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Brocken

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Overview

Brocken (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁɔkn̩] ), also sometimes referred to as Blocksberg, is a 1,141 m (3,743 ft) mountain near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, between the rivers Weser and Elbe. The highest peak in the Harz mountain range, and in Northern Germany, it is subalpine, yet has a microclimate resembling that of mountains nearly 1,000 m (3,300 ft) higher. The elevation above its tree line tends to have snowcover from September to May, and mists and fogs shroud it up to 300 days a year. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; the next prominent elevation directly to its east would be in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with witches and devils; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe took up the legends in his two-part tragic play Faust. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.

Today Brocken is part of Harz National Park and hosts a historic botanical garden of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. A narrow-gauge steam railway, the Brocken Railway, takes visitors to the railway station at an elevation of 1,125 m (3,691 ft).

FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of Brocken. The old television tower, the Sender Brocken, is now used as hotel and restaurant. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists.

Wikivoyage guide · 39 sections

▸Introduction287 chars

Brocken, 1,141 m (3,743 ft) above sea level is the highest summit in the Harz mountains and in the northern part of Germany. Brocken is the German word for boulder and when you see the mountain you realise where the name comes from, as the mountain rises like a cake above the landscape.

▸Understand779 chars

The sensitive, ecologically valuable Brocken massive is protected and part of the Harz National Park. Staying on the marked roads and paths is mandatory - you may not walk around in the woods wherever you like. The mountain is visited by around 1.4 million tourists every year, and the trip up and the views are often the high point on a trip to the Harz.

Popular ways of getting to the summit are on foot or by the historical Brockenbahn steam train from Wernigerode or Nordhausen to Drei Annen Hohne and on to the Brocken. However, be aware that the mountain is shrouded in clouds for about 300 days a year and at those times the amazing views are covered up. To enjoy them you need some luck or be prepared to adjust your travel plans quickly according to weather conditions.

▸History2,244 chars

293 million years ago: The mountain was formed, according to research in the early 2000s by the Senckenberg Natural Historical Collections in Dresden.

1572: The earliest recorded climbing of Brocken, when the physician Johannes Thal from Nordhausen described the flora of the mountain in a book.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia4,787 words

WBP editorial3

Seasonal rhythms for the keen hiker

The Brocken’s climate is a study in extremes, which means timing your ascent matters more than on a typical German hill. From late autumn through early spring the summit is often cloaked in a thin, lingering snow that hardens the footpaths into a natural treadmill; crampons are unnecessary but sturdy boots with good ankle support become essential. By contrast, the brief summer window—July and August—offers surprisingly crisp air and a chance to see the rare alpine flora that survives the year‑long fog. Early morning hikes in summer avoid the midday cloud bank that can roll in without warning, while late‑day walks in autumn provide spectacular low‑angle light for photography. Planning around these micro‑climates lets you experience the mountain’s stark beauty without the frustration of unexpected weather closures.

Beyond the summit: the railway experience

Few German peaks are reachable by train, yet the Brocken Railway threads through dense spruce forests before emerging at the plateau, offering a narrative of industrial heritage alongside natural drama. The steam‑powered line, originally built for timber extraction, now serves a visitor‑centric schedule, but the journey is more than a convenience—it’s a living museum. Look for the modest signal boxes and the preserved wooden carriages that echo the 19th‑century engineering spirit. The ascent also provides opportunities to spot the subtle transition from lowland flora to the sub‑alpine lichens that dot the rocks near the top. For travellers who prefer a tactile connection to place, stepping off the train and walking the short ridge to the observation platform adds a tactile dimension absent from a purely vehicular approach.

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▸Flora1,360 chars

As a kind of Alpine island, the mountain has since the end of the last ice age been a retreat for some animals and plants that one would otherwise encounter in the high mountains. The first scientific book about the plants of the Harz, Sylva Hercynia: sive catalogus plantarum sponte nascentium in montibus & locis plerisque Hercyniae Sylvae quae respicit Saxoniam, was written by physician Johannes Thal from Nordhausen in 1577. Unlike other flora books of the day, it described all the flora, not just medical plants.

In the 19th century Brocken had become a popular destination, and hikers were commonly given a bouquet of Brocken flowers by the inn owners as a farewell gift. This meant the hillsides were often emptied of flowers, and many flowers went extinct. Nowadays picking flowers is prohibited as the area is a national park. If you're interested in the Alpine flora of the mountain, take a guided tour through the Brockengarten park.

Some iconic flowers of the Brocken include:

Alpine pasqueflower (Pulsatilla alpina subsp. alba), in German: Kleine Alpen-Kuhschelle, or Brockenanemone (earlier also Brockenblume – "the Brockenflower")

Crowberries (Empetrum), in German: Krähenbeere or locally Brockenmyrte

Brocken hawkweed (Hieracium negrescens), in German: Brockenhabichtskraut

Alpine hawkweed (Hieracium alpinum), in German: Alpenhabichtskraut

▸Climate1,926 chars

The top part of the mountain has a harsh Subalpine climate, and the tree line goes at 1110 m. The location in the Middle German mountains, the easy access from Wernigerode and by the Brockenbahn often cause visitors to underestimate the mountain and its risks. Brocken has an extreme microclimate influencing the weather conditions, which can change quickly just like in the Alps.

In the summer heavy thunderstorms and storm winds may emerge quickly. In the winter there are frequent snow storms dropping large amounts of snow that can block roads and make hikers lose orientation. Another risk during the winter is ice falling off the masts and buildings.

As a hiker, you should always take along weather-resistant clothing and sturdy shoes and follow the weather forecasts. Also consult the Stay safe section in this article, especially if you're an unexperienced hiker.

On the summit there's an information sign describing the weather conditions. Weather averages from 1960–1980:

Average temperature: 2.9 °C (37.2 °F)

Yearly rain: 1,814 mm (71.4 in)

Snowy days in a year: 176

Cloudy days in a year: 306

Weather extremes since 1895, when record keeping was started:

maximum snow height: 3.8 m (12 ft) on 14–15 April 1970

farthest view: 230 km (140 mi) on 11 January 1998

strongest wind: 73 m/s (263 km/h, 163 mph) on 24 November 1984

highest temperature: 29.0 °C (84.2 °F) on 20. August 2012

lowest temperature: −28.4 °C (−19.1 °F) on 1 February 1956

most rain in a year: 2,725 mm (107.3 in) in 2007

most rain in a month: 515.3 mm (20.29 in) in December 1974

most rain in a day: 154.5 mm (6.08 in) on 17 July 2002

most sunny hours in a year: 2004.5 h in 1921

highest number of cloudy days in a year: 330 days in 1958

If you have a lot of luck, you can see a Brocken spectre on a cloudy or foggy day. It's an optical illusion composed of your own shadow cast on clouds, but the shadow is huge and often surrounded by halos.

▸By train1,451 chars

The Brockenbahn is a narrow gauge (1000 mm) railway used by steam trains operated by Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB). In 2011 about half of the visitors to Brocken used the railway. It starts at Drei Annen Hohne, 540 m ASL (has a parking lot), and the 19 km-trip up to the Brocken station, 1125 m ASL takes about 50 minutes. Drei Annen Hohne is on the Harzquerbahn between Wernigerode and Nordhausen, and steam trains also operate on this railway. There are through trains from Wernigerode to Brocken taking one hour and 40 minutes. From Nordhausen you usually have to change trains in Eisfelder Talmühle and Drei Annen Hohne, and the trip will take around three and a half hour.

The ticket price (known as Brockentarif) to Brocken or back down is the same, no matter where you get on (or off) the train. If you come by car, it's a bad idea to drive to Schierke (the last station before Brocken) as there aren't enough parking space for the demand. Instead you can board the train for instance in Wernigerode at the same price.

The Brockentarif as of Nov 2022:

adults: one-way: €34, return: €51

children aged 6-14: one-way: €20.50, return: €30.50

mobility impaired persons with documentation ride for free

going by train from Wernigerode to Schierke (to hike up to Brocken) costs €14 for adults one-way, and €21 return, and for children 6-14: €8.50 one-way, €12.50 return

for more ticket types (family and group discounts etc.), consult the HSB website

▸Through the romantic Ilsental from Ilsenburg or Bad Harzburg1,346 chars

From Ilsenburg you can ride up Brocken on a touring bike, on the route is a gain in elevation of about 1000 m. The route between Ilsenburg and Brockenstrasse goes along good or decent gravel paths along the valley. The roaring Ilse will accompany you on the way. In the upper section it gets a bit steeper, and if you're on a bike without an electric motor you need to be quite fit. If you're riding an electric bike, it's good if it has a battery with a capacity of at least 500–600 Wh.

There are two routes from Ilsenburg. The easier one goes through the forest along the Bremerweg to the Ilse Falls, past the Rote Brücke and Gelbe Brink where you will get on the Brockenstrasse. The more demanding route - the "Brocken Nordrampe" goes to Scharfenstein and along a rather steep road paved with concrete bricks to the summit. Here, a mountain bike with suspension and sturdy tires is recommended to climb the mountain comfortably, and going down would be unsafe as it's really steep at some places. This is a former border road, and there are more details about it in the Hike section below.

