Wernigerode in Germany's Harz Mountains

My favourite thing about the time we have spent in Wernigerode is the old town. The half-timbered houses, the Rathaus, and all of the old ornate architecture had me mesmerized. [We went back a second time that month because we loved it so much]. So much has been destroyed here, yet the town is still filled with houses and buildings that are hundreds of years old. Visit a few of the old churches, sip some coffee at one of the outdoor cafés, and wander through the narrow [and wide] streets to appreciate what wasn’t burned in fires over the years and what has been restored.

The steam train leading to the Brocken Mountain was a great experience, but I must say it was a bit time-consuming and expensive. Chugging through the countryside in a steam train is always a memorable experience. I think a summer excursion on the train would have been a better choice rather than in October, when it was a bit cold outside. Driving on the small roads around this area is gorgeous, too. You will see forested areas as well as wide open areas. Look for ancient castles dotting tops of hills.

Schloß Wernigerode peering down from the hill above the town is another can’t-miss gem.

Quick Tips:

Visit the tourist offices at the main train station or in the middle of the old town on Breitestraße near Nicolaiplatz not too far down the street from the Marktplatz.

Many of the old churches are not located immediately in the old town, so be prepared to walk a little distance to see them. The castle is located on a hill overlooking the old town. Transportation is available from the Marktplatz; check with the tourist information office concerning times.

Book a hotel in the old town. You can pop right out of the hotel in the morning and start your sightseeing. We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Weißer Hirsch, located right on the Marktplatz and directly across from the ancient-looking Rathaus. There is another hotel right on the Marktplatz called Hotel Gothisches Haus.

Best Way To Get Around:

Wernigerode is a walkable city, with parts of it for pedestrians only. Distances around the Altstadt, or old town, are reasonable, and there should be no reason for a car. With a car you would not be able to enjoy the ambiance of the town or all of the small things that catch your eye as you saunter by the half-timbered houses. A car is nice, though, to explore the surrounding areas.

DB trains serve Wernigerode, with the Hauptbahnhof [main station located just north of the old town] and Bahnhof Westerntor running on the east side of the old town [this one the more reasonable distance to the old town]. To take the train up to the top of the Brocken Mountain, either station allows you direct access to the line.

If you do bring a car into Wernigerode, parking isn’t easy. There are a couple of parking areas on the edge of the old town, but be warned that it isn’t that easy to find a place, even if you have a hotel room.

Once we decided to stay somewhere in the Harz Mountains, we wanted something in a town centre so we could walk around the town from our hotel. We searched on HRS and found the Hotel Weißer Hirsch, a pretty, half-timbered hotel, located right in the middle of Wernigerode, a historic town on the edge of the Harz Mountains. A double room was about €100.

Hotel Weißer Hirsch is the oldest inn in Wernigerode, dating from 1761. It was founded as Pfeiferscher Gasthof but had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1847. The lobby of the hotel has some great pictures and information about the history of the hotel. The hotel is run by the Wieland family and is part of the Ringhotels chain in Germany. It sits in a prime position in Wernigerode, just adjacent from the historic Rathaus in the Marktplatz. We have found that, in some of these areas in the old East Germany, it is less likely that people speak English. My husband speaks some German, so he attempted German when we checked in. The people at the front desk spoke English but were so gracious about speaking German slowly and helping my husband along so he could work on his German. We found every person at the front desk to be friendly and most helpful.

The room had two single beds together (fairly standard in Germany) and a small sitting area. It was large and clean, but a little dated. It was comfortable, and our room looked out over the side street across from a Chinese restaurant and some other small shops.

Breakfast, which was included in the price, was served in the hotel’s restaurant on the first floor. The breakfast spread was incredible. There were so many different things to choose from that you could have eaten here for a week and not had the same breakfast. We did not go away hungry.

Parking at the back of the hotel can be tricky. There is a small above-ground area and then another area underground. Both times we stayed here, it was completely full at night. The first time we stayed here, we had to park in a tiny little space that wasn’t actually a parking space. I can’t believe we actually got in and out of the spot without damaging the Porsche that was parked next to us—a miracle indeed.

Overall, I highly recommend this hotel, if only for the location. It is located right in the middle of the old town and it is convenient to take transportation up to the castle (horse and buggy or a motorized trolley). There is also a train station, Bahnhof Wernigerode-Westerntor, nearby that takes you on the narrow-gauge railway and links you with the DB train system, which will take you anywhere you want to go.

