Königsruhe is a small settlement in the Bode Gorge

Bode Gorge

The Bode Gorge is a long, ravine that forms part of the Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, Bodetal , is also used in a wider sense to refer to the valleys of the Warme and Kalte Bode rivers that feed the River Bode.At the Bode Gorge,...

 in the Harz Mountains of Germany, south of the town of Thale

Thale

Thale is a town in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany.-Geography:It is situated on the river Bode, approximately 8 km west of Quedlinburg. It is the terminus of the Magdeburg–Thale railway.- History :...

 in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

.

Location

Königsruhe lies in the Hirschgrund ("Stag Bottom") immediately next to the River Bode, a mountain river that has cut deeply into the surrounding mountains at this point. The footpath along the gorge from Thale to Treseburg

Treseburg

Treseburg 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.- Geography :...

 runs through the settlement which lies in the borough of Thale. As far as Königsruhe, the track can be used by motor vehicles from the direction of Thale when required, but is normally closed to traffic. A narrow, stone bridge, the Jungfern Bridge (Jungfernbrücke), crosses the Bode in Königsruhe.

History

In 1834 a shopkeeper, Christian Jung from Thale, built a wooden hut with a fireplace in the Hirschgrund in the Bode Gorge. In 1856 another larger building followed, which was sited next to the bridge over the Bode. Initially it was called Hirschgrund. To commemorate the Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n king, Frederick William IV

Frederick William IV of Prussia

|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...

, who stayed here on 5 May 1834, the extended inn was called Hotel Königsruhe ("King's Rest") in 1875.

The name Königsruhe remained until the period of the German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...

when, for political reasons, the place was renamed Hirschgrund. In August 1994 the Bauer family bought the property and, since 1995, it has once again been given the name "Königsruhe".

Economy

Tourism dominates the economy. A restaurant with a beer garden (Hirschgrund 1) is used by numerous hikers walking the nationally known trails across the Harz region. In addition there is guest accommodation. In Königsruhe there is a mountain rescue station owned by the Harz mountain rescue organisation which looks after the path to Thale and also has its own rescue vehicle.

Places of interest

In addition to the impressive nature of the Bode Gorge, local attractions include the Seven Brothers' Rocks (Siebenbrüderfelsen) at the exit of the settlement towards Thale and the Jungfern Bridge (Jungfernbrücke) newly erected at the beginning of the 20th century over the Bode. On the footpath to Thale is a memorial plaque to the mountain rescuer, Gustav Kowalewski.

External links

• Internet presence for the inn