From Bad Harzburg you can also get to the Brocken Nordrampe (following the route in #From Bad Harzburg over the Eckertalsperre and the Hirtenstieg). Beware that there is a long flight of stairs to get up a dam, and a section with tree roots on the path.

▸Goetheweg from Torfhaus5,016 chars

In 1777, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe hiked in the Harz mountains arriving from Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Torfhaus and stayed at forester Degen. On 10 December, they walked up the mountain together. The very exact route is unknown but Goethe wrote down these notes about his trip:

„Früh nach dem Torfhause in tiefem Schnee. 1 viertel nach 10 aufgebrochen, von da auf den Brocken. Schnee eine Elle tief, der aber trug. 1 viertel nach eins droben. Heiterer herrlicher Augenblick, die ganze Welt in Wolken und Nebel und oben alles heiter. Was ist der Mensch, dass du sein gedenkst. Um viere wieder zurück. Beim Förster auf dem Torfhause in Herberge.“

(Early after the Torfhaus through deep snow. At quarter to ten we broke camp, from there we went up the Brocken. The snow was an elbow deep, but it carried us. Quarter past one we were up. It was a clear wonderful moment, the whole world in clouds and fog and above it everything clear. What is the human you think you are. Around four o'clock back. Stayed at the foresters' in Torfhaus.)

– Goethe: Schriften zur Geologie und Mineralogie

This wasn't Goethe's only visit, he returned on 21 September 1783 and 3 September 1784. Nowadays around 250,000 people take the Goetheweg route to the summit.

Get in: Start in Torfhaus at an elevation of 811 m: ca. 8.9 km (5.5 mi) distance, ca. 2–3 hr walking time, simple. The path is throughout widened to a width of 3 m. Where the path goes next to the rail tracks, biking is prohibited. Large parking lot.

If you start at the small parking lot at the B4 highway on the road to the Ehrenfriedhof cemetery, the route is notably shorter with only 7.1 km (4.4 mi) to the summit. Ehrenfriedhof is next to the B4 between Torfhaus and Oderbrück. Somewhat further is the highest point reachable by car for a hike (around 830 m ASL), i.e. less altitude to cover to get to the summit. However if you start at the Ehrenfriedhof you won't pass the Nationalparkhaus nor the bog at the Grosse Torfhausmoor. Another downside is that parking space is limited and it's not cleaned during the winter. At these times you can only get there by bus – take bus 820 between Bad Harzburg Bhf and Braunlage and get off at Ehrenfriedhof. In the DB routeplanner the stop goes by the name "Oderbrück Ehrenfriedhof, St. Andreasberg".

A comparatively bigger parking lot can be found in a bit further south in Oderbrück (790 m ASL) at the B4. From there the distance to the summit is 7.6 km.

Go:

1 Km 0: Torfhaus (811 m) – Parking lot (parking fee €1/hr, €5/day) and bus stop at the B4. Restaurant, view to Brocken, Visitor centre TorfHaus with movies about the national park screened on the upper floor. The visitor centre is open Tu–S 10:00–16:00.

2 Km 1: Großes Torfhausmoor – The path goes next to the bog. From here, a log road goes into the national park, parallel to the main path and a bit into the bog. If you take the sidetrip, you have to stay on the log road – it's not just prohibited but dangerous to step into the bog.

3 Km 2.3: Junction with the Kaiserweg

4 Km 3.5: Quitschenberg (882 m) – Viewpoint to Brocken with dead forest and fallen trees. There's an info sign about the re-emergence of the forest. The trees have died partially because of pollution and partially because of bark beetles. Between the dead trees, the forest is slowly returning in the form of small spruces and rowans.

5 Km 4.5: Eckersprung (ca. 890 m) – The source of the Ecker river; during the Cold War it was a border river between the Germanies. Today you will cross between the states of Lower Saxony and Saxony Anhalt. South of it is a refuge hut with stamping checkpoint 136 "Eckersprung" of the Harzer Wandernadel. The Harzer Wandernadel is a system of 222 points around the mountain range where hikers can collect stamps in a book and be awarded hiking badges when they've collected enough stamps. There are two toilets too, closed in the winter.

6 Km 6.1: "Goethemoor" / Königsberg (ca. 980 m) – After a steeper section up to the Brockenbahn, the Goetheweg runs parallel to it. You will get a close up view of the train if it happens to pass. Formerly hikers walked up a stairway, now there's just a wide path (known as Neue Goetheweg). This section is closed to bicycles.

7 Km 7.2: Brockenstraße / railway crossing (ca. 1030 m) – From here on, the journey continues along the steep road Brockenstrasse. As you're getting close to the summit, and many other hiking routes have merged together (e.g. five out of the seven routes described in this guide), expect to share the road with many other hikers as well as bikers. There are three info signs here too.

8 Km 7.4: Refuge hut "Knochenbrecherkurve" (curve at 1060 m) – The last refuge hut before the summit. The hut is closed from the sides and offers good protection from wind and rain. The name translates to "bone-breaker curve" and you can read more about it below.

9 Km 8.5: Brocken 1141 m / Gipfelstein (summit rock) – You've arrived! The stamping point number 9 can be found right of the Brockenhaus.

▸Some hiking history: Goetheweg throughout the ages1,742 chars

As there is a new Goethe way neuen Goetheweg, some people will ask what happened to the old one? The answer is that the paths, just as the mountain itself, have changed over the centuries.

If you have a look at for instance "Meyers Reisebuch" from 1901, there the historical Goetheweg is outlined: starting from the railway station, the path first crossed the railway, followed its steep routing uphill past the Hirschhornklippen (nowadays inaccessible). Then the path went along a log road through the Goethemoor bog, crossed the railway once more and went steeply straight up to the summit. As the mountain was closed to the public in 1961 and remained so for almost 30 years, the nature reclaimed the route.

In 1989 when it again became possible to visit the mountain, the number of visitors grew quickly and new paths had to be created to cope with the number of visitors. In 1990 the new Goetheweg was built in the area of the former border wall along the Brockenbahn. As the new path didn't cross the railway, two potentially dangerous points for hikers were removed. The section next to the Goethemoor was also improved. There's a memorial stone to the construction of the new Goetheweg near the junction of the railway and Brockenstrasse.

As years went by, the number of visitors grew and the path became more and more congested. In addition, the stairway built next to the railway was slippery when wet or snowy, and when there was plenty of snow, walking became impossible. Hikers often walked on the railway instead, as it was ploughed during the winter, which was dangerous. In 2008–2009 the Goetheweg was rebuilt; it got a gravel surface and was widened to 3 m throughout so that it can be ploughed and stay open around the year.

▸Eckerlochstieg from Schierke2,624 chars

Get in:

Start in central Schierke, about 610 m ASL. Length of the walk about 6 km (3.7 mi), 2–2.5 hr of walking, easy, altitude gain about 530 m. Parking in Schierke costs. For this path you need sturdy shoes, like mountaineer boots, because the terrain is rocky. Walking sticks with adjustable length can also be a good idea to help you keep the balance. If you start from Schierke you can also use the Brockenstrasse, which in practice is car-free but can be busy with bikers and other hikers. In addition it's notably longer, 11 km in length.

Alternative route to the Brockenstraße in Schierke: At the northern end of Schierke, stay on the sand path along the Warme Bode stream. To the right there's a bridge across the stream with the access path to Eckerlochstied (it's signposted). In maps the route is marked. The text below describes staying on the Brockenstrasse as this route is somewhat shorter.

Go:

1 Starting point : Schierke church (ca. 610 m ) – Head uphill along Brockenstrasse, past the 2 info point and ranger station (Schranke)

3 Km 2.3 : Junction Wasserwerk Schluftwasser - Eckerlochstieg – After the bridge on Brockenstrasse, turn right to the rocky footpath Eckerlochstieg and follow it until it crosses the Brockenstrasse again.

4 Km 3.7: Street bridge Schluftwasser - Eckerlochstieg – Get off the road before the bridge, and follow the rocky path uphill.

5 Km 4.4: Eckerloch – Cross the Brockenbahn and continue for about 300 m to reach Eckerloch (ca. 880 m), where you can take a break in the hut. Here's also stamping checkpoing 11 of the Harzer Wandernadel. Next comes the steepest section of the rocky path, known as Eckerlochanstieg, and to the left you can see corridors cleared of forest, which are part of a ski jumping arena, demolished in the 1970s. About 200 m further you can see a large clearing to the right, the former site of some buildings related to the ski jumping facilities. As you move on, the trees are getting smaller and smaller in size.

6 Km 5.5 Junction Eckerlochstieg / Brockenstraße (ca. 1010 m) – The Eckerlochanstieg part ends where the path meets Brockenstrasse. Turn left and follow the Brockenstrasse to the summit.