As we drove into Wernigerode looking for our hotel, we couldn’t help but notice the steam engines sitting at the station, getting ready to make their way up the Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz Mountains at 1142 metres (the station stands at 1125 metres). This Schmalspurbahnen, or narrow-gauge railway, with a gauge of only one metre, was built between 1896 and 1899 to connect Wernigerode with Nordhausen.

The train runs on a frequent basis from Nordhausen and Wernigerode, but you can also get on the train at several other stops along the way. We got on the train at the main station in Wernigerode, but I would suggest you get on the train at Drei-Annen-Hohne. It saves a little bit of time on this long journey. From Drei-Annen-Honhe it takes about 50 minutes to get to the top of the mountain and runs through the Upper Harz National Park. It took us about three hours to go from Wernigerode to the Brocken and back. In our opinion, it was too long to be sitting on the train. The train went directly from Wernigerode, through Drei Annen Hohen to Brocken without having to change trains.

Including Brockenbahn, the branch leading to the top of the Brocken Mountain, and the Selketalbahn, it is the largest steam-powered narrow gauge system in Europe.

The Brockenbahn is part of the Harz Narrow-Gauge Railway network. It consists of three original independent railways: Harzquerbahn (Wernigerode-Drei Annen Hohen-Nordhausen), Selketalbahn (Gernrode-Talmühle), and the Brockenbahn (Drei Annen Hohne-Brocken).

Make sure to budget a good chunk of time and money if you plan on taking this train ride. It cost €22 per person and took over three hours. As we approached the top of the mountain, the weather got colder, cloudier, and windier. The weather made it hard to see and appreciate the spectacular view. There are stops along the way where food and snacks can be purchased--just make sure you know how long the train is stopping before you decide to jump off for a few minutes. Toilets are also available on the train but could not be used in the higher elevations.

Overall, it was a good journey, but I was restless by the time we got to the top, and we still had to go all the way back down again. It is possible to make a day out of it and stop at some of the stations along the way for lunch or to take in other recreational opportunities. We made the mistake of getting on the last train of the day going up the mountain. The snack bar was closed at the top because the train was running late, so we didn’t get anything to eat. We also couldn’t stop at any of the other stations along the way since we were on the last train. I would still recommend the journey for a easy day out.

Wernigerode, the "Colorful Town of The Harz Mountains" first mentioned in 1121, is a wonderful city to visit and a great base when visiting the Harz Mountains.

The Marktplatz is a lively area of the town. You can’t help but to gape in awe at the beautiful, half-timbered Rathaus, or Town Hall. The fountain in the middle of the platz is called the Wohltäterbrunnen, or The Benefactor’s Fountain. Situated along the edges of the platz, you will find cafés, shops, and beautiful architecture to bide your time.

The late Gothic Rathaus is a highlight of medieval architecture and is found in history as early as 1277. It was once owned by the Counts of Wernigerode and served multiple purposes; not only was it the town hall, but it was used as the court and for medieval entertainment and dances with minstrels.

By 1544, major reconstruction work had been completed. Notice the half-timbered construction and the mostly wood figures of jesters, saints, workmen, etc. Also look for the following sentence engraved above the main door:

Im selben Jahr da dieses Haus erneut ist auch noch wahr der Spruch aus alter Zeit: Einer acht’s der andere betracht’s der dritte verlacht’s was macht’s? (In the year this house was refurbished: One man respects it, another looks at it, a third laughs at it – that is just the way things are.)

The Benefactor’s Fountain in the centre of the platz was erected in 1848 and is in New Gothic style. The fountain bears plaques and coats-of-arm on which the benefactors of the city are named. In 1991, a memorial tablet was added honouring colonel Gustav Petri, who had bravely rescued the city from being destroyed by the Allies shortly before the war was over.

The second time we visited Wernigerode, we sat outside at one of the cafés on the platz to relax and drink a spiked hot chocolate. We watched a group of about eight boys playing with a football, AKA soccer ball, and encouraging passers-by to play along with them. They would kick the ball towards someone who happened to be walking through to see if they would kick it back. I was surprised to see that about seven or eight people, young and old, sprung into action when the ball headed in their direction. There were only a few who looked at the boys disapprovingly. It got interesting when they were bored with this incorporation of outsiders. They began to kick the ball high into the air. Several times, it hit the fountain and the hotels and shops nearby. This game didn’t last long; they were getting some terrible looks.

Take some time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Marktplatz. There are several cafés to choose from along the perimeter. Since the Marktplatz sits in the middle of the old town, you have several options when it is time to go exploring. All of the roads that radiate off of the centre square have some historical foundation with shops, houses and cafés.

As we were driving in the area, my husband remembered a small cable car in Bad Harzburg called the Burgberg Seilbahn. As a child, he visited Bad Harzburg but was never able to take the cable car. Since it was relatively quiet at the moment, we decided to take the plunge. This is nothing like the Alps cable cars, so don’t expect much if you have seen or been on any of them before.

The cable car runs from the town of Bad Harzburg [located between the towns of Wernigerode and Goslar] up to the ruins of Harzburg Castle and has since 1929. There are walking trails at the top, as well. You can either take it one-way or round-trip, and since it doesn’t go up so high, you can walk up and take it down or take the cable car up and walk down.

It takes a mere 3 minutes and €3 to take you from bottom to top. Once you reach the top, you will find a small museum dedicated to telling the history of the cable car through pictures and items of interest. [Spa guests are charged €2.60, children €1.60, dogs €1.10, and adults €3, with reductions for one-way travel.]

The Burgberg Seilbahn is Germany’s northernmost large cabin cable car. It takes you to a height of 482m, or 1581 feet. Eighteen guests and one operator can fit into each car, although it would feel severely claustrophobic. Then again, when it takes a mere three minutes, it can’t be all that bad, or can it? My mother and husband, who are scared of heights, didn’t have any issues with this ride.

Once you reach the top, you can take in the spectacular views. We were there in October, when the leaves were changing. The views of the colourful trees painted red, yellow, green, orange, and brown are unforgettable. You can see the top of the Brocken Mountain [and if you are lucky, the steam train climbing the mountain] as well and a great view of the mountains and valley below.

At the viewing point at the top there is a monument called Canossa-Säule, an obelisk erected in 1877 in honour of Otto von Bismarck inscribed with his saying, Nach Canossa gehen wir nicht("We will not go to Canossa").

Overall, the cable car was a nice stop off as we were leaving the area. A cheap, short ride to the overlook gives you an excellent view of the surrounding areas. My husband also got to ride the cable car he missed out on as a child.

Wernigerode has many famous buildings along its old streets. From half-timbering to the many small cafes and eateries and shops, you will be surprised at what actually survived the bombings in World War II. Many of the streets retain a character of their own and will offer you many photo opportunities. Visit some of Wernigerode’s famous landmarks then go explore on your own to find some of the hidden gems tucked away along these streets.

Kochstraße:
Houses along Kochstraße belonged to the craftsmen’s district which meant smaller houses. Many of the houses along this street were lost to the bombing raid on 22 Feb 1944. It is here that you will find one the more popular stopping points in the city, Kleinste Haus, or smallest house. It never really was a house of its own as the owner used the gable walls of the houses on either side. Today it houses a museum open for visits.

Burgstraße:
Burgstraße is the second of the main streets in the old town. It runs from Breite Straße in the old town and meets up with the Johann Sebastian Bach Straße, which marks a border with the old town, and eventually turns into the B244 heading out of the city. As I mentioned in other entries, there was a great fire in Wernigerode in 1751 which managed to destroy a good chunk of the old town. Before the fire, though, this street was lined with mansions belonging to the wealthy merchants. After the fire, the town started to rebuild many of the homes in this area with stone instead of wood to keep fires to a minimum.

Marktstraße:
The homes on Marktstraße were mostly homes of the lower gentry in the service of the count. Houses on one side of the street are mostly from the 16th to 18th centuries, and those across the street are newer, built after 1903. The newer houses are located in an area that used to be a garden belonging to the count’s manor house.

Breite Straße:
Breite Straße, meaning wide road, runs NE through the old town, starting at the Marktplatz. On its 750th anniversary, the street was turned into a pedestrianized zone (the city is celebrating its 775th anniversary this year!). There are many things to see and do along this road: shopping, sipping coffee or tea at a café, eating ice cream, and looking at the old houses. Most of the houses along this street are from the 18th and 19th century again due to the great fires that have consumed so much history in this town. The most famous building on this street happens to be the Krummelsche Haus at No. 72, named after its builder, corn merchant Heinrich Krummel. The Baroque façade on the upper floors show the four continents known at the time and are represented by reliefs on the façade.

