Harz cycle tour: Cycle tour through the Harz Mountains: In Goethe's footsteps through the low mountain range

A certain Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has also been here before. The great German poet travelled through the Harz Mountains in the 1770s. And he was so impressed that he travelled to the Harz Mountains for a second and third time years later. A certain Sven Bremer travelled to the Harz Mountains for the first time around two hundred years later. He won the male youth slalom competition at the Alpine Ski Championships on the Andreas-Schmidt-Berg in St. Andreasberg. So from a purely sporting point of view, he had good memories. Otherwise, he was not very enthusiastic about the Harz Mountains. Somehow everything seemed a bit stuffy, dreary, grey and uninviting. Scary, kitschy witches made of plush and plastic grinned out of the shop windows and the home-style cooking was bourgeois at best, but not good.

Almost 40 years later, it was time to check what was left of the faded memories from our youth. Travelling on foot, as Goethe mostly did, was out of the question and carriages are rarely used anymore, so we set off on a bike tour through the Harz Mountains. And realised that our planned route would largely follow in Goethe's footsteps. The only thing we didn't make it to was the Brocken - unlike the wandering poet.

Start in Goslar: cycle tour through the Harz Mountains

Our tour starts in Goslar. Goethe thought the town was a bit run-down. Today it has been spruced up and tourists from all over the world stroll through the pretty alleyways. We cycle from Goslar to the Innerstetalsperre dam and continue along the river that gives it its name towards the mountain town of Wildemann. Here, at the latest, the images of the dreary Harz are erased. Some of the traditional wooden houses have been given a colourful coat of paint and the sun's rays turn the stream into a silver ribbon.

On my first visit to the Harz Mountains around 40 years ago, everything seemed stuffy and dreary to me. The Harz Mountains took a second chance with me. I really liked it. Travel author Sven Bremer

The journey continues to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. In Goethe's time, Clausthal and Zellerfeld were still two self-sufficient mining towns that competed with each other. Today, the history of mining can be marvelled at in the Upper Harz Mining Museum in the united town. But we're in a bit of a hurry because we spent so long strolling through the World Heritage alleyways in Goslar, so we race downhill from the Oker dam along a forest path to Torfhaus.

It smells of freshly cut wood, the Kellwasser murmurs and gurgles through the dense spruce forest, birds land on the moss-covered stones on the bank, take a bath and fly on. Somewhere in the distance, a woodpecker knocks. There are dense blackberry hedges at the edge of the path, we find blueberry bushes in the thicket and snack on the vitamin bombs.

We are glad that we took a close look at the map, we are delighted that we dared to cycle the route through the Harz Mountains as often as possible on forest and woodland paths. We cycle along where the fox and hare say goodnight to each other, although in the Harz it should read: where the lynx and hare say goodnight to each other. This is because the lynx was reintroduced to the Harz forests in 2000.

"Welcome to the legendary mountain landscape" can be read on the signs in the Harz Nature Park. "Welcome to civilisation." The sign is nowhere to be found, but that's what we think as we cross the Bundesstraße 4 at Torfhaus. We are greeted by the roar of cars and, above all, the rattle of motorbikes; fat men on fat machines.

The mountain meadows of the Upper Harz are almost reminiscent of the Bavarian Alpine foothills

When Goethe passed Torfhaus back then, he was spared the noise, but he may have enjoyed it as much as we do: From here, you have several unobstructed views of the Brocken. It lives up to its name, and for once the 1141 metre high peak is not covered in mist. We wave as we drive past - after all, we have an appointment.

After St. Andreasberg, we set off on our "Harz scooters", rolling down from the Oderteich at a speed of 65. It's almost 40 years since I was here. The images from my youth come together like a puzzle as I let my gaze wander over the small mountain town and the surrounding hills. I remember the ski slopes well, as well as the main road in the town. The attraction is the Samson mine, once one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, you can see the world's last fully functional travelling mechanism, which the miners used to enter the mine. Goethe was there too, of course, and noted in his diary: "Drove in and with God's grace drove out again. I was very angry". We prefer not to do that and instead have a home-style dinner - and this time it's not just home-style, it's good.

The next morning we are standing at Oderberg and can't quite agree on the route. While we're sticking our noses in the map, a farmer pulls up next to us and turns out to be an excellent pathfinder. With his help, we find another fantastic route through the middle of the forest.

Between Walkenried and Ellrich, signs point out the division of Germany as we leisurely cycle along the southern edge of the Harz Mountains. Goethe stopped off in Ilfeld back then, but we prefer to continue on to Stolberg. Because neither the bombs of the Second World War nor the sometimes merciless building frenzy of the GDR bigwigs have spoilt the place, you feel like you've been transported back to the Middle Ages here.

From the pretty half-timbered town, we cycle into the Bode Valley and from there on towards the Baumann Cave in Rübeland, whose bizarre stalactite formations fascinated Goethe to no end. After a heavy shower, we cycle to Blankenburg, once again through the middle of the forest. After the downpour, the sunlight falls through the trees, conjuring up patterns on the path and making the drops in the trees glisten like the silver that the miners once unearthed from the Harz tunnels.

