Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [213]
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THALE
03947 / pop 15,200
Situated below the northern slopes of the Harz Mountains, Thale is a small industrial and tourist centre. The main attraction for visitors is the sensational landscape of rugged cliffs and a lush river valley that makes for ideal hiking. On the two cliffs at the head of the valley are Hexentanzplatz and Rosstrappe, both magnets for postmodern pagans, who gather in grand style and numbers each year on 30 April to celebrate Walpurgisnacht (see boxed text, opposite).
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Orientation & Information
Thale’s two main streets are Poststrasse, which runs diagonally off Bahnhofstrasse (left from the Hauptbahnhof), and Karl-Marx-Strasse, which runs northeast to the Bode River.
The tourist office ( 2597; www.thale.de; Bahnhof-strasse 3; 7am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat & Sun) is in Friedenspark opposite the Hauptbahnhof. Pick up the English-language brochure Legendary Thale, or book a themed tour with a witch (€4).
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HIKING THE HARZER-HEXEN-STIEG
If you feel like hiking but you don’t feel up to lugging your pack (or the old knees aren’t up to it anymore), then the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg (Harz Witches’ Ascent) might be your way to go. The tourist office (above) in Thale regularly organises group hikes that individuals can join. You will arrive in the hut or Pension each night to find your luggage awaiting you there. At the end of the 100km hike (usually over seven days) you will also be ferried back to your starting point in Thale. A northern route of the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg goes via Brocken, while the southern route is via St Andreasberg. The size of groups ranges from about five to 20 – the average age is about 50 years, but younger people also join, the folks in Thale say – and the deal is a very reasonable €288 per person in twin-bed rooms.
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WITCHES & WARLOCKS
The Bodetal was first inhabited by Celts, whose fortresses were conquered by Germanic tribes and used for pagan rituals before Charlemagne embarked upon campaigns to subjugate and Christianise the local population during the 8th-century Saxon Wars. Harz mythology blends these pagan and Christian elements.
One popular – but misleading – explanation for the Walpurgisnacht festival is that it was an invention of the tribes who, pursued by Christian missionaries, held secret gatherings to carry out their rituals. They are said to have darkened their faces one night and, armed with broomsticks and pitchforks, scared off Charlemagne’s guards, who mistook them for witches and devils. In fact the name ‘Walpurgisnacht’ itself probably derives from St Walpurga, but the festival tradition may also refer to the wedding of the gods Wodan and Freya.
According to local mythology, witches and warlocks gather on Walpurgisnacht at locations throughout the Harz before flying off to the Brocken on broomsticks or goats. There they recount the year’s evil deeds and top off the stories with a bacchanalian frenzy, said to represent copulation with the devil. Frightened peasants used to hang crosses and herbs on stable doors to protect their livestock; ringing church bells or cracking whips were other ways to prevent stray witches from dropping by.
One of the best places to celebrate Walpurgisnacht is Thale, where not-so-pagan hordes of 35,000 or more arrive for colourful variety events and the Walpurgishalle tells you all you need to know about sacrifices, rituals and local myths. Schierke, also popular, is a starting point for Walpurgisnacht treks to the Brocken. Wherever you are, expect to see the dawn in with some very strange characters!
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There’s a Sparkasse bank at the top of Karl-Marx-Strasse; the post office is in the Kaufhaus department store at No 16.
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Sights
Hexentanzplatz and Rosstrappe are two rugged outcrops flanking the Bode Valley that once had Celtic fortresses and were used by Germanic tribes for occult rituals and sacrifices (see boxed text, above). The landscape