[7] Km 5.7: Brockenbahn crossing – Brockenstrasse crosses the Brockenbahn and right afterwards Goetheweg with its hikers joins. Now, expect the road to be busy for the remainder of the itinerary. A more detailed description of the next points can be found in the Goetheweg section above.

[8] Km 5.9: Hut at the "Knochenbrecherkurve" (ca. 1060 m) – The last hut before the summit.

[9] Km 7.0: Brocken 1141 m / Gipfelstein – You've reached the summit.

▸Heinrich Heine-Weg from Ilsenburg3,986 chars

This route was used by poet Heinrich Heine in 1824 to descend from the mountain, he hiked up from Bad Harzburg (see below) and stayed overnight at the summit.

Heine wrote the following about the upper end of the climb:

"Wenn man die obere Hälfte des Brockens besteigt, muss man an die deutsche Nationaltragödie von Dr. Faust denken. Ich glaube, auch Mephisto muss mit Mühe Atem holen, wenn er seinen Lieblingsberg ersteigt, es ist ein äußerst erschöpfender Weg und ich war froh, als ich endlich das langersehnte Brockenhaus zu Gesicht bekam."

("When one climbs the upper half of the Brocken, one has to thing about the German national tragedy of Dr. Faust. I believe that also Mephisto had to make an effort catching his breath when he climbed his favorite mountain, it's a very demanding way and I was happy to finally catch sight of the Brockenhaus.")

– as per an info sign on the former border path

Heine wrote the following about his overnight stay at the summit:

"Ich fand das Haus voller Gäste, und wie es einem klugen Manne geziemt, dachte ich schon an die Nacht, an die Unbehaglichkeit eines Strohlagers; mit hinsterbender Stimme verlangte ich gleich Tee, und der Herr Brockenwirt war vernünftig genug einzusehen, daß ich kranker Mensch für die Nacht ein ordentliches Bett haben müsse. Dieses verschaffte er mir in einem engen Zimmerchen, wo schon ein junger Kaufmann, ein langes Brechpulver in einem braunem Oberrock, sich etabliert hatte."

("I found the inn was full of guests, and as a smart man, thinking about an uncomfortable night in the hay storage, I asked for some tea with a dying voice. The innkeeper was smart enough to understand that a sick man has to have a real bed for the night. He put me in a small room where already a young salesman in a brown coat had established himself")

– Heinrich Heine: Die Harzreise, Verlag Philipp Reclam jun, Leipzig 1972, S. 46

Get in:

The itinerary starts at an altitude of about 300 m. The itinerary is about 10 km when starting from the Ilsetal parking lot, and about 13 km when starting from the Ilsenburg railway station. The path will follow the Ilse river valley and there are many pedestrian bridges enabling you to cross between the sides of the river.

Go:

1 Starting point Ilsetal (290 m) – Walk south-west from the parking lot along the road or the footpath through the lower Ilse Valley. Make sure you don't turn left too early as this will take you to Plessenburg, in the opposite direction. Instead continue along the Ilse, and turn left when it turns (at the path junction to Brocken).

Upper Ilse Valley – follow the path past the Ilse waterfalls (Ilsefälle), and 500 m later (after the bridge) a forest path turns right. 100 m uphill this forest path turns left and becomes narrow and rocky, follow it for about 1 km. (Check whether this description is true, there seems to be conflicting advice.)

2 Bremer Hütte (550 m) – The Bremer Hütte (Bremen Hut) is named so because the first hut on the place was built by hikers from Bremen already in the 18th century. The present one is from 2008.

3 Stempelsbuche (665 m) – after Bremer Hütte, the path turns right, gets wider, and after 500 m it reaches Stempelsbuche. Here's a hut and the trunk of an old beech tree (named the Stempelsbuche) as well as two planted beeches. Continue west on the wide path.

4 Hermannsklippe (765 m)/junction of path to Hirtenstieg – The next point of interest is Hermannsklippe ("Hermann's cliff", not signposted) with views of all of Northern Harz. 50 m away is a junction, turn left to get towards the Hirtenstieg.

Hirtenstieg – The Hirtenstieg section is the steepest part of this itinerary, at some places as steep as 20% (i.e. 20 m gain in elevation for every 100 m walked). The road was built for the East German border troops and is paved with concrete bricks. It passes the 5 Bismarckklippe, a hut, and 6 Kleinen Brocken (Little Brocken, 1083 m ASL), and crosses the Brockenbahn before reaching Brocken from the north-west.

▸From Drei Annen Hohne along Glashüttenweg1,224 chars

The easy route, around 12.5 km (7.8 mi) long, starts at the railway station 1 Drei Annen Hohne, the lower terminus of the Brockenbahn. The gain in elevation is about 600 m, and the path is gravelled, except for the last 4 km on Brockenstrasse which is paved.

Head west from Drei Annen Hohne, along the streams Zillerbach and Wormsgraben. From 2 Trudenstein, 2.5 km along the route you will get the first view of the valley.

Another place for a break is the Urwaldsteig to the 3 Bergurwald. It's a sidetrip along a log road to the Ilse sources at an altitude of 900 m. By this point you've already reached Brockenstrasse. Follow that road to the summit.

If you return to Drei Annen Hohne and want to take an alternative way back, a few hundred metres after leaving Brockenstrasse and getting onto Glashüttenweg, there's a 4 junction with the Forstmeister Sielz-Weg. Turn left and walk towards Hohnekamm. This takes you to the mountain path "wilde Hohnekamm" going along cliffs. The highest of them is the 5 Leistenklippe (901 m) with nice views of the valley below. From Hohnekopf, a bit further along the path, you can take smaller paths down to Trudenstein and the Glashüttenweg that you can walk back to Drei Annen Hohne.

▸From Wernigerode along Holtemme3,397 chars

Get in:

Start in Wernigerode at around 250 m ASL. The distance is about 17.5-18.5 km and takes 4-5 1/2 h. The conditions aren't particularly demanding but the distance means that hiking to the Brocken and back to Wernigerode is demanding - something for fit hikers on a long summer day. There is a 900 m gain in altitude.

To "cheat" a little bit, you can take the Harzquerbahn to Steinerne Renne and save about 6 km of walking. There's also a guesthouse by the same name a few kilometres from the railway stop towards Brocken, if you want to stay overnight on the route and make it a two-day hike, or still better, you can stay at the summit as mentioned in the Sleep section - this will give you time for some sidetrips and if the weather is clear you can enjoy the sunset at Brocken (which is less crowded during the day). Yet another alternative is riding the Brockenbahn to the summit and hike down or vice versa.

Go:

1 Km 0: Wernigerode railway station (245 m) - The hike as described here starts at the railway station. Follow the railway and the Holtemme river to the southwest.

2 Km 6: Steinerne Renne rail crossing (330 m) - At Steinerne Renne you will have left the built-up are and arrived into nature. Hikers will cross the railway tracks next to the station. As described above, you can take the train to skip the less-interesting first 6 km of the hike and start here instead (as of 2022 a one-way ticket from Wernigerode is €4, roundtrip €6). There is a small hydroelectric plant between the station and the river with a small window where you can look inside.

The path now gets rocky and steep but goes through a beautiful landscape along the Holtemme with views to the railway. Here the river is a mountain stream with many small waterfalls. If you prefer to walk along a forest road, take the Bielsteinchaussee east of the river, it too will take you to the guesthouse.

3 about Km 8.5: Gasthof "Steinerne Renne" (560 m) - The "Steinerne Renne" guesthouse is in a historical building next to the steep mountain stream, and a place to stay overnight at the route or have a meal or a beer. Next to the building you can find stamping checkpoint nr. 28 ("Gasthaus Steinerne Renne") of the Harzer Wandernadel.

From the guesthouse, the path goes moderately uphill. After about 2 km the path (signposted with a red circle in a white triangle) merges into the beautiful forest path "Höllenstieg" (though the name translates to "hell climb"). On the right side of it, at about 650 m ASL is a small bog which is the source for the Holtemme. Over the following 250 metres, the path gets steeper again.

4 Km 13.5: Am Brockenbett (890 m), junction with Brockenstrasse - The path meets up with Brockenstrasse at the same point as Glashüttenweg. Shortly before that you can take a sidetrip along a path to the right to the Brockenkinder - forest cliffs albeit without a view. At a side path from Brockenstrasse "Gelber Brink" there's a table with benches where you can take a break. It also has a stamping checkpoint, nr. 22 ("Gelber Brink / Abzweig Brockenstraße"). Nearby is also the Urwaldsteg forest described in the Glashüttenweg section above.

Once you've reached the Brockenstrasse, there are around four more kilometres along the paved road to the summit.

around km 18.5: Brockensummit / Gipfelrondell - With 18.5 km on the path from Wernigerode, you've reached the end of the hike.

▸From Braunlage along Dreieckigen Pfahl4,636 chars

Get in:

This route starts in Braunlage at an altitude of 570 m ASL, next to the lower station for the cable car to Wurmberg. It's a moderate hike of 11.7 km with an altitude gain of 600 m. There's a big parking lot, with parking for a fee. If you arrive by bus, the nearest stop is at Trinitatiskirche, 7-10 minutes away on foot. This exact route isn't suitable for bikers as it follows the Neue Goetheweg next to the railway - where cycling is disallowed as per above.

