At 1,141 metres, Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz and lies in the core zone of Harz National Park. The national park covers 24,732 hectares and accounts for around ten percent of the entire Harz region. A striking peak and an expansive protected landscape thus lie at the heart of two different ways of experiencing the region.
From viewpoints to the national park trails
In Harz National Park, 560 kilometres of signposted trails lead to particularly scenic viewpoints. One specific route through this landscape is the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg: it passes through the national park and the Brocken bog. There are twelve adventure islands along the way. They point out special viewpoints, tell stories or invite you to take a short break. The route thus combines views of nature with small stops that also bring the trail to life through storytelling.
For information and topics related to the park, there are eight visitor centres and national park information centres, with information, hiking tips, exhibitions and film screenings. The national park also offers guided hikes and excursions with rangers, experts, national park guides and national park forest guides. As schedules may change, it is worth checking the latest dates before your visit. A multimedia guide with 28 stations, where audio stories or films are available, also helps with navigation on the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg. If you plan to use it, check its availability in advance.
Water engineering and World Heritage
The Upper Harz Water Management system offers another way to explore the Harz landscape. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since August 2010. Its surviving features include 107 ponds, 310 kilometres of water channels and 30 kilometres of underground waterways. The combination of ponds, open channels and underground waterways shows the great variety of this water landscape. The figures also make clear that this is not just a collection of individual bodies of water, but an extensive network of different elements.
The Harz is part of the Harz–Braunschweiger Land–Ostfalen UNESCO Global Geopark. Its visitor facilities include geopark information centres, adventure trails, show mines, erratic boulder gardens and museums. These different stops offer various ways to explore the geopark’s themes: you can find out more, follow an adventure trail or visit a show mine or museum. Which stops suit your trip depends on whether you want to focus on the landscape, geology or exhibitions.
Hiking, collecting and other perspectives
The Harzer Wandernadel connects 222 stamping stations throughout the Harz. Anyone who collects all 222 stamps earns the title “Harzer Wanderkaiser” (Hiking Emperor of the Harz). The stamp system adds an extra challenge to hiking, spread across many individual locations in the region. For mountain biking, the Volksbank Arena Harz offers 74 routes with a total length of 2,300 kilometres. As the operator may update these figures, check the latest route information when planning a specific trip.
The Brocken Railway is another way to reach Brocken by train. If you are interested in a different kind of experience, Harzdrenalin offers activities at the Rappbode Dam, including wall running, Ultrashot, Megazipline, the “Titan RT” suspension bridge, GigaSwing and a 5D cinema. The suspension bridge spans the Bodetal valley and is 458.5 metres long. As individual activities may change, check the current selection before making specific plans.
Half-timbered houses and regional discoveries
Quedlinburg adds a rich half-timbered heritage to the natural and water landscapes. The town has more than 2,000 half-timbered houses dating from eight centuries and is one of Germany’s largest area monuments. The houses’ long history makes Quedlinburg a distinctive cultural highlight within the Harz region—unlike Brocken, the hiking trails or the water management system, the focus here is on the historic townscape.
Discover more destinations: Ditfurt, Harzgerode, Ilsenburg, Tanne, Thale, Wernigerode, Quedlinburg, Ballenstedt, Halberstadt, Blankenburg Am Harz, Hedersleben, Huy, Falkenstein/Harz, Oberharz Am Brocken, Osterwieck, Selke-Aue, Nordharz, GroĂź Quenstedt, Harsleben, Schwanebeck, Wegeleben and GĂĽntersberge.
See the overview of the wider region: Saxony-Anhalt.
