World Heritage Insight Walk: Pumps and Water Storage
Short facts
- start: Polsterberger Hubhaus
- destination: Polsterberger Hubhaus
- easy
- 3,25 km
- 50 minutes
- 67 m
- 586 m
- 521 m
- 60 / 100
- 20 / 100
best season
This World Heritage Insight Walk is all about water and energy from water power. Discover the most important technical installations around the Polsterberger Hubhaus.
This circular walk is 3.3 km long and goes around the area close to the Polsterberger Hubhaus. On this walk you can get to know part of the Upper Harz Water Management System, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage in the Harz.
Water from the storage ponds flowed through ditches to the water wheels at the mines. Waterpower was needed to hoist the extracted ore to the surface.
Rainwater also seeped into the mines constantly. The water wheels were also used to drive the pumps that pumped the water out of the mines.
This circular walk has 12 information stations. There it is explained how water was used in Upper Harz mining.
The water reached here along ditches from the marshes in the High Harz. At the Polsterberger Hubhaus it was then pumped 18 m higher. The water was stored in ponds on the hills next to Clausthal.
You can also discover the old stone-walled wheel chambers. The water wheels in the wheel chambers drove the pumps at the Hubhaus.
A special highlight of the walk is the Polstertaler Teich pond.
General information
Directions
From the car park at the Polsterberger Hubhaus the walk goes down to the Dammgraben ditch. From there you turn left to the "Reinecke-Platz". Shortly after this the route turns right onto a narrow path down into the Polstertal valley.
You will pass two water wheel chambers that belong to the Hubhaus. At the lower wheel chamber you join a forestry track. Go straight ahead to the Polstertaler Teich pond. Turn right and cross the dam of the pond.
After a small bridge the path turns right along the pond. At the end the narrow path joins the forestry track again.
Follow the forestry track uphill until you cross the Dammgraben ditch. Turn right along the Dammgraben ditch. Keep walking along the Dammgraben until you reach the Polsterberger Hubhaus again.
You can walk this route in either direction.
Tip
At the Upper Harz Mining Museum you can book a guided tour with a registered World Heritage Guide
Getting there
Turn off towards the Polsterberger Hubhaus from the B242
Parking
Free of charge at the Polsterberger Hubhaus or at the B242 car park
Public transit
The Polsterberg can be reached by bus and train via Goslar, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, St. Andreasberg. Information at www.bahn.de
Additional Information
Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum
Bornhardtstr. 16
38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Tel: 05323 98950
info@oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de
www.oberharzerbergwerksmuseum.de
Stiftung UNESCO-Welterbe im Harz
Bergtal 19
38640 Goslar
Tel: 05321 750 114
info@welterbeimharz.de
www.welterbeimharz.de
Pavings
- Asphalt Coating (4%)
- Path (22%)
- Hiking Trail (36%)
- Crushed Rock (33%)
- Unknown (5%)