Some shortcuts are possible. You can take the Wurmbergseilbahn cable car up to Wurmberg, from where the hike will be around 9 km and the altitude gain of 350 m. You do have to descend a little from the Wurmberg, but not to the level where you started at. From Wurmberg there are nice views to Brocken, which is 4.7 km away as the crow flies. Then, head northwest for a 2.5 km comfortable downhill hike (170 m downhill) along the western valley of Kalten Bode river. You will eventually meet up with the trail from Braunlage, at the junction at the inner-German border.

If 25 km of hiking to Brocken and back to Braunlage seems too long, you can walk from Brocken to Torfhaus (8.5 km) or Oberbrück (8 km). From these places you can take the bus back to Braunlage.

On the other hand, fit hikers can take the "Drei-Gipfel-Tour" (three summits' tour) visiting the three highest view mountains in Harz in one day. After climbing Wurmberg or Brocken as described below, backtrack along the path to Dreieckigen Pfahl, and take the hiking path signposted by a red circle on white background going southwest instead of southeast. This will first take you to the viewpoint Bodebruch with views of the bog that is the source of the Grosse Bode stream which you should follow. When there's a path leaving the stream, follow it, and then turn right again at the next crossing and walk up to Achtermannshöhe (925 m ASL). From its tree-free summit there are wonderful views to the surroundings including the two other mountains. Walk down the mountain along the path signposted by a red circle on white background to the Bärenbrücke rest area (ie. backtrack to Grosse Bode, and follow it), and follow the stream further to Braunlage.

Go:

1 Km 0 Wurmbergseilbahn cable car station parking lot (about 570 m) - Above the vallet station of the cable car there are signs pointing the way to Brocken/Dreieckiger Pfahl.

2 Km 1.0 Bodeweg junction- Turn left across the bridge and then right and follow the Warme Bode stream along a wonderful hiking path, Bodeweg. If you prefer to walk along a paved but more monotonous forest road, stay on the left bank of the stream (still, follow it).

3 Km 1.4 Unterer Bodefall (ca. 630 m) - The lower Bodefall is a cascade waterfall, with a height of about 2 m.

4 Km 2.4 Oberer Bodefall (ca. 670 m) - The upper Bodefall is likewise about 2 m in height.

5 Km 3.3: Bärenbrücke (ca. 720 m) - A bridge over the river with a picnic place (table and benches) and a hut ("Rieche Hütte"). Cross back to the left bank of the stream, and continue upstream along a gravel path.

6 Km 4.7: junction at the "Böser Hund" curve (about 785 m) - Keep to the right and follow the signs towards Dreieckigen Pfahl, leaving the stream valley. To the left there are the ski tracks coming down from Achtermannshöhe. During the summer the section is closed to hikers.

7 Km 5.0: junction at the former inner German border (about 795 m) - From here, there are two paths, about equally long, going in parallel to Dreieckigen Pfahl. During the Cold War this was the border between East and West Germany, now between the states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Turn left in the junction to follow the Fahrweg on the Lower Saxony side, and turn right to follow the Kommenenweg on the Saxony-Anhalt side. The latter follows the East German border strip which still doesn't have much vegetation.

8 Km 6.8 Dreieckiger Pfahl (ca. 875 m) - Picnic place, rest hut, a toilet (closed in the winter) and an info sign with a map. At the toilet building you can find the stamping checkpoint 168 of the Harzer Wandernadel.

9 from Km 8.2: Neuer Goetheweg parallel to the railway (950-1000 m) - A little over a kilometre from Dreieckiger Pfahl you get on the Goetheweg, which you will follow to the summit together with hikers coming from Torfhaus. A more detailed description of the rest of the route is in the Goetheweg section above. The route will follow the Brockenbahn until Brockenstrasse, from there you should follow the latter to the summit.

Km 11.7: Brocken 1141 m / Gipfelstein - After the last section on the paved main road you've reached the finish line; the summit of Brocken.

▸From Bad Harzburg over the Eckertalsperre and the Hirtenstieg5,329 chars

The way from Bad Harzburg is not an easy one, but very rewarding. The varied route is about 14.5-15 km in length and you will gain about 1000 m in altitude.

Get in

If you drive to Bad Harzburg to take a day hike, the best place to park is at the 1 Big parking lot at the southern edge of town, next to highway B4. From here, cross the highway on a pedestrian bridge to get on a hiking path at the foot of Ettersberg. From here the hike is about 2 km shorter than from the railway station but it doesn't matter much because the section in the town doesn't include any uphill sections and you will regardless have about 1 km to climb.

An easier and more varied alternative tour is to take the bus to Torfhaus, hike the Goetheweg up to Brocken and the Hirtenstieg and Eckertalsperre down - the route described below in reverse. There will be less gain in elevation for the uphill hike, and you will see the attractions of two different routes. Or you can do it the other way around, getting down along Goetheweg, and if you like you can walk down half the Goetheweg and along the Ecker river back towards Bad Harzburg (this trip would be around 20 km from Brocken to Bad Harzburg) - though such a trip would be better to split on two days with an overnight stay on the Brocken. Indeed, hiking up and back from Bad Harzburg along the route below (33-34 km and 1000 m gain in altitude) on the same day would just be something for fit hikers on a long summer day. For a more relaxed trip, stay overnight at the summit.

Go:

2 Km 0: Bad Harzburg railway station (238 m) - Like the route from Wernigerode, also this one starts at the railway station with some urban hiking first.

Km 1: Bad Harzburg pedestrian zone - The hike takes you south along the pedestrianised Herzog-Wilhelm Strasse along the Radau. Also on hot summer days it's comfortably cool below the big trees lining the street. Bikers can easily get past the pedestrianised section on parallel streets should they wish.

3 Km 2.3: Pedestrian bridge across B4 (307 m) - You'll cross the highway without problems over the bridge near the cable car to Burgberg. From here there are several paths to Molkenhaus. For instance you can go via Sennhütte or the hiking path over Ettersberg. The best route for bikers is the car-free route to Molkenhaus (from B4, follow signs towards "Märchenwald").

4 Km 5: Molkenhaus (525 m) - Molkenhaus is a building in the forest that housed a restaurant and was a destination in itself until it closed in early 2019. Here the national park established a wild animal watching point and a playground (around 300 m to the south). From Molkenhaus a gravel road leads onwards to the Luisenbank rest area.

5 Km 5.6: Muxklippe (550 m) - At a stone cross (memorial for the fallen in WWI) there's a small cliff with a view into the Eckertal. Further south, just before the rest area the high forest opens up, as storms have brought down many trees. From there, there are views to the Eckertalsperre, Scharfensteinklippe and Brocken. There's a shortcut path across the former forest to Luisenbank (signposted "Eckertalsperre").

6 Km 7.1: Rastplatz Luisenbank (601 m) - Rest area with open hut and benches. From here the route is paved to Eckerstaudamm. Before you arrive at the dam there's a long flight of stairs.

7 Km 7.5: Eckertalsperre dam (around 540 m) - The stairs take you to the top of the dam, and from there you can see Brocken. During the Cold War the border went across the dam, and there is a border marker left from these times. At the eastern end of the dam is stamping checkpoint nr. 1 of the Harzer Wandernadel.

Further along the eastern bank of the Ecktalsperre dam lake there are a lot of tree roots on the path. Pedestrians should watch their step, mountainbikers will have a lot of fun and riders of regular bikes should better push them. This kind of path will be the norm for the section to Scharfenstein. In a bigger path crossing you can see a larger meadow and the remains of the former cattle farm Scharfenstein. About 400 m further along the gravel road is the ranger station with the same name.

8 Km 10.5: Scharfenstein ranger station (643m) - The ranger station has a small self service café for drinks and food, open during the warmer half of the year. If you're collecting stamps for the Harzer Wandernadel, stamp checkpoint nr. 2 is here. From the Scharfensteinhütte there's a 15 minute walk along a mountain path to the Scharfensteinklippe with beautiful views to the Eckertalsperre, Brocken and Torfhaus. Walking towards the Brocken, you will now get onto Grenzweg, the Cold War military road along the former inner-German border which is very steep at some places.

9 Km 11.6: Heinrich-Heine-Weg junction (765 m) - About 1 km from Scharfenstein you'll encounter the Heinrich-Heine weg from Ilsenburg (described above). At the junction there's a picnic place with tables and benches. 50 m down the Heinrich-Heine-weg there's a path to the Hermannsklippe. From here on, there are about 3 km to the Brocken. The route is also described above, though it is pretty steep, you'll pass the Bismarckklippe, the rest place Eiserner Tisch at 970 m (with a table of iron from pre-WWII left, hence the name) and the Kleiner Brocken ("Little Brocken") at 1018 m.

Km 14.5: Brockengipfel 1141,1 m - You've reached your destination.