Schöne Ecke: (beautiful nook or corner)
On the south part of the old town is the Schöne Ecke. This area of Wernigerode offers outstanding views of Schloß Wernigerode. The area is not named for its beautiful castle views, though. Here was the site of the "free" houses that cost neither duties nor taxes and did not require rendering any services. Take a look at the castle from the bridge at the "Stadtgarten", or city garden.

This is just a brief guide to some of the areas leading away from the Marktplatz. I have left out much of the city, so go out and start exploring.

Besides the wonderful half-timbered houses and the castle in Wernigerode, there are many other things to see in Wernigerode. The city has a wide variety of churches and a unique Leaning House that may be of interest to you.

Church of St. Sylvestri:
Monks of the order of St. Benedict first built a chapel here in 900. Over several hundred years of building and refurbishing were done here. The church’s present Neo-Gothic look comes from refurbishments done in 1720 and in the 1880s. A treasure not to be missed is the oak cabinet, whose Romanic arches at the base and the Gothic top suggest that it may be as older than 750 years. It is one of the oldest cabinets to have survived in Germany. The church is also a former burial place of the lords of the Hasserode and the counts of Wernigerode and for some time the counts of Stolberg, as well.

Liebfrauenkirche:
The first documents referring to the Liebfrauenkirche date back to 1235. First built as a Romanic basilica with two octagonal towers, it has changed due to fire after fire. The church was almost completely destroyed by the great fire of 1751. The remaining stones were used to rebuild the vicarage and the school house. Financial support from the royal house of Denmark made it possible to rebuild the church in the Rococco style from 1756-1762. The Neo-Gothic tower you see today was built in 1891. The old one threatened to collapse since it was weak from eroding over the years.

St. Johannis-Kirche:
This church is located in the precinct of the New Town. The large Romanic tower dates from the 11th century, and the nave from around the same time. As with most of the churches in the area, this church has undergone much rebuilding and refurbishment.

The gem in this church is the four-singed carved altar. It is one of four altars that have survived over all of the changes. Not much is known about the origin of the altar, but some suggest Lower Saxony origin, but there are also Bohemian influences, as well. The only sure fact is that it was built in 1415.

St. Theobaldikappelle:
In the early Middle Ages, a small chapel of the Holy Cross sat on this location. Since it was located outside of the village, it was an important place of worship for pilgrims and travellers. Note the beautifully painted wooden ceiling.

Schiefes Haus mit Blumenuhr: (Leaning House and flower clock)
Located just off of the Marktplatz, you will find the Leaning House at Klintgasse 5. The house used to be a watermill for the count’s estate and later a mill for the guild of the cloth makers. The reason the house leans is the mill race which washed away the original base of the house so it sank down to the bedrock below. The gable is 1.2 metres off the vertical, further off the vertical than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After WWII, the house became a residence rather than a mill. The mill race was canalised and covered for safety reasons. Off to the side of the Leaning House, you will find a beautiful Blumenuhr, or flower clock, which is a real working clock planted with flowers every year--really a unique touch to the area.

Schloß Wernigerode
Sitting high above the town of Wernigerode is a beautiful castle, Schloß Wernigerode, the castle of the counts of Stolberg-Wernigerode. Count Adalbert of the Haimar was asked to settle here to secure Heinrich V’s rule. He had a castle built here between 1110 and 1120. He called himself the Count of Wernigerode after the village.

After the death of the last count of Wernigerode the castle was rarely lived in. It became a residence again when Count Christian Ernst lived here during his life in the early 18th century.

In 1858, Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode became the new lord of the castle. He desired a more spectacular residence and commissioned a refurbishment. An architect from Blankenburg [a village southeast of Wernigerode] was given the refurbishment contract. The more impressive parts of the old building were kept and an impressive castle of Neo-Gothic design was built between 1862 and 1885. The family continued to live here until 1929. By 1930 visitors were already being welcomed to visit the castle. It was turned into a museum and has been accepting visitors since 1949.

The view from the castle is spectacular. On a clear day the view of the Harz Mountains is fabulous. There is a little trolley, the Wernigeroder Bimmelbahn, which takes you up to the castle from the Markplatz. We also saw a horse and carriage heading up to the castle, as well. Even if you don’t visit the inside of the castle, the views from up here are amazing and free.

I didn't take the time to go into the castle myself, since I had seen entirely too many castles in the prior two weeks. Now it seems very mysterious to me, and I wish I would have gone inside!