna
A multitude of wild animals live in the beech forests of the Harz mountains. Over 5,000 species, most of them insects, have their home in these woods. They include many species that help to decompose leaves and work them into the soil and ground cover; including
springtailSpringtails form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects...
s, oribatid
mitesMITES, or Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science, is a six-week summer program for rising high school seniors held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its purpose is to expose students from minority, or otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds, to the fields of science and engineering...
, woodlice, roundworms,
millipedeMillipedes, known as shongololos in South African English, are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
s,
earthwormEarthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s and
snailThe word snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word snail is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Snails lacking a shell or having only a very small one are...
s. Characteristic breeding birds in the beech woods with their abundance of dead wood are e.g. the
black woodpeckerThe Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, is a large woodpecker, 40-46 cm long with a 67-73 cm wingspan.It lives in mature forest across the northern palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding in Eurasia. It does not migrate.-Description:The plumage...
(
Dryocopus martius) and stock dove (
Columba oenas). An indication of the natural state of the beech woods in the Harz is the return of the
black storkThe Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions....
(
Ciconia nigra). This shy and susceptible resident of richly diverse deciduous and mixed forest has become very rare in central Europe due to increasing disturbance of its habitat (causing e. g. a lack of old trees and natural brooks). Through improvements to its habitat including the renaturalisation of waterways and the creation of relatively undisturbed peaceful areas the black stork population has now recovered. A typical mammal of such deciduous woods is the
wild catThe Wildcat , sometimes Wild Cat or Wild-cat, is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions...
(
Felis felis), that has established a stable population in the Harz. It prefers the diverse wooded areas which offer a rich variety of food.
History
The Harz was first mentioned as
Hartingowe in a 814 deed by the
CarolingianThe Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with its origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
King
Louis the PiousLouis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
. Settlement within the mountains began only 1000 years ago as in ancient times dense forests made the region almost inaccessible. The suffix
-rode (from , to stub) denotes a place where woodland had been cleared to develop a settlement.
The year 968 saw the discovery of
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
deposits near the town of
GoslarGoslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
, and
mineMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
s became established in the following centuries throughout the mountains. During the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
ore from this region was exported along trade routes to far flung places such as
MesopotamiaMesopotamia "land between the rivers" is a name for the Tigris–Euphrates region in the eastern Mediterranean, largely corresponding to Iraq, as well as northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khūzestān Province of southwestern...
. The wealth of the region declined after these mines became exhausted in the early 19th century. People abandoned the towns for a short time, but prosperity eventually returned with tourism. Between 1945 and 1990 the inner German border ran through the Harz, the west belonging to the
Federal Republic of GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
(West Germany) and the east to the
German Democratic RepublicThe German Democratic Republic was a Communist state that originated from the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the Soviet sector of occupied Berlin...
(East Germany). Today the Harz forms a popular tourist destination for summer hiking as well as winter sports.
Towns and municipalities in the Harz
- Alexisbad
Alexisbad is a small spa town of Germany, in the municipality of Harzgerode, and the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, lying in the outskirts of the Harz Mountains, 1000 ft. above sea level, on the narrow-gauge steam railway from Gernrode to Harzgerode. Pop...
- Altenau
Altenau is a town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany.It is situated in the middle of the Harz mountains, between Clausthal-Zellerfeld and the Brocken. It is part of the Samtgemeinde Oberharz.- Demographics :...
- Aschersleben
Aschersleben is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle . Aschersleben is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Aschersleben/Land.-Pre-20th century:Aschersleben was first mentioned...
- Bad Grund
Bad Grund is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western Harz, approx. 7 km west of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, and 10 km north of Osterode am Harz....
- Bad Harzburg
Bad Harzburg is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar district, Lower Saxony.- Geography :Bad Harzburg is situated at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range and the rim of the Harz National Park. In the east of the municipality is the border to the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the former...
- Bad Lauterberg
Bad Lauterberg is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km southwest of Braunlage, and 20 km southeast of Osterode am Harz....
- Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 25 km southeast of Osterode am Harz. It is well known for being the town where Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his four...
- Bad Suderode
Bad Suderode is a municipality in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in a valley in the northern part of the Harz mountains, on the road to Friedrichsbrunn....
- Benneckenstein
Benneckenstein is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Harz, approx. 10 km southeast of Braunlage, and 20 km south of Wernigerode. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Brocken-Hochharz....
- Blankenburg
Blankenburg am Harz is a town and health resort in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, at the north foot of the Harz Mountains, southwest of Halberstadt...
- Braunlage
Braunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony in Germany. It lies within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken.Nowadays Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly ski tourists...
- Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000, Clausthal-Zellerfeld is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde Oberharz....