▸Winter hiking1,332 chars

Beautiful sunny winter weather with a few degrees below freezing and above all no or weak wind are the optimal conditions for a winter hike that can be an unforgettable experience. Especially during inversions (cold and moist air in the valleys and warmer air higher up) you can get blue clear skies with views to the horizon whereas it's cold and foggy in the valley below. This was known already in Goethe's time, two and a half centuries ago. The Brockenstrasse from Schierke is regularly plowed and sanded in the winter, as is the Goetheweg, and the Brockenbahn runs year-round too. It's also possible to begin a Goetheweg hike from the cemetery at Oberbrück.

When hiking in the winter, beware that some hiking trails in the area that are kept open in the winter also double as skiing tracks. There are no winter sports facilities on Brocken itself. For example the skiing tracks in the Eckerspring area end just before the steep section of Goetheweg up to the Brockenbahn. It may be possible to do some Nordic skiing on the Goetheweg itself as well if there are little hikers. But as there are snow walls on the sides of the plowed path it's uncomfortable or impossible for hikers to dodge skiers. And the Brockenstrasse is sanded, so at least here you have to take off the skis and carry them if you want to get to the summit.

▸See4,081 chars

At good weather you can see all of Harz and far beyond it. In the southeast you can see the Kyffhäuser and by excellent weather conditions beyond it the Thuringian Forest (Thüringer Wald) mountain chain. In the west there are the Weserbergland heights including the Solling. In the southwest you can catch a glimpse of the mountains of Northern Hesse including the Hoher Meissner, Kaufunger Wald, Reinhardswald and Habichtwald. In the north and northwest you can see the cities of Brunswick and Magdeburg.

1 Summit roundabout with the Brocken Rock (Gipfelrondell mit Brockenstein). The summit is marked by a rock - the Brockenstein - with a plate stating "Brocken 1142 m" (1 m more than the real altitude). You usually have to stand in line for a little while to take a photo next to it. The Brockenstein is the middle point of a big, open area like a roundabout named the Gipfelrondell or Brockenuhr (Brocken clock) with 30 bronze plates embedded in the ground showing directions and distances to different viewpoints. It depends on the weather conditions if you will see the destinations - the furthest such one is Kahle Asten in the Rothaargebirge in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 163 km to the southwest. The plates also show some destinations that are too far away to see like Rome. (updated Feb 2022)

2 Brockengarten. Due to the exposed location of Brocken, the treeless subalpine zone begins already at 1100 m. For instance in the Alps similar conditions can be found above approximately 1800-2000 m ASL. These conditions makes it possible to have a garden with Alpine plants, presenting plants growing at high altitudes from all over the world. The garden was established already in 1890 by professor Albert Peter from Göttingen, and today it's maintained by the park authorities together with the universities of Halle and Göttingen. The park is visited by guided tours only. Year-round there's a daily tour of the Gipfelrundweg summit path (1.6 km or 1 mile and the route isn't equipped with ramps for the mobility impaired) starting from the Brockenhaus at 12:30 every day which also includes the garden. From mid-May to mid-October there are also tours of just the garden on weekdays at 11:30 and 14:00, starting at the weather station. (updated Feb 2022)

3 Brockenhaus. 9:30-17:00 every day of the year. The Brockenhaus is the visitor centre housed in a building that once was a signal interception station of the East German intelligence agency Stasi. There's a viewing platform on the roof, and many different exhibitions in the building related to Brocken's history, nature and geology. adults €7, children €3, discounts for retirees, groups and families. (updated Feb 2022)

4 Wolkenhäuschen. The first building at the Brocken, the "little cloud house" is a rest hut built in 1736 and still standing. It's not used as a rest hut (instead head to the adjacent hotel) but more of a monument and dwarfed by the modern buildings around it. (updated Feb 2022)

5 Old tv tower (Alter Fernsehturm). The 53 m high old television broadcast tower nowadays houses the hotel. It has a glass viewing platform reachable by elevator. The semi-globe on the top houses a radar station of the German air traffic control authority. (updated Feb 2022)

6 Steel tower (Stahlrohrturm). The steel tower is a 123 m high broadcasting tower built by the GDR. (updated Feb 2022)

7 Weather station (Turm der Wetterwarte), ☏ +49 39455 58040, wewa.brocken@dwd.de. The weather station tower was built in 1895. If you'd like to learn more about the station and weather observation, contact the German weather service beforehand and they'll be happy to give you a tour of the station. (updated Feb 2022)

8 Devil's pulpit and Witches' altar (Teufelskanzel und Hexenaltar). These are two smaller granite cliffs at the southern side of Brocken. According to legend, at Walpurgis night (30 April) witches will gather there and the devil will preach to them. The cliffs are in the protected area so they can't be climbed but there are good views of them from the Gipfelrundweg. (updated Feb 2022)

▸Hiking and running events1,413 chars

Brocken climb from Göttingen (Brockenaufstieg ab Göttingen). Next event 11-12 June 2022. Hiking event, where the 87 km from Göttingen is divided into two day hikes. It's not a competition of any kind but an event where you get to enjoy the hiking experience with many other fellow hikers. Still, the distance means you need to be relatively fit. (updated Feb 2022)

Brocken run (Brockenlauf). Next event 3 September 2022. A running event from Ilsenburg to Brocken and back, first taking place in 1927 (most recently in September 2021). The main event is 26.2 km in length, and there are also shorter distances for beginners. (updated Feb 2022)

Brocken-Marathon. Also known as the "Harz-Gebirgslauf" (Harz mountain run) taking place since 1978. Since 1990 the event has taken the length of a marathon race (42.2 km in length) starting in Wernigerode. There are also shorter races, 11 and 22 km in length. (updated Feb 2022)

Brocken Challenge. Extremely fit runners can partake in the ultramarathon charity event Brocken Challenge. It's a run of more than 80 km from Göttingen to Brocken, twice the distance of a marathon race, with a gain in height of 1900 m combining all of the uphill sections and it takes place in the cold of the winter. The most recent event took place in February 2022, though then the race was even longer, going from Schierke up to Brocken and from there to Göttingen. (updated Feb 2022)

▸Stay safe2,496 chars

In a nutshell: a safe, enjoyable and successful hike to the Brocken requires at least moderate fitness, good weather, suitable gear, snacks and enough time.

Brocken is sometimes underestimated by hikers - it does not exactly appear like a rough high mountain environment but rather as a forested hill with good tourist infrastructure. However someone caught in sudden bad weather at for instance the exposed Hirtenstieg will disagree. The mountain is a very popular destination, also drawing visitors with little or no hiking experience who sometimes get into trouble because of ignorance and bad preparation.

Fitness: Choose your route according to your fitness level and hiking experience. If this is the first time you'll be walking these kinds of distances and uphill, you should not use the Brocken to test if you could do it or not. Better to make longer training hikes in your home surroundings first. Nevertheless, should you during the hike notice you're not going to make it, stop and turn back. Cutting your trip short isn't a sign of weakness but of responsibility for yourself and others.

Weather: See the climate section above. Always check the weather forecast before going.

Equipment and snacks

Proper shoes: You should at the very least wear sports shoes with good grip, better still mountaineer or hiker shoes. Length-adjustable trekking poles are also good to have.

Clothing: Even on warm summer days it's good to bring some warm clothes, as a temperature difference of 10°C between the valley and summit is common, and the wind chill will make it feel even colder. During the winter you should always dress warmly. Dress in layers - if it gets too warm, you can always take off one layer. Rainproof clothing and spare underwear are also good to bring. On clear days, bring sunglasses, sun protection lotion and a hat.

Snacks: Always bring some snacks and enough water, particularly in the summer. If you're just walking around the Gipfelrundweg, a small bottle is good to have, on the other hand for a day hike in the summer, three liters could be necessary. During the winter, bring a thermos of some warm beverage that can warm you up on breaks.

Time: Take your time and don't rush it. Consider how far can you walk in an hour in a terrain like this, and remember that heat, cold and wind can slow you down. Take enough breaks and plan for enough time at the summit. Especially during the short winter days, start early as the trip may take longer than you first thought.

Introduction

Highest peak of the Harz mountain range in Northern Germany For other uses, see Brocken (disambiguation). BrockenThe summit of Brocken, showing the transmittersHighest pointElevation1,142 m (3,747 ft)NormalhöhennullProminence856 m (2,808 ft)Isolation222.85 km (138.47 mi)to FichtelbergCoordinates51°48′02″N 10°37′02″E / 51.80056°N 10.61722°E / 51.80056; 10.61722NamingPronunciationGerman: [ˈbʁɔkən]GeographyBrockenLocation within Germany LocationSaxony-Anhalt, GermanyParent rangeHarzClimbingEasiest routedrive, hike and train Brocken (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁɔkn̩] ⓘ), also sometimes referred to as Blocksberg, is a 1,141 m (3,743 ft) mountain near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, between the rivers Weser and Elbe. The highest peak in the Harz mountain range, and in Northern Germany, it is subalpine, yet has a microclimate resembling that of mountains nearly 1,000 m (3,300 ft) higher. The elevation above its tree line tends to have snowcover from September to May, and mists and fogs shroud it up to 300 days a year. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; the next prominent elevation directly to its east would be in the Ural Mountains in Russia. Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with witches and devils; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe took up the legends in his two-part tragic play Faust. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects. Today Brocken is part of Harz National Park and hosts a historic botanical garden of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. A narrow-gauge steam railway, the Brocken Railway, takes visitors to the railway station at an elevation of 1,125 m (3,691 ft). FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of Brocken. The old television tower, the Sender Brocken, is now used as hotel and restaurant. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists.

