Goethe and Other Mountaineers
In 1777, 28-year-old Johann Wolfgang Goethe was experiencing a creative crisis. By this time, Goethe was already a renowned author throughout Europe. His novel "Die Leiden des jungen Werther“ (The Sorrows of Young Werther), published in 1774, had caused a sensation. In 1775, he had been summoned to the court in Weimar by Duke Karl August, who was eight years his junior, and appointed Geheimer Legationsrat (Privy Councilor of Legation) with an annual salary of 1,200 thalers.
View of the Wurmberg from the top of the Brocken
In Weimar, Goethe was entrusted with a multitude of organizational and bureaucratic tasks. One of the duties of the Geheimer Legationsrat (Privy Councilor of Legation) was to reform the ailing mining industry in the duchy. The duchy was heavily indebted and desperately seeking new sources of revenue. The mines in Ilmenau along the Rennsteig mountains were abandoned. The population was impoverished, and towns and villages were in a state of decay. To make matters worse, the ducal palace in Weimar had burned down in 1774. Goethe traveled extensively to gain a firsthand understanding of the situation in the country.
Evening sphere near the top of the Brocken
His duties at court took a toll on his literary output. His ambivalent friendship with Charlotte von Stein, a married woman seven years his senior and Hoffrau (lady-in-waiting) to the Duke's mother, may also have contributed to his despondency. In the winter of 1777, without bidding farewell to the Duke or his Hoffrau, Goethe, only bringing along a cloak bag, mounted a white horse from the royal stables and disappeared. Riding under the pseudonym Weber, he sped northward through winter storms as fast as possible to escape the Weimar region, where he might be recognized.
One of the snow covered and crippled trees on the top of Brocken
Via Greussen, Sondershausen, Nordhausen, Elbingerode, Wernigerode, Ilsenburg, and Goslar, Goethe arrived in Braunlage. Along the way, he visited mines and metalworking factories in the Harz Mountains and their foothills. On the few clear days of his ride, Weber glimpsed, like a chimera, the snow-covered peak of the Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz, rising to 1,141 meters. The urge to reach the summit grew stronger.
The buildings on the top of Brocken on a quiet evening
The last time I traveled to the Brocken in January 2024, there was only a brief period of snow. Winter was also mainly confined to the Harz Mountains and the summit itself. When I set off this year in February, winter had already gripped northeastern Germany for quite some time. Even east of Osnabrück, the landscape beyond the train window was white. After spending a day in snow covered Hildesheim, I headed to the train station to continue my journey to Wernigerode. Erixx runs an hourly regional express train to Bad Harzburg. I planned to take the 10:14 train to Goslar. Twelve minutes later, there is a connecting train, the "Start Mitteldeutschland" (Start Central Germany) service to Halberstadt, which I could use to Wernigerode. A quarter of an hour later, at 11:57, the Brocken Railway steam train would depart from there. If I missed it, I would have to wait until 3:05 p.m. to catch the last train to the Brocken.
Unused trains in the snow covered station of Hildesheim
When I arrived at Hildesheim station, far too early as usual, the 10:14 train to Bad Harzburg was listed as having a 5-minute delay. This quickly ballooned to 10 minutes. There were repairs being carried out somewhere on the line between Hanover and Hildesheim. Announcements warned of delays due to winter conditions. It had snowed lightly overnight, and the temperature was hovering around freezing. An ICE train to Berlin was cancelled. The line towards Hameln was blocked, and trains were only running as far as Marienau. And, most concerning for me, the line to Bad Harzburg was reduced to a single track near Salzgitter-Ringelheim due to snowdrifts. This was causing significant delays and train cancellations. In fact, the return train from Bad Harzburg towards Hanover arrived in Hildesheim 45 minutes late.
Waiting for a train in Hildesheim
While waiting for the delayed train, I can observe life on the snow-covered platform at ease. A group in orange safety vests is busy clearing the platforms of snow and ice. One would be sufficient to operate a cart that spreads salt when pushed, but most of the time it sits idle while its three caretakers smoke cigarettes. Another group is apparently working on the cleanliness initiative of the new President of Deutsche Bahn. One of them is trying to scrape off stickers with a pocketknife that have been stuck to the supports of the platform canopy. Since he doesn't have a ladder, he can only reach the bottom half of the sticker. The culprit who stuck the sticker at that height on the pillar was clearly a bit taller.
Waiting for a train in Hildesheim
But dirt or stickers are certainly not the reason for the desolation of the station area. Everything here is built cheaply and functional. The building that provides access to the platform underpass couldn't be more tasteless. A lack of care seems to have been the guiding principle in the planning of the facility. The impression is further reinforced by the multitude of prohibition signs, barriers, and railings. Color and cheer are only introduced by graffiti, which covers most of the trains.
Along the line between Hildesheim and Goslar
The train to Bad Harzburg arrives 12 minutes late. The destination indicator at the front reads "Train terminates here." No one gets off, so we, the few passengers waiting on the platform, board. The next stop is Hildesheim East. There, the conductor runs excitedly through the train, talking on his phone. As we continue, it is announced that we will have to make an unscheduled, longer stop in Gross Düngen. Because the remaining section of track to Salzgitter-Ringelheim is only single-track due to snowdrifts, our train has to wait on a siding there until the train from the opposite direction has passed. This will cause a delay of 20 to 30 minutes.
Unplanned stop in Gross Düngen
Now we are paying the price for the removal of all the track switches between the two main lines between Gross Düngen and Salzgitter-Ringelheim. Even the connection of the remaining part of the Nettetalbahn line in Derneburg was reduced to a single switch. In Baddeckenstedt, too, there are only through tracks without any switches.
The train in the other direction passes through Gross Düngen
At 11:15, the opposing train passes through Groß Düngen without stopping. We can continue our journey. We proceed slowly and cautiously. Perhaps they fear that an evil-minded snowdrift has accumulated in the half hour since the opposing train passed.
Snow drifts on the other track
Only shortly before Salzgitter-Ringelheim are the first snowdrifts visible. The snow has made a great effort to cover one of the rails of the opposite track. It hasn't managed to accumulate more than 10 cm. It's safe to assume that there are no snowplows left in the greater Hanover area that could have been used here. But with this snow depth, the passage of a heavier locomotive would have been more than sufficient to clear the snow to the side. However, it's likely that even spare locomotives are no longer available nowadays. The lightweight railcars, designed to be as low as possible for easy boarding by passengers with rolling suitcases, could easily be damaged even by this amount of snow.
Country road not far from Goslar
Our train stops again before entering Goslar. An announcement informs us that due to the enormous delay, the train journey will end in Goslar today. Passengers are advised to use bus line 810 to continue their journey to Bad Harzburg. Apparently, the road maintenance department hasn't yet cut back on snowplows. I'm afraid the train will now wait outside Goslar until the connecting train to Wernigerode has left the station. But we set off in good time and arrive in Goslar with a delay of 67 minutes. There, I simply have to walk across the platform to the other track and board the connecting train, which departs immediately.
Changing trains in Goslar
When Goethe arrived at the city gate in Goslar from the direction of Wernigerode, he still had to show his identification to enter the town. The mane of his white horse was encrusted with ice, and there was hardly a dry spot on him. The ride against the wind had been a struggle for every step. As he dismounted in front of Scheffler's inn on Worthstrasse, his legs buckled. He staggered to the entrance and knