Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [203]
Pension Holloch ( 1005; www.pension-holloch.harz.de, in German; Glückauf-Weg 21; s €40-45, d €60-70) Most rooms have a balcony overlooking the valley and ski piste, so you can see who’s breaking a leg – or someone else’s – from this very comfortable, small and friendly Pension. Best to book ahead.
La Piazza ( 999 987; Schützenstrasse 35; pizza & pasta €5-7, mains €7.50-15; noon-3pm & 5.30-11pm) On the main street, this restaurant will give you the carbohydrate boost you need to tackle or recover from the pistes. The outdoor seating is popular in summer. For delivery the minimum order is €9.
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Getting There & Away
Bus 850 runs between St Andreasberg and Braunlage. The frequent bus 840 runs to Clausthal-Zellerfeld.
St Andreasberg can be reached via the B27, which winds along the scenic Oder Valley from Bad Lauterberg to Braunlage. The L519 (Sonnenberg) leads north to the B242 and Clausthal-Zellerfeld, to the B4 and Bad Harzburg, and to Goslar (B241 or the B498 along the Oker Valley).
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CLAUSTHAL-ZELLERFELD
05323 / pop 15,000
Formerly two settlements, this small university town was once the region’s most important mining centre. Its main attractions today are mineral and spiritual: an excellent mining museum and a spectacular wooden church. There are over 60 lakes in the vicinity, mostly created for the mines, and almost all are now suitable for swimming.
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Orientation & Information
As in many similar linear towns in the Harz, Clausthal-Zellerfeld’s main street changes names several times, with Kronenplatz as the hub. Clausthal lies to the south, while Zellerfeld begins just beyond Bahnhofstrasse, roughly 1km to the north.
The tourist office ( 810 24; www.oberharz.de, in German; Bergstrasse 31; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) is near the Oberharzer Bergwerks-museum, and the Harzklub HQ ( 817 58; www.harzklub.de, in German; 9am-noon Mon-Fri) is in the former train station, 10 and 15 minutes on foot respectively north of Kronenplatz. Harz-Agentur ( 982 460; www.harzagentur.de, in German; Bergstrasse 31) upstairs from the tourist office rents out hard-tail and full-suspension mountain bikes (€15 to €22 per day).
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Sights
The Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum ( 989 50; www.oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de, in German; Bornhardtstrasse 16; adult/concession €4/2; 10am-5pm) has an interesting open-air exhibition of mine buildings and mining methods, including a horse-driven carousel that was used to power a lift into the mine. The museum has an English-language brochure with background information and explanations on the different buildings, and there are tours in German (translators are available) that take you into the depths.
South of Kronenplatz in the technical university is the Geosammlung ( 722 737; Adolph-Roemer-Strasse 2a; adult/concession €1.50/1; 9.30am-12.30pm Tue, Wed & Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Thu, 10am-1pm Sun), Germany’s largest collection of mineral samples. Some of the displays are also on the theme of fossils.
Very close by is the baroque Marktkirche Zum Heiligen Geist ( 7005; Hindenburgplatz 1; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun Apr-Oct), which was consecrated in 1642 and – another local record – is the country’s largest wooden church. While some much needed restoration work continues, it will remain closed throughout the winter.
The Volksbank Arena Harz (www.volksbank-arena-harz.de, in German) is an 1800km signposted network of mountain bike trails through the Oberharz with three different levels of difficulty. Harz-Agentur (above) and Harzhotel zum Prinzen (below) can help with suggestions.
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Sleeping & Eating
Harzhotel zum Prinzen ( 966 10; www.zum-prinzen.de, in German; Goslarsche Strasse 20; s €50-55, d €72-84; ) This comfortable hotel 250m north of the tourist office in Zellerfeld has a country cottage feel with blonde solid timber furnishings and wooden floors. It caters well