Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [197]
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WESTERN HARZ
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GOSLAR
05321 / pop 43,000
The hub of tourism in the Western Harz, Goslar has a charming medieval Altstadt, which, together with its historic Rammelsberg mine, is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Founded by Heinrich I in 922, the town’s early importance centred on silver and the Kaiserpfalz, the seat of the Saxon kings from 1005 to 1219. It fell into decline after a second period of prosperity in the 14th and 15th centuries, reflecting the fortunes of the Harz as a whole, and relinquished its mine to Braunschweig in 1552 and then its soul to Prussia in 1802. The Altstadt, Rammelsberg mine and Kaiserpfalz attract visitors by the busload in summer, when it’s always best to reserve ahead.
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Orientation
Rosentorstrasse leads to the Markt, a 10-minute walk from the train and bus stations. The small Gose River flows through the centre south of the Markt. Streets in the old town are numbered up one side and down the other.
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Information
City-Textilpflege ( 242 77; Petersilienstrasse 9; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) Laundry.
Deutsche Bank ( 757 20; Fischemäkerstrasse 13) Bank services and ATM.
Dr-Herbert-Nieper-Krankenhaus ( 440; Kösliner Strasse 12) Medical services, about 6km north of town.
Harzer Verkehrsverband ( 340 40; www.harzinfo.de; Bäckergildehaus, Marktstrasse 45; 8am-5pm Mon-Thu, to 2pm Fri) Tourist information.
Police ( 3390; Heinrich-Pieper-Strasse 1)
Post office (Klubgartenstrasse 10)
Telecenter & Internetcafe ( 381 80; Breite Strasse 79; per hr €1.80; 10am-7.30pm Mon-Sat) Internet access.
Tourist-Information ( 780 60; www.goslar.de; Markt 7; 9.15am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm Sat, 9.30am-2pm Sun Apr-Oct, 9.15am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2pm Sat Nov-Mar)
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Sights
AROUND THE MARKT
One of the nicest things to do in Goslar is to wander through the historic streets around the Markt. Hotel Kaiserworth was erected in 1494 to house the textile guild, and sports almost life-size figures on its orange facade. The impressive late-Gothic Rathaus comes into its own at night, when light shining through stained-glass windows illuminates the stone-patterned town square. The highlight inside is a beautiful cycle of 16th-century religious paintings in the Huldigungssaal (Hall of Homage; adult/child €3.50/1.50; 11am-3pm Mon-Fri & 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct & Dec).
The market fountain, crowned by an ungainly eagle symbolising Goslar’s status as a free imperial city, dates from the 13th century; the eagle itself is a copy – the original is on show in the Goslarer Museum. Opposite the Rathaus is the Glockenspiel, a chiming clock depicting four scenes of mining in the area. It plays at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm.
The baroque Siemenshaus (Schreiberstrasse 12) is the 17th-century ancestral home of the Siemens industrial family, but the interior is unfortunately closed to visitors. The Brusttuch, at Hoher Weg 1, and the Bäckergildehaus, on the corner of Markt-strasse and Bergstrasse, are two fine early 16th-century houses.
KAISERPFALZ
Goslar’s pride and joy is the reconstructed 11th-century Romanesque palace, Kaiserpfalz ( 311 9693; Kaiserbleek 6; adult/concession €4.50/2.50; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Mar). After centuries of decay into a historic pile of rubble, this palace was resurrected in the 19th century and adorned with interior frescoes of idealised historical scenes. On the southern side is St Ulrich Chapel, housing a sarcophagus containing the heart of Heinrich III. Below the Kaiserpfalz is the recently restored Domvorhalle, displaying the 11th-century Kaiserstuhl, the throne used by Salian and Hohenstaufen emperors. Behind the palace, in pleasant gardens, is an excellent sculpture by Henry Moore called the Goslarer Krieger (Goslar Warrior).
RAMMELSBERGER BERGBAU