- Elbingerode
Elbingerode is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated in the eastern Harz mountain range, approximately 8 km south of Wernigerode. The municipality consists of Elbingerode proper and the villages of Königshütte and Rübeland.The area around Elbingerode had...
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Elend Elend is a municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The name of the town means "Misery" in German....
GernrodeGernrode is a town in Germany, in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt. The town was first mentioned in 961 and became a city in 1539. Gernrode is 9 km south of Quedlinburg in the Harz mountains and has state recognition as a spa town, where one may take the cure and recuperate in general...
GoslarGoslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
HasselfeldeHasselfelde is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Harz, approx. 17 km south of Wernigerode. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Brocken-Hochharz....
HerzbergHerzberg is German for "heart mountain" and may refer to:*places in Germany:**Herzberg am Harz, a town in the Osterode district, Lower Saxony**Herzberg, Brandenburg, a town in the Elbe-Elster district, Brandenburg...
IlfeldIlfeld is a municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the south foot of the Harz, at the entrance to the Bährethal, north from Nordhausen by the railway to Wernigerode.-Establishments in 1911:...
Ilsenburg (Harz)
LangelsheimLangelsheim is a town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The municipality is situated between the river Innerste and its tributary Grane, on the northern edge of the Harz mountain range and the Harz National Park, located about northwest of Goslar.- City subdivisions...
NeustadtNeustadt/Harz is a municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany.- several pictures :...
NordhausenNordhausen is a city at the southern edge of the Harz mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
Osterode am HarzOsterode am Harz often simply called Osterode, is a town in south-eastern Niedersachsen on the south-western edge of the Harz mountains. It is the seat of the Landkreis government of Osterode . The town is twinned with Scarborough, in the United Kingdom...
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QuedlinburgQuedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
QuestenbergQuestenberg is a municipality in the district Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt of Germany.First settlement traces date from 5th and 6th centuries BC. Above the place is the castle also called Questenberg...
Sankt AndreasbergSankt Andreasberg is a town and a municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage, and 20 km east of Osterode am Harz.- History :...
SchierkeSchierke is a village and a former municipality in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Wernigerode.Schierke was first mentioned as Schiriken in a 1590 deed...
SeesenSeesen is a town and a municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz, approx. 20 km west of Goslar. It is twinned with the English town of Wantage, Oxfordshire.-See also:...
Stolberg' is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in the German Free State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the southern part of the Harz mountains, approx. west of Sangerhausen, and northeast of Nordhausen...
TanneTannenbaum, Tanenbaum, or Tenenbaum is a German word meaning fir tree, usually referring to Christmas trees.Tenenbaum may refer to:*The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001 dramatic dark comedy...
ThaleThale is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Bode, approximately 8 km west of Quedlinburg. Famous sites are the Bode valley , the Hexentanzplatz and the Rosstrappe . Latter two are famous mountains...
TreseburgTreseburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Thale....
WalkenriedWalkenried is a municipality in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 15 km northwest of Nordhausen....
WernigerodeWernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007 it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
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Rail
The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways, an old fashioned, steam and diesel-powered railway network is a very popular mode of transport, especially with tourists. The railways link
WernigerodeWernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007 it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
,
NordhausenNordhausen is a city at the southern edge of the Harz mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
,
QuedlinburgQuedlinburg is a town located north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1994 the medieval old town was set on the UNESCO world heritage list....
and the Brocken. Prior to the closure of the Inner German Border the network was joined at
BraunlageBraunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony in Germany. It lies within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken.Nowadays Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly ski tourists...
to the South Harz Railway Company.
Main line railways serve the major towns around the Harz including
HalberstadtHalberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Framework Road....
, Wernigerode,
ThaleThale is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Bode, approximately 8 km west of Quedlinburg. Famous sites are the Bode valley , the Hexentanzplatz and the Rosstrappe . Latter two are famous mountains...
, Quedlinburg and Nordhausen. The Harz used to be served by a number of branch lines, some of which are still open. Those operating regular passenger services are the Halberstadt–Blankenburg, Quedlinburg–
ThaleThale is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Bode, approximately 8 km west of Quedlinburg. Famous sites are the Bode valley , the Hexentanzplatz and the Rosstrappe . Latter two are famous mountains...
,
KlostermansfeldKlostermansfeld is a municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
–
WippraWippra is a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2008, it is part of the town Sangerhausen....
and
BergaBerga is the capital of the comarca of Berguedà, in Catalonia, Spain. See also List of municipalities in Barcelona.- La Patum :...
-
KelbraKelbra is a town the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated north of the Kyffhäuser mountains, approx. 20 km west of Sangerhausen, and 20 km east of Nordhausen. Kelbra is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Goldene Aue....