After Wernigerode, we cycle a section of the European Cycle Route 1, but because it is a town festival, the "colourful town on the Harz" becomes the "blue town on the Harz" as the hour progresses. We stay sober, after all we want to climb the Brocken the next day. According to scientists, the harsh climate on the summit is roughly equivalent to that of a three-thousand metre peak in the Alps. High mountain plants such as the edelweiss thrive in the Brocken garden. Apparently they are also watered enough, because the closer we get to the Brocken, the worse the weather gets. In Schierke it rains young dogs and we decide against the summit tour. Instead, we cycle along the Kalte Bode. We soon get quite warm, because after a few leisurely kilometres along the banks of the little river, the forest path mutates into a single trail over hill and dale up to over 900 metres. Fellow cyclist Martin was still annoyed at the top of the mountain that we couldn't quite crack the 4000 metre altitude mark. But in Okertal, the cycle path leads us uphill again and at the end of the 275 kilometres we have a whopping 4070 metres of altitude on the bike computer.

Goethe was deep underground in the Samson mine, and he was on the highest peak in the Harz Mountains. We didn't manage to do either. But we really enjoyed everything in between; the Harz took advantage of its second chance with me. After all, we did it the way old Goethe suggested: "If you want to be refreshed by the whole, you have to see the whole in the smallest."

GPS data for the cycle tour

You can download the GPS data for the cycle tour through the Harz Mountains download here for free or find them in the MYBIKE Collection at komoot

Info & tips for cycling through the Harz Mountains

The route, which is around 275 kilometres long, starts and ends in Goslar and runs for the most part on car-free forest or farm tracks in the middle of the beautiful countryside or on country roads with little traffic, sometimes on so-called roadside cycle paths.

The signposting sometimes leaves a lot to be desired; you can only rely on the classic cycle path signs (green lettering on a white background) to a limited extent. We mainly orientated ourselves on the signs for hikers. With the exception of the section between Schierke and Oderteich (only recommended for ambitious and MTB-experienced cyclists), the forest paths are very easy to cycle on a normal trekking bike. With a few exceptions, the gradients are moderate.

Arrival

Railway: You can reach Goslar from Hanover by regional train in just over an hour. Information at www.bahn.de

Car: Coming from the north and north-west via Hanover, take the A7 motorway to exit 66 (Rhüden/Harz) and then the B82 and finally the B6 to Goslar. From the west and south, also leave the A7 motorway in the direction of Goslar. If you are coming from the south-east, it is best to take the A14 motorway towards Magdeburg and at Bernburg via Quedlinburg and Wernigerode on the B6 to Goslar.

Sights along the cycle route through the Harz Mountains

The Harz Mountains are home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Rammelsberg minewhich historic old town of Goslar and the unique Upper Harz water management - the world's largest and most important pre-industrial energy supply system - share the World Heritage designation. While the Old town of Quedlinburg with its more than 1000 half-timbered buildings was given the honour all by itself. The Specialist workshop Wernigerode with its magnificent castle is just as beautiful, Stolberg is also a half-timbered gem.

Impressively situated on a rock above the Selke valley is the Falkenstein Castleone of the best-preserved medieval castles in the whole of Germany. The best way to explore the castle is on foot. wild and romantic Bode Valleythe steepest and most rugged canyon north of the Alps. The best views can be had from the Hexentanzplatz and the granite rock Roßtrappe, which is just over 400 metres high. The Rübeländer stalactite caves are an underground attraction.

Accommodation tips for cyclists in the Harz Mountains

Stolberg: Schindelbruch nature resort, www.schindelbruch.de
Exclusive hotel complex in the middle of the forest with several restaurants and wellness & spa area

Hotel Stolberger Hof, www.stolbergerhof.de
Situated in the centre of town, very good value for money, friendly service

Wernigerode: Hotel am Anger, www.hotel-am-anger.de
Centrally located, but nothing special. Friendly service and beautiful view of the castle.

Goslar: Hotel garni Die Tanne, www.die-tanne.de
Bed+Bike establishment centrally located. Lavish breakfast buffet included in the price, sauna area.

St. Andreasberg: Hotel garni Vier Jahreszeiten, www.hochharzhotel.de
Bed+Bike establishment, family business a little away from the town centre, indoor pool and sauna

Food and drink

Harz cuisine is mostly hearty and home-style: hearty sausages, game, trout from the crystal-clear streams, mushrooms from the forests and, above all, Harz cheese are among the traditional specialities. The best-known speciality is probably the Harz cheese, also known as "Harzer Roller", which takes some getting used to and is spiced with caraway seeds. A beer from the Hasseröder brewery or from the traditional brewery in Altenau in the Upper Harz is recommended with all hearty dishes in the Harz.

Our tip: The Orchidea Huong in Wernigerode is certainly one of the best Asian restaurants in the new federal states. The Japanese-Vietnamese five-course menu is highly recommended. www.orchidea-huong.de

Literature and maps

Cycling maps from Schmidt-Buch-Verlag (each scale 1:50,000, 12.95 euros),
www.schmidt-buch-verlag.de

Bikeline cycle map Harz (1:75,000, 6.90 euros), www.esterbauer.com

Kompass cycling and hiking maps Harz (each scale 1:50,000, 10 euros), www.kompass.de, www.harz-wanderkarten.de

The most important information about the country and its people, sights and the individual regions can be found in the Marco Polo travel guide Harz, www.marcopolo.de

Information / Planning

Harz Tourism AssociationMarktstraße 45, 38640 Goslar, Tel. 05321/34040, www.harzinfo.de, Everything you need to know about the Harz National Park at www.nationalpark-harz.de