Geography

[edit] Aerial photograph of the summit (2009) Overview plan of the Brocken summit Summit stone Granite on the Brocken Location[edit] Brocken rises over Harz National Park in the district of Harz, whose main town of Wernigerode lies about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east-northeast of the mountain. The state boundary with Lower Saxony runs past Brocken some 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west. At the south-eastern foot of Brocken lies the spa resort of Schierke. Somewhat to the north below the summit of Brocken is a reservoir, Brockenteich, constructed in 1744. On or near the mountain are the source areas of the rivers Bode, Ecker, Ilse and Oder. The rounded summit of Brocken is treeless, but vegetated with dwarf shrubs. Summit and subpeaks[edit] The highest point on Brocken reaches an elevation of 1,141.1 m above sea level (NN) (3,744 ft). Its subpeaks include the Heinrichshöhe (1,040 m or 3,410 ft), Königsberg (1,034 m or 3,392 ft) and Kleiner Brocken ("Little Brocken") (1,018 m or 3,340 ft). Before 1989, the height of Brocken was recorded in almost all the relevant maps and books as 1,142 m above NN (3,747 ft). A survey of the summit at the beginning of the 1990s based on the current reference system, however, gave the height as 1,141.1 m (3,744 ft). In order to provide a reference point for the old data, granite boulders were set in the mid-1990s on the highest point of Brocken to a height of approximately 1143 m, and a benchmark of "1142 m" was established on them. Geology[edit] From a geological point of view, Brocken and its surrounding terrain (the Brocken massif) consists mainly of granite (called Brocken granite), an igneous rock. The granitic plutons of the Harz – the Brocken, Ramberg and Oker plutons – emerged towards the end of the Harz mountain-building phase of the Upper Carboniferous, about 300 million years ago. First, alkaline magma intruded into the overlying sediments, crystallized out and formed gabbro and diorite massifs, such as the Harzburg gabbro. A little later, silica-rich granitic magma rose, some intruding into voids and gaps in the older rocks, but most being created by the melting of existing sediments. On the boundary between granite and host rock, the so-called contact zone, a great variety of transitions may be seen. For example, the summit of the Achtermannshöhe consists of contact-metamorphosed hornfels of the contact zone that, here, lies over the Brocken granite. The subsequent erosion of the Harz mountains that followed the uplifting of the Harz during the Upper Cretaceous saw the disappearance of the protective hornfels summit, thus exposing the granite that had crystallized underground during the Upper Carboniferous. The alleged hardness of Brocken granite is not the reason for the height of the mountain, but the geological fact that it was well protected by its weather-resistant hornfels crest for a long time before erosion set in. Only in recent geological times, since the Tertiary period, did the typical, rounded, spheroidal weathering of granite outcrops and granite boulders of Brocken take place. Such blockfields are very rare in Central Europe outside the Alps and are subject to conservation measures. They originated mainly under periglacial conditions, i.e. during the course of the ice ages, and their retreat. Today's blockfields of Brocken granite, as well as other rocks in the Harz National Park, particularly in the Oker valley, are therefore at least 10,000 years old. Physical weathering, such as frost shattering, has played a key role in their formation, resulting in giant piles of loosely stacked rocks. In 2006, the granite blockfields of Brocken, together with 76 other interesting geotopes, were designated as a "National Geotope". Climate[edit] Climatic diagram for 1961-1990 normals Winter landscape (2003) Brocken tower in winter (2001) Brocken is a place of extreme weather conditions. Due to its exposed location in the north of Germany its peak lies above the natural tree line. The climate on Brocken is like that of the alpine 1,600–2,200-metre (5,200–7,200 ft) zone or even that of Iceland. This is due to its short summers and very long winters, with many months of continuous snow cover, strong storms and low temperatures even in summer. The summit, however, does not have an alpine climate, as the average summer temperature is above 10 °C (50 °F). Due to its significant height difference compared with the surrounding terrain, Brocken has the highest precipitation of any point in northern central Europe, with an average annual precipitation (1961–1990) of 1,814 millimetres (71.4 in). Its average annual temperature is 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). Brocken weather station has recorded the following extreme values: Its highest temperature was 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) on 25 July 2019. Its lowest temperature was −28.4 °C (−19.1 °F) on 1 February 1956. In 1973 it had 205 days of snow cover. Its greatest depth of snow was 380 cm (150 in) on 14 and 15 April 1970. Its highest measured wind speed was 263 km/h (163 mph) on 24 November 1984. Its greatest annual precipitation was 2,335 mm (91.9 in) in 1981. Its least annual precipitation was 984 mm (38.7 in) in 1953. The longest annual sunshine was 2004.5 hours in 1921. The shortest annual sunshine was 972.2 hours in 1912. Brocken also holds the record for the greatest number of days of mist and fog in a single calendar year in Germany, 330 in 1958, and has an average of 120 days of snowfall per year. Climate data for Brocken, (elevation 1,135 m (3,724 ft), 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1896–present) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 14.0(57.2) 14.6(58.3) 17.5(63.5) 21.4(70.5) 24.1(75.4) 26.7(80.1) 29.7(85.5) 29.0(84.2) 25.9(78.6) 21.9(71.4) 19.8(67.6) 12.5(54.5) 29.7(85.5) Mean maximum °C (°F) 6.0(42.8) 7.0(44.6) 10.5(50.9) 15.0(59.0) 19.3(66.7) 22.1(71.8) 23.5(74.3) 23.7(74.7) 19.1(66.4) 15.5(59.9) 11.9(53.4) 7.7(45.9) 25.7(78.3) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.1(30.0) −1.0(30.2) 1.4(34.5) 6.0(42.8) 10.1(50.2) 13.2(55.8) 15.4(59.7) 15.3(59.5) 11.1(52.0) 6.8(44.2) 2.9(37.2) 0.0(32.0) 6.7(44.1) Daily mean °C (°F) −3.3(26.1) −3.3(26.1) −1.2(29.8) 2.9(37.2) 6.8(44.2) 9.8(49.6) 12.1(53.8) 12.0(53.6) 8.3(46.9) 4.4(39.9) 0.6(33.1) −2.2(28.0) 3.9(39.0) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −5.4(22.3) −5.4(22.3) −3.6(25.5) 0.1(32.2) 3.9(39.0) 6.7(44.1) 9.1(48.4) 9.2(48.6) 6.0(42.8) 2.3(36.1) −1.4(29.5) −4.2(24.4) 1.4(34.5) Mean minimum °C (°F) −13.2(8.2) −12.8(9.0) −9.8(14.4) −6.7(19.9) −2.6(27.3) 0.9(33.6) 4.0(39.2) 4.1(39.4) 1.2(34.2) −3.8(25.2) −7.9(17.8) −11.1(12.0) −15.9(3.4) Record low °C (°F) −27.5(−17.5) −28.4(−19.1) −19.6(−3.3) −12.6(9.3) −8.7(16.3) −3.0(26.6) −0.1(31.8) 0.0(32.0) −2.6(27.3) −10.3(13.5) −16.1(3.0) −25.0(−13.0) −28.4(−19.1) Average precipitation mm (inches) 202.9(7.99) 145.8(5.74) 147.5(5.81) 86.9(3.42) 120.3(4.74) 117.2(4.61) 159.3(6.27) 131.1(5.16) 152.7(6.01) 171.0(6.73) 163.2(6.43) 204.0(8.03) 1,799.1(70.83) Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 107.2(42.2) 127.6(50.2) 131.1(51.6) 83.9(33.0) 11.9(4.7) 0.3(0.1) 0(0) 0(0) 0.5(0.2) 8.7(3.4) 32.3(12.7) 69.8(27.5) 155.2(61.1) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 25.7 23.5 23.6 18.8 19.6 19.6 20.9 20.1 22.3 25.1 25.6 26.4 271.1 Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) 30.2 27.8 30.0 19.2 3.1 0.1 0 0 0.2 5.1 15.3 26.5 159.0 Average relative humidity (%) 89.6 88.8 89.2 82.6 82.3 84.2 83.0 83.2 88.9 91.1 90.5 89.5 86.9 Mean monthly sunshine hours 61.8 72.0 107.8 162.7 187.0 181.4 184.6 177.0 131.0 93.5 55.2 49.0 1,462.9 Source 1: NOAA Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de Flora[edit] The treeline on the Brocken The harsh climate of Brocken makes it a habitat for rare species. The mountain's summit is a subalpine zone with flora and fauna almost comparable to those of north Scandinavia and the Alps. Brocken is the only mountain in Germany's Central Uplands whose summit lies above the natural treeline, so that only very small spruce grow there and much of it is covered by a dwarf shrub heathland. In the Brocken Garden, established in 1890, flora are nurtured by national park employees; visitors are allowed to view it as part of regular guided tours. The garden does not just display plants from Brocken, but also high mountain flora from other regions and countries. Amongst the rare species of Brocken that are found nowhere else in northern Germany and which occur above about 1,050 m above NN (3,440 ft) are the variant of the alpine pasqueflower known as the Brocken flower or Brocken anemone (Pulsatilla alpina subsp. alba), hawkweeds like the Brocken hawkweed (Hieracium negrescens) and the alpine hawkweed (Hieracium alpinum), vernal grass (Anthoxanthum nipponicum), the alpine lady's mantle (Alchemilla alpina) and the alpine clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum). On the raised bogs around the summit of Brocken there are typical bog species like cottongrasses, sundews, dwarf birch (Betula nana) and the black crowberry, which is also referred to here as Brocken myrtle (Brockenmyrte). Fauna[edit] The cranberry fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris) Several animal species have adapted to the conditions of life on Brocken. For example, the water pipit (Anthus aquaticus) and the ring ouzel both breed in the area around the summit. The viviparous lizard occurs on Brocken in a unique, dark-colored variant, Lacerta vivipara aberr. negra. The common frog (Rana temporaria) can also be found here. Insects are very numerous. There are many beetles including ground beetles such as Amara erratica, and hundreds of species of butterfly. The cabbage white here produces only one generation per year compared with two in the lowlands. Some mammal and bird species that occur here are relics of the ice age, including the northern bat (Eptesicus nils soni), the alpine shrew (Sorex alpinus) and the ring ouzel.

