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The witches ask for a dance
Black Forest, Bavarian Forest, the Alps: Southern Germany’s motorcyclists can draw on the full. In northern Germany things are different with curves and passes – if it weren’t for the Harz Mountains, this gloomy mountain range around which countless legends have grown up.
Franz Klose
04/21/1999
Finally it’s uphill. The four cylinders of my veteran Yamaha FJ 1200 willingly and without grumbling take on the spontaneous throttle. Sabine and I leave the wide, flat land of the north German lowlands, where no mountain disturbs the view and you already know today who is going to have coffee tomorrow, and swap everyday stress for wide curves and hairpin bends and almost endless spruce forests that fly by. Downshift. Left, right, left again. Then step on the gas: For a change there is a long straight that ends again in one of these typical Harz curve combinations. This is pure enjoyment that makes our hearts beat faster. There is simply nothing better for mountain-hungry northern lights. At least not nearby. After about 15 kilometers and almost 600 meters of altitude covered – almost alpine conditions for northern Germany – the multi-lane Harz Highway reaches its climax: Torfhaus is a little more than 800 meters above the level of the world’s oceans. Anyone who has not yet really known the Harz Mountains can now get an impression of the mountains in the northernmost low mountain range of the republic – in which one is not, however, traveling alone. On the large car park next to the B 4, there are countless bikes of all classes lined up on the weekends between May and October. From the 125cc to the Harley, from the streetfighter to the travel enduro, from ten to 160 hp – everything is there. The license plates reveal that most of the owners are at home somewhere between Berlin and Hamburg. Everyone wants to escape the lowlands, where the dykes on the North Sea coast are among the highest peaks, for at least a few hours, and Flo from Bremen is one of them. He spends almost every weekend in the Harz Mountains on his 900cc Honda, built in ´79. And the meeting at Torfhaus has long since become a duty for him – he can be found here at least once a day. We chat for a while and he tells us that he not only drives his motorcycle, but also comes to the Harz to climb. He transports the necessary utensils in his top case. After a few minutes he is on his way again in the direction of Okertal, the Mecca for free climbers in the Harz Mountains. But mountain bikers would also get their money’s worth here, we learn from Ingo, who parks just a few meters further. Only the engine block shows that his Streetfighter originally came from Suzuki. Ingo comes from the Harz region and is an absolute two-wheeler fan – with or without a motor. For a while he raves about his extensive mountain bike tours off the Harzer roads. Today Ingo wants to continue with the moped and of course gives us a few more route tips. Slowly we roll from the parking lot and look again at the highest Harz summit, which rises directly opposite: the Brocken, 1142 meters high. Cult mountain, weather limit, top excursion and hiking destination in one. Unfortunately, the Brockenstrabe, which looks tempting on the map, is not only closed to mopeds, but to all motor vehicle traffic. In the absence of suitable footwear and in view of the at least seven kilometers long hiking route in the masses, the only option for us is the ascent of the Brocken by Brocken railway. So on to Drei Annen Hohne to the train station. On the B 4 I steer the Yamaha to Braunlage. There we turn onto the B 27 and soon roll through a small town that goes by the name of Elend. He has long since recovered from the dreary shadowy existence during the division of Germany in the former GDR border area. After the village, a short piece of granite pavement, which survived 40 years of the GDR and which is often slippery and wet in the forest, surprisingly ensures an increase in the adrenaline level. In Drei Annen Hohne we finally change vehicles. The Yamaha is on a break, and we get on the little slow train that goes up the Brocken. Steaming and soot-blackened locomotives, which have been on the boiler for half a century, are still in service here. Calm and at a speed that almost tempts you to pick flowers while driving, the steam whisk defies the Brocken meter by meter on the narrow-gauge tracks. After more than an hour, the almost 20 kilometers long route is covered: the Brocken summit is climbed. We meander past chip stalls and souvenir shops past hikers who came up on foot and try to catch the noisy chattering group, the nostalgic with us Train has left to escape. During the last few steps to the summit, I have to think of an old Harz legend that has to do with this mountain: “And they were shameful until dawn.” It’s actually a shame. Just when it gets exciting, the report of the devil’s doings with his wedded witches ends. But this story was enough to spread fear and terror in the medieval Harz. The very idea that ugly, wart-strewn female figures whizzing through the air on their magic brooms drove godly people into their homes at the latest when it got dark. You simply went the nozzle. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, on the other hand, was so fascinated by the content of the fairy tales and legends that entwined around this mountain that he finally set off on a Brocken expeditions. On the summit, however, he met neither the king of darkness nor the witch Bibi Blocksberg or colleagues. On the plateau, which was probably already bare at that time, there was a fantastic view that, in good weather, extends far into the north German lowlands. And then as now it is worth the trip up. Back in the saddle of the Yamaha, I first enjoy the regained solitude of the little Ostharzer streets. They are narrow and angled – and with a changing surface. As far as the Hexentanzplatz near Thale, I maneuver the motorcycle over old granite pavement and over pitted tar or concrete from the times of the SED rule, then over bitumen patchwork of modern street construction. But a sporty pace would be out of place here anyway, because the panorama is enormous. At the Hextentanzplatz we look down into the deeply cut Bodetal. Below mighty rock walls made of almost 200 million year old granite, the small river flows through a canyon-like landscape. Opposite, almost within one’s grasp, the 250 meter high cliffs of the Robtrappe tower up, also a fabled vantage