Clausthal-Zellerfield is at just under 600m with the highest peak of the Harz Mountain range (the Brocken) being 1100m. The Harz mountains and the Brocken are famous for their myths and stories of witches on broomsticks and Goethe wrote "Faust" based on this area. The East-West german demarcation line also ran through the Harz with the Soviets having a spy station on top of the Brocken. The removal of lots of little towns on the east german side of the line resulted in the ability to create the Harz national park after reunification.
The Harz Mountains are a skiing mecca in winter and a popular area for hiking, swimming and mountain biking in summer. Being Saturday I passed hordes of people in the forest out nordic walking (with 2 poles), hiking and mountain biking. There were also big groups of motor bikes passing along the busy highways that pass through the Harz region.
Once again I was on an old railway line but that soon changed to a four wheel drive forest trail down and around the very steep sided gullies on the hill side. The area was made rich with mainly silver mining and you can still see the channels and dams cut into the hill side to direct the water to the mines.
I have to say I find it a little nerve wracking cycling through gravel tracks in dense forest for 30min or more never being 100% sure that I am on the right trails and hoping that when I pop out of the trees there will be a signpost and recognizable land marks. Further down there were dam-ed lakes which aid in flood protection and also provide water and hydro power. To fish there you apparently need a health certificate!
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| Old railway bridge |
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| Cycle path over old railway bridge |
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| Water channels in the side of the hill |
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| Lake Sösestau |
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