History

[edit] Map of the Brocken, L.S. Bestehorn, 1732. (Note the illustration of witches) Ascent, construction and use[edit] The first documented ascent of Brocken was in 1572 by the physician and botanist, Johannes Thal from Stolberg, who in his book Sylva Hercynia described the flora of the mountain area. In 1736 Count Christian Ernst of Stolberg-Wernigerode had the Wolkenhäuschen ("Clouds Cabin") erected at the summit, a small refuge that is still preserved. He also had a mountain lodge built on the southern slope, named Heinrichshöhe after his son Henry (Heinrich) Ernest. The first inn on the summit of Brocken was built around 1800. Between 1821 and 1825 Carl Friedrich Gauss used the line of sight to the Großer Inselsberg in the Thuringian Forest and the Hoher Hagen mountain near Göttingen for triangulation in the course of the geodesic survey of the Kingdom of Hanover. A measurement carried out by the military staff of Prussia in 1850 found Brocken's height to be at its present level of 1,141.1 metres (3,744 ft). After the first Brocken lodge had been destroyed by a fire, a new hotel opened in 1862. The Brocken Garden, a botanical garden, was laid out in 1890 by Professor Albert Peter of Göttingen University on an area of 4,600 m2 (50,000 sq ft) granted by Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. It was Germany's first Alpine garden. View from the weather observation platform of the weather station on Brocken peak (2006) The narrow-gauge Brocken Railway was opened on 27 March 1899. Brocken station is one of the highest railway stations in Germany lying at a height of 1,125 m above NN (3,691 ft). Its gauge is 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in). In 1935 the Deutsche Reichspost made the first television broadcast from Brocken using a mobile transmitter and, in the following year, the first television tower in the world was built on the mountain; carrying the first live television broadcast of the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The tower continued functioning until September 1939, when the authorities suspended broadcasting on the outbreak of World War II. In 1937 Brocken, together with Wurmberg, Achtermann and Acker-Bruchberg were designated as the Upper Harz (Oberharz) nature reserve. During an air attack by the United States Army Air Forces on 17 April 1945, the Brocken Hotel and the weather station were destroyed by bombing. The television tower, however, survived. From 1945 until April 1947, Brocken was occupied by US troops. As part of the exchange of territory (specified at the Yalta Conference), the mountain was transferred to the Soviet occupation zone. Before the Americans left Brocken in 1947, however, they disabled the rebuilt weather station and the television tower. The ruins of the Brocken Hotel were blown up in 1949. From 1948 to 1959 part of Brocken was reopened to tourists. Although a pass was required, these were freely issued. From August 1961 Brocken, which lay in East Germany's border zone, immediately adjacent to West Germany, was declared a military exclusion zone and was therefore no longer open to public access. Extensive military installations were built on and around the summit. The security of the area was the responsibility of the border guards of the 7th Schierke Border Company, which was stationed in platoon strength on the summit. For accommodation, they used Brocken railway station. The Soviet Red Army also used a large portion of territory. In 1987, goods traffic on the Brocken Railway ceased due to poor track conditions. Brocken was extensively used for surveillance and espionage purposes. On the summit were two large and powerful listening stations, which could capture radio traffic in almost all of Western Europe. One belonged to Soviet military intelligence, the GRU, and was also the westernmost outpost of the Soviets in Germany; the other was Department III of the Ministry for State Security in the GDR. The listening posts were codenamed "Yenisei" and "Urian". Between 1973 and 1976 a new modern television tower was built for the second channel of the GDR's television service, the Deutscher Fernsehfunk. Today it is used by the public Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) television network. The Stasi (East German secret police) used the old tower until 1985, when they moved to a new building – now a museum. To seal the area, the entire Brocken plateau was then surrounded by a concrete wall, built from 2,318 sections, each one 2.4 tonnes (2.6 short tons) in weight and 3.60 metres (11.8 ft) high. The whole area was not publicly accessible until 3 December 1989. The wall has since been dismantled, as have the Russian barracks and the domes of their listening posts. Today the old tower beside the lodge again is home to a weather station of the Deutscher Wetterdienst. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, beginning on 3 December 1989, Brocken was again open to the public during a demonstration walk. With German reunification there was a gradual reduction in border security facilities and military installations from 1990. The last Russian soldier left Brocken on 30 March 1994. Brocken summit was restored at a cost of millions of Euros. It is now a popular tourist destination for visitors to the Harz. As a protected area since 1939 and due to the decades of restricted access the unique climate of Brocken provided outstanding conditions. The massif is partly still covered with primary forest extremely rare in Germany. It provides perfect conditions for endangered and nearly extinct species like the Eurasian lynx, wildcats and capercaillies. Brocken was therefore declared part of a national park in 1990. Name and significance[edit] The Wurmberg, Hohnekamm and Brocken (from left) from the Büchenberg near Elbingerode The widespread use of the name "Brocken" did not occur until towards the end of the Middle Ages. Hitherto the region had just been described as the Harz. This was primarily because, until then, the focus had been mining. The first record of a placename that resembles the present name of the mountain goes back, however, to the year 1176 when it is referred to as broke in the Saxon World Chronicle (Sächsische Weltchronik). Another early written reference to the mountain, this time as the Brackenberg, appears in 1490 in a letter from Count Henry of Stolberg. Other early documented names of Brocken were, in 1401, the Brockenberg, in 1424 Brocberg, in 1495 mons ruptus (Latin), in 1511 the Brogken and Brockin, in 1531 Brogken, in 1540 Brokenberg and, in 1589, Brackenberg. In Old Saxon-Germanic times, a large portrait of Wodin is supposed to have been found on Brocken. In addition, animal and human sacrifices were offered by the Saxons to their supreme god, Odin, on the blockfields of the summit until they renounced them as part of their baptismal vows when Christianity spread to the region under Charles the Great. As far as the origin of the name is concerned, there are several interpretations: In the town records (Stadtbuch) of Osterwieck an entry for Brocken was found in the year 1495 under the Latin name of mons ruptus, which means "broken hill". Its Low German name, broken, as the mountain had become named in 1176 in the Saxon World Chronicle and also in English, means "broken". On the one hand, this explanation of its meaning can be attributed to the fact that the two mountains, "Kleiner Brocken" and "Großer Brocken", were formed by the breakup of a single massif. On the other hand, its meaning may refer to the serious erosion of the mountain. In other words, it refers to the fact that Brocken was eroded or "broken down" to its present size. But the most likely derivation of the name comes from the shape of the mountain as a whole. A brocken in German is a large, shapeless mass. The size of Brocken may thus have given it its name. Since the term "block" has a similar meaning, this could also be the derivation of its alternative name, the Blocksberg. The true origin of the name Blocksberg, however, should not be seen as "block" in the sense of "mass", but rather the German word block (as in block of wood) in witchcraft. Another theory holds that the name "Brocken" is derived from bruch, a word used in northern Germany for bog or moor, which commonly used to be spelt as bruoch or brok. It is however doubtful that this fact was primarily responsible for its name. Another possibility is that its name is derived from the fields of boulders strewn over the summit and the slopes of the mountain. This derivation for the name "Brocken" is, however, unlikely because such blockfields are also found on other mountains in the Harz. Moreover, the regions concerned were hardly known at the time when the term was used. Another presumption is based on the reference in a letter written in 1490 by Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode, where he uses the term Brackenberg. However the suggestion that this referred to old, unusable timber, which was called bracken, is disputed. 2023 Storm Ciarán[edit] In 2023, Brocken was hit by the major European windstorm Storm Ciarán, reaching wind speeds up to 144km/h (89mph), becoming the peak wind for the country during the storm.