point. Here in the distant past, the king’s daughter Brunhilde, fleeing from the lustful giant Bodo, drove her horse to a death-defying jump over the gorge, and when the happy landing on the opposite side, at least that’s what the legend says, the impact of a hoof left a huge one Imprint in the granite, which has since been called the Robtrappe. In the pursuit of the marriage-mad giant, he fell deep into the raging mountain stream, which was finally named Bode in his honor. But today there is no longer any trace of this “fabulous” drama. Chairlifts swing contemplatively up to the Robtrappe, and the Bode ripples calmly through its deep valley. And because we are nearby, we rush a few kilometers in the direction of Blankenburg. Shortly before the place is the devil’s wall – no more than a few jagged rocks and stones, which, however, the visible remains are supposed to be a bet between God and the devil, if this traditional legend is believed. The Lord of Darkness wanted to rule over the Harz Mountains and had claimed to be able to build a wall around the mountains between sunset and the first crowing of the cock. The reason he didn’t win the bet was that a rooster crowed earlier than expected. In anger, the devil tore down his work again – except for a few remains that we are currently climbing around. I remember Ingo’s insider tips. About time too, because the day is slowly drawing to a close. As if in a frenzy, another 120 winding kilometers pass from east to west across the Harz. Always towards the setting sun, to the warmly recommended night quarters in Osterode with Neli and Li. Their real names are Cornelius and Elisabeth and they offer unrivaled overnight stays in their guest house “Fingerhut”: from 15 marks per person. When I finally turn off the FJ’s engine for today, the glowing red sun is just sending its last rays through the lush greenery in Neli’s park-like garden, which smells of grilled sausage and other delicacies. With a handful of bikers who have also savored the day to the last minute, we sit late into the night, and only a short but heavy rain shower drives us to our bunks at some point. Day two of the Harz tour begins mystically and beautifully at the same time. There is not a cloud in the sky, and the wetness of the night shower rises in swirling clouds of mist in the direction of the sun. Peter be forgiven. We’ll start the machines soon. Neli, who wants to show us a few of his favorite tracks in the West Harz, is also part of the team. Again there are plenty of curves in all variations. Once again, the finest views are fascinating. We only take a break in Lautenthal in the afternoon. In the old Lautenthalsgluck ore mine, we switch from the mopeds to a rickety and extremely uncomfortable mine train, the “racing Roland”. With jerky movements we disappear into an underground world where zinc, lead and copper ores were mined until a few years ago. The Harz is the oldest German mining area: deep tunnels were dug here as early as the 10th century. Once at the bottom, we are almost breathless when walking through the narrow corridors. It is a mystery to me how you could work with a humidity of 98 percent and a temperature of eight degrees. After all, the miners were compensated to some extent for their maloche. They were doing comparatively well for the conditions at the time. The workers enjoyed the so-called mountain freedoms such as building permits and tax exemptions – privileges that the serf farmers here and elsewhere in Germany could only dream of for many hundreds of years. And even today the people of Harz are proud of their mining tradition. Our guide, who used to be a miner himself, remembers the “good old days” in the mountains with nostalgia, which he more than vividly describes. Weekends have one major disadvantage: They are incredibly short. Once again I give the FJ the spurs, rushing over the streets that lead in wild back and forth and up and down through the dense forests until it finally goes downhill and we land again on the straight roads of the north German lowlands. The Harz mountains are slowly disappearing in the rear-view mirrors, and tomorrow we will know again who is coming for coffee the day after tomorrow.
Info
The northernmost low mountain range in Germany attracts with panoramic roads around the Brocken – an Eldorado for curve fans who will find countless worthwhile destinations between the old town of Goslar and the Hexentanzplatz near Thale.
Arrival: From the north on the A7 to the Rhuden exit and then via Goslar into the Harz. As an alternative, there is also the less traveled B6 from Hanover via Hildesheim to Goslar. From the south on the A7 to the Northeim-West exit and then on the B243 via Osterode into the low mountain range. Here, too, there is an alternative option to switch to the country road: From Kassel on the B3 to Northeim and there on the B241 via Osterode into the Harz Mountains. Those arriving from the west can start the tour in Seesen. From the east, the best way to travel is via Eisleben and then on the B 242 into the Harz. Travel time: Depending on the temperature and weather conditions, you can visit the Harz in March or April. Relatively constant weather conditions without the risk of winter onset are from the beginning of May to mid / end of October. In summer and especially on weekends, the roads in the Harz can be quite busy. If you want to stay overnight in the Harz during the summer holidays, you should definitely make a reservation in advance.Overnight: There is no shortage of hotels, guest houses and holiday apartments in all price ranges in the Harz. Information is available from the Harzer Verkehrsverband, Marktstrasse 45, 38640 Goslar, phone 05321/34040, fax 05321/340444. Here you can also get the addresses of campsites in the region. The tip for tired bikers: the guest house Fingerhut, Scheerenbergerstrabe 61, 37520 Osterode, phone 05522 / 920103. Literature: The Marco Polo travel guide “Harz” contains a lot of information and a useful road map of the region. Also recommendable is the HB-Bildatlas over the Harz for 14.90 Marks. The best map comes from Marco Polo: Sheet 3 of the general map on a scale of 1: 200,000. In the current Marco Polo anniversary edition, the twelve general cards for all of Germany currently only cost 19.80 marks. Hikers can refer to the three topographical sheets of the Lower Saxony state survey, which are available in every bookstore. Time required: two days Distance covered: 350 kilometers
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