Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [207]
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RÜBELAND CAVES
Rübeland, a small town just 13km south of Wernigerode, has a couple of interesting caves ( 039454-491 32; www.harzer-hoehlen.de; adult/child €7/4.50; 9am-5.30pm Jul & Aug, 9am-4.30pm Feb-Jun, Sep & Oct, 9am-3.30pm Nov-Jan). Admission gets you a guided tour, in German, of either cave (note that only one is open from November to April).
Baumannshöhle was formed about 500,000 years ago, and the first tourists visited in 1646. Human presence in the caves dates back 40,000 years. The Goethesaal, which has a pond, is sometimes used for concerts and plays. Hermannshöhle was formed 350,000 years ago and was rediscovered in the 19th century. Its stalactites and stalagmites are spectacular, especially in the transparent Kristallkammer. Salamanders, introduced from southern Europe by researchers, inhabit one pond.
WVB bus 265 leaves Wernigerode for Rübeland hourly. You can join the magnificent Bodetal trail (blue triangle, 16km) to Thale at Rübeland, crossing the Rappbodetalsperre, a 106m-high dam wall across the Harz’ largest reservoir, on foot.
If driving from Wernigerode, take the B244 south to Elbingerode, then the B27 east.
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SCHIERKE
039455 / pop 700
Situated at 650m in the hills at the foot of the Brocken and just 16km west of Wernigerode, Schierke is a lovely village and the last stop for the Brockenbahn before it climbs the summit. Schierke has an upper town on the main road to the Brocken and a lower town down in the valley of the Kalte Bode River. It is also a popular starting point for exploring the Harz National Park and the home of the ubiquitous ‘Schierker Feuerstein’ digestif.
The Kurverwaltung ( 8680; www.schierke-am-brocken.de, in German; Brockenstrasse 10; 9am-noon & 1-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon & 2-4pm Sat, 10am-noon Sun) has tourist information and can help with accommodation in town. Nationalparkhaus Schierke ( 477; Brockenstrasse; 8.30am-4.30pm) has hiking brochures and information on the national park. It is situated 1km north of the tourist office towards Brocken.
Schierke is a popular starting point for hikes to Brocken (1142m), Northern Germany’s highest mountain (opposite), as well as cross-country skiing on trails through the forests of the Oberharz. Winter cross-country ski hire ( 409; Brockenstrasse 14a; per day €10; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) is available from an outlet alongside the Stöber Eck store.
You can hike to the Brocken via the bitumen Brockenstrasse (12km), closed to private cars and motorcycles. More interesting is the 7km hike via Eckerloch. Marked trails also lead to the rugged rock formations of Feuersteinklippen (30 minutes from the Kurverwaltung) and Schnarcherklippen (1½ hours).
Horse-drawn wagons travel from Schierke to the Brocken and cost €22 return per person.
On the night of 30 April, Walpurgisnacht (see boxed text, Click here), Schierke attracts a veritable throng of visitors, most of whom set off on walking tracks to the Brocken.
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Sleeping & Eating
There is plenty of accommodation in town, particularly along Brockenstrasse, but you may need to book ahead. There is also no shortage of restaurants, although the repertoire of most adheres to the usual traditional suspects.
Hotel König ( 383; www.harz-hotel-koenig.de, in German; Kirchberg 15; s €33-50, d €50-70) This hotel has a remarkable carved foyer and offers clean and comfortable rooms (some have a verandah), with or without bathrooms, and has a decent restaurant.
Pension Schmidt ( 333; www.pension-schmidt.de, in German; Brockenstrasse 13; s €48, d €67; ) This unprepossessing Pension opposite the Kurverwaltung building is among the best in town. It has a lot of indoor greenery, very comfortable rooms, friendly management and a sauna to ease the aching muscles after a strenuous day’s hiking or mountain biking.
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Getting There & Around
The frequent bus 257 connects Wernigerode