–
Stolberg' is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in the German Free State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the southern part of the Harz mountains, approx. west of Sangerhausen, and northeast of Nordhausen...
lines. All the branch line in Lower Saxony (the
Innerste Valley RailwayThe Innerste Valley Railway was a railway line, that ran through the Upper Harz in Central Germany. It was also called the Upper Harz Railway or Harz Railway...
and Oder Valley Railway) have been closed. The Rübeland Railway is only used by goods traffic at present, but there are plans to run it as a
heritage railwayA heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a term used for a railway which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and often seeks to re-create railway scenes of the past A heritage railway (United Kingdom and Australia),...
.
Around the Harz a number of railway lines from a ring. They are, clockwise from the north, the Heudeber–Danstedt–Vienenburg, the Halberstadt–Vienenburg railway, the Halle–Halberstadt railway, the Berlin-Blankenheim Railway, the Halle-Kassel Railway, the South Harz Line, the Herzberg–Seesen railway, the Goslar–Seesen railway and the Vienenburg–Goslar railway.
Road
The Harz is grazed by the
A 7is the longest German Autobahn and the longest national motorway in Europe at 963 km . It splits the country almost evenly from north to south. In the north, it starts at the border to Denmark as an extension of the Danish E 45. In the south, it ends at the Austrian border...
motorway in the west and the
A 38is an autobahn in Germany. It is currently under construction and, once finished, will be connecting the A 7 near Göttingen with Leipzig.- Exit list : |-|colspan="3"|----|-|-|colspan="3"|----...
in the south. A four-lane motor road, the B 243 runs along the southwestern perimeter of the Harz via Osterode to Bad Lauterberg. In addition there is a good federal road (the B 6,
B 4The Bundesstraße 4 is a German federal highway running in a northwesterly to southly direction from the state of Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria...
) from Goslar to Braunlage. The North Harz Foreland benefits from the newly-built B 6n. Both the B 4 and the B 6n have been upgraded almost to motorway standard. The B 4 crosses the Harz from Bad Harzburg on a north-south axis running through Torfhaus and Braunlage as far as Ilfeld on the edge of the South Harz. The rest of the Harz is also well served by federal roads. Important ones include the Harz high road (
Harzhochstraße, the
B 242The B 242 is a federal highway in Germany. It runs from Seesen to Mansfeld.- Route :The B 242, also known as the Harz High Road , runs right across the Harz mountains in central Germany...
), which crosses the Harz in an east-west direction (from Seesen to Mansfeld) and the B 241, which runs from Goslar in the north over the Upper Harz (Clausthal-Zellerfeld) as far as Osterode in the south.
Rivers originating in the Harz
- Bode
- Eine
Eine can refer to:* Eine , a river in the Harz mountains in Germany* EINE, - an early Emacs text editor for lisp machines* Ben Eine, a street artist from London* a misspelling of the word Ein...
- Grane
- Holtemme
The Holtemme is a 47 km long tributary of the river Bode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It rises in the Harz mountains at the eastern foot of the Brocken, descends during its upper course as the Steinerne Renne, a steep stream bed riddled with granite rocks, flows through Hasserode, Wernigerode and past...
- Ilse
The Ilse is a river that rises at about 900 m above sea level on the northern slopes of the Brocken. During its first few kilometres it flows as a narrow brook, almost invisible to the observer, down the side of the Brocken...
- Innerste
The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.The river's source is in the Harz mountains, 4 km from the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld to the Southwest. The place is at an elevation of 615 m, it is called Innerstesprung in German...
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Laute
Oder The Oder is a 56 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhume. Its source is in the Harz mountains, near Sankt Andreasberg. It flows southwest through Bad Lauterberg, Pöhlde and Hattorf am Harz. The Oder flows into the Rhume in Katlenburg-Lindau....
OkerThe Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller river and in length, running generally northerly.Its source is located on the Bruchberg mountain near the town of Altenau within the Harz mountain range. Leaving the Harz, the river winds through a narrow valley...
RhumeThe Rhume is a 48 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine. Its source is a karstic spring in Rhumspringe, south of the Harz mountain range...
Selke-People:*Frank J. Selke, Canadian hockey manager*Margrit Selke, Agriculturist*Walter Selke, German physicist-Awards:*Frank J. Selke Trophy *Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy...
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Söse The Söse is a right tributary of the river Rhume, 38 kilometres long, in Lower Saxony, Germany.The river rises on the plateau of Auf dem Acker in the district of Osterode in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains in Germany...
Thyra
WipperThe Wipper is a river in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, left tributary of the Saale. It originates in the southeastern Harz, near Harzgerode. The total length of the Wipper is 85 km. The Wipper joins the Saale in Bernburg. Towns along the Wipper include Hettstedt, Aschersleben and Güsten....
ZorgeZorge is a municipality in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
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External links