The Harz Mountains are the northernmost mountain range in Germany. Their varied scenery and wildlife add to their attraction. The highest mountain is called the Brocken or Blocksberg. The top can be reached not only on foot, but also by a 19th century railway line, known as the Brockenbahn.

Many sagas, myths and Harz traditions are linked to the Brocken mountain, the dancing place of witches in popular folklore. It was the setting for the Walpurgis Night scene in Goethe’s Faust. The many beautiful towns featuring medieval timber-framed houses and other architectural treasures are well worth a visit. The Straße der Romanik (Route of Romanesque Architecture) is a tourist route winding its way through the region of Saxony-Anhalt, including many towns in the Harz Mountains and foothills. It takes in 72 examples of this Romanesque architecture e.g. the monastery of Ilsenburg, the collegiate church St. Servatii in Quedlinburg and Halberstadt cathedral. The town of Quedlinburg has been given UNESCO World Heritage status.



The most important town in the Harz region is the imperial city of Goslar, which also enjoys World Heritage status and has been dubbed the “Rome of the North”. Its unique skyline features the steeples of 47 churches and chapels, and almost each one of the medieval town houses has a story to tell. To get the best views of the ensemble, climb up to the imperial residence or Kaiserpfalz, which is itself a unique example of the secular architecture of the Romanesque period.