Harz National Park

A legendary mountain wilderness

National parks are protected areas rich in tradition, left to their own natural dynamics.

The beautiful Harz National Park extends around the Brocken, which, by the way, was climbed three times by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the path of the same name.

Deciduous or coniferous forests, along cliffs and moors or between boulders - let yourself be enchanted by the pristine and diverse mountain landscape! The landscape is home to countless rare animals and plants, which you can admire for yourself on a hike.

The perfect setting for an exciting hiking holiday in the Harz Mountains!

The Park

Highest point: Brocken

Creation of the Harz National Park

Area

National parks in Germany

Forest in transition

Nature construction site!

Why dead trees do not herald the end of the forest, but the beginning of the new forest wilderness!

Extensive forests in transition to wilderness, valuable habitats for rare animals and plants - in the Harz National Park nature is allowed to go its own way.

Grey wooden skeletons of dead old spruces dominate the landscape and have a shocking effect on many locals and guests. Many worry about the forest and ask questions about its condition.

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Resettlement of the lynx

Unique for a German National Park

In the 18th and 19th centuries, people persecuted the lynx as it was seen as a threat to grazing animals and eventually exterminated it. At the beginning of 2000, the Harz National Park Authority began releasing young lynx from game parks into the wild. Thus the "Lynx Project Harz" was born. In the meantime, the animal is as native to the Harz as wild boar, roe deer or stags and raises its young every year. The lynx feedings in the enclosure in Bad Harzburg give you the opportunity to see the shy animals.

The Harz Moors

10,000 years of landscape history

The moors in the Harz Mountains are among the oldest biotopes in the National Park. They are largely preserved in their natural state and provide a habitat for special animal and plant species.

Some of the plants, such as the dwarf birch, were able to survive in the moors during the Ice Age and are now among the great special features of the moors. The so-called ice age relicts.

Most of the moors can be found in the western part of the High Harz Mountains between 700 and 1,100 metres above sea level, as enough rain falls there.
Hiking tips include the Great Torfhaus Moor and a 4-kilometre hike from Torfhaus to the Oder lake along the Fairytale Trail.

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Please use the rubbish and recycling bins at the end of your hike to avoid littering the National Park.

Do not take anything from nature, this applies especially to berries and mushrooms.

Do not light fires in the National Park.

Leash your dog in the National Park.

Do not smoke in the National Park between 15 February and 31 October.

Pay attention to the signposted hiking trails and stay on them.

Cycling is allowed, but hikers have priority.

Horse riding is only allowed on appropriately marked trails.

1141 m ü. NHN

As the only central mountain peak in Germany with a natural forest boundary and the highest point of the Harz National Park, the Brocken is the destination for excursions in the Harz.

Despite the fact that it is the foggiest place in Germany, with 300 days of fog, and that the average annual temperature is no more than 3.5 degrees, no visitor to the Harz fails to climb the summit on foot or by the traditional Brockenbahn (Steam train).

Be sure to visit the Brocken Garden. This has been in existence since 1890 and around 1500 plant species from all the high mountains of the world can be seen. To immerse yourself in the history and the special nature of the mountain, the Brocken house invites you to visit.

Together with the staff of the national park, guests can experience nature at around 2,500 events per year. For example, guided hikes introduce people to the beauty of untouched nature. From May to October, every Saturday at 9:30 a.m., there is a ranger guided tour to the high altitudes of the national park starting in Braunlage. The hiking meeting point for this is at the back of the large car park of the Wurmberg cable car at the driveway of the Maritim Hotel. Autumn is famous for the rutting season of the red deer. This natural spectacle, the roaring of the deer, can also be experienced under expert guidance.

Let nature be nature!

Motto of the National Parks

Become a National Park Partner

like the Braunlage Tourismus Marketing GmbH

National Park Partners are tourist businesses, associations and institutions in the National Park region that act in an environmentally friendly way in order to actively protect nature and sustainably develop the region.

The businesses are awarded according to nationwide, uniform, strict quality and environmental standards. This way you can get to know the National Park region in a nature-friendly way and enjoy it with all your senses.