Tourism

[edit] View of the Brocken from the Heinrich Heine Way. In the foreground, the Brocken Railway (2008) Brocken station (2004) Today a narrow-gauge railway, the Brocken Railway, once more shuttles between Wernigerode, Drei Annen Hohne, Schierke and the Brocken. The trains are regularly hauled by steam locomotives. At the summit is the Brockenhaus with a museum on the history of the mountain and the Brocken Garden (a botanical garden), which is managed by the Harz National Park. In addition there are restaurants and the Brocken Hotel, which is run by the Brocken publican (Brockenwirt), Hans Steinhoff. Important publicans in the past included Johann Friedrich Gerlach from 1801 to 1834, Carl Eduard Nehse between 1834 and 1850, who brought out a map of the Brocken in 1849 and the Brocken Register (Brockenstammbuch) in 1850, as well as Rudolf Schade from 1908 to 1927, who considerably increased the repute and the size of guest facilities on the Brocken. Signpost on the Brocken Road (Brockenstraße) The area around the Brocken is especially popular with hikers. The Goethe Way (Goetheweg) is a well known trail that leads to the summit of the Brocken. It is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who more-or-less followed this route in 1777. Many paths lead to the local towns of Schierke, Braunlage and Sankt Andreasberg. The 100-kilometre-long (62 mi) Harz Witches' Path also runs from the Brocken eastwards to Thale and westwards via Torfhaus and Altenau to Osterode. The "Bad Harzburg Devil's Path" runs from the Brocken to Bad Harzburg. Mountain bikers also use the trails. From Schierke a metalled road leads to the summit, which is used by horse-drawn wagons, as well as touring and racing cyclists. Because of the situation in the national park, vehicles with internal combustion engines are only allowed with special permission. There are also hiking paths to Brocken from Schierke, Wernigerode and Ilsenburg. Worthy of special mention is the bearer of the Badge of Honour of Saxony-Anhalt, Benno Schmidt (born 1932) – also known as Brocken Benno – of Wernigerode, who has climbed the mountain since 1989, almost daily, with more than 8,888 ascents (as of September 2020) and whose feat has been registered in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sports

[edit] View of the Wurmberg Ski Jump Two well-known running events pass over the Brocken: the Ilsenburg Brocken Run (beginning of September, 26 kilometres or 16 miles, of which 12 kilometres or 7.5 miles uphill, has taken place since the 1920s) and the Brocken Marathon which is part of the Harz Mountain Run with its start and finish south of Wernigerode. Both start in the valley, climb the Brocken and return. The most challenging part in each case is the last four kilometres to the Brocken summit, for which in both races, a separate mountains classification is given. This section is a concrete slab track with a steady incline of about 20% and the runners are exposed above the tree line, often to a sharp, icy wind. Of the just under 1,000 people who usually achieve it, only 50 negotiate this section without stopping to walk. Since 2004, the Brocken Challenge, an ultra marathon 84-kilometre-long (52 mi) from Göttingen to the Brocken summit, has been staged in February each year. The proceeds from this event go to charity. The runs are conducted in accordance with the rules of the national park. The 87-kilometre-long (54 mi) "Brocken Climb" from Göttingen to the Brocken has taken place annually since 2003. More than 300 people take part in these two-day hikes in June. In early May each year the Braunschweig-Brocken Ultra Run takes place with 2 × 75 km (46.5 mi) legs spread over two days. The participants run from Braunschweig to Schierke, cross the Brocken, overnight in Schierke and run back again the next day. Overall, it is therefore a 150-kilometre (93 mi) race.

Buildings

[edit] The Brocken: buildings and installations (as at 2006) Transmission site[edit] Since the 1930s various radio and television transmitters have been erected on the Brocken, see Brocken Transmitter. Brocken House[edit] Brocken House (Brockenhaus), the modern information centre for the Harz National Park, is located in the converted "Stasi Mosque" (Stasi-Moschee), a former surveillance installation for the Ministry for State Security. The historic antenna equipment in the dome may be visited. Behind the building is checkpoint No. 9 on the Harzer Wandernadel hiking trail network. Weather station[edit] The extreme weather conditions of the Brocken are of special meteorological interest. From 1836 the Brockenwirt, who also ran the guest house and restaurant, kept meteorological records. The first weather station on the Brocken was built in 1895. Technically poor and too small, it was partially demolished in 1912 and replaced with a large stone construction, the Hellman Observatory, that was not completed until the First World War. In 1917 the academic and nature lover George Grobe took over running the observation post, his daughter supporting him until his death in 1935. Today's weather station started life in 1939. Measurements were interrupted at the end of the Second World War as a result of military bombardment, but began again in 1947. On 16 March 2010 the Brocken Weather Station became a climate reference station to provide uninterrupted, long-term climatic observations.

Literary mentions

[edit] Walpurgis' Night, engraving after an illustration by Johann Heinrich Ramberg, 1829 Goethe described the Brocken in his Faust, first published in 1808, as the center of revelry for witches on Walpurgisnacht (30 April; the eve of St Walpurga's Day). Now, to the Brocken, the witches ride; The stubble is gold and the corn is green; There is the carnival crew to be seen, And Squire Urianus will come to preside. So over the valleys, our company floats, With witches a-farting on stinking old goats. Goethe may have gained inspiration from two rock formations on the mountain's summit, the Teufelskanzel (Devil's Pulpit) and the Hexenaltar (Witches' Altar). The Brocken is similarly mentioned in many other literary and musical works based on Faust Another famous visitor on the Brocken, author Heinrich Heine, wrote his book Die Harzreise ("The Harz Journey") published in 1826. He says: The mountain somehow appears so Germanically stoical, so understanding, so tolerant, just because it affords a view so high and wide and clear. And should such mountain open its giant eyes, it may well see more than we, who like dwarfs just trample on it, staring from stupid eyes. The summit register entry Many stones, tired bones, views: none, Heinrich Heine ("Viele Steine, müde Beine, Aussicht keine, Heinrich Heine") is a popular, though unsourced phrase related to the weary ascent and the mostly foggy conditions. The teacher Heinrich Pröhle collected the Brockensagen tales and legends as well as the etymology of the geographic names in the Harz. He carefully examined the Teufelskanzel and the Hexenaltar, mentioned above. Henry James has his character Basil Ransom ask: "What kind of meetings do you refer to? You speak as if it were a rendezvous of witches on the Brocken" in the first chapter of his novel The Bostonians (1886). Slothrop and Geli Tripping experience the famous Brocken spectre in Thomas Pynchon's novel Gravity's Rainbow, as the Mittelbau-Dora labour camp in the Harz mountains north of Nordhausen from 1943 was the home of the V-2 rocket production. In David Foster Wallace's Pynchon-influenced Infinite Jest the characters Remy Marathe and Hugh Steeply also experience the Brocken spectre on a ridge in the desert outside Tucson.

In popular culture

[edit] "Black Sabbath", the first track of the debut album of the early occult rock band Coven, starts with the line "They journeyed far to Brocken Mountain pinnacle". The progressive metal band Fates Warning titled their debut album Night on Bröcken (note the "Heavy metal umlaut"). The title track refers to Witches Sabbath on Walpurgis Night. The song "Born in a Burial Gown" by Cradle of Filth (from the album Bitter Suites to Succubi) contains an allusion to the Brocken's history as a witches' gathering-place. The indie rock band Liars' album They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is a concept album loosely based on tales of the gatherings of witches on the Brocken as well as witch trials. The novel Cloud Castles by Michael Scott Rohan features the Brocken as the home and body of Chernobog Bibi Blocksberg, a German audio drama for children about a witch, refers to an alternate name for the Brocken (Blocksberg). The Brocken is mentioned in the novel Bald Mountain by Sergej Golovachov. The Brocken is mentioned in episode 546 of the TV anime series Detective Conan. There are two German fictional characters in the anime/manga Kinnikuman who are called Brockenman and Brocken Jr. There is a German black metal band named Brocken Moon. Brocken spectres is the topic of Polish poetic folk band "Na Bani" titled "Brocken" from the album "20 lat z górą". German heavy metal band Edguy mentions Brocken and Walpurgisnacht in their song "Angel Rebellion" from the album Kingdom of Madness. Caleb Carr published "The Legend of Broken" in 2012. The fictional kingdom of Broken occupies the Harz Mountains, and in particular Brocken, which for centuries had been considered the seat of supernatural doings, because, Carr demonstrates, of the ignorance and superstition of humans.

Brocken

Seasonal rhythms for the keen hiker

Beyond the summit: the railway experience

Cultural echo: the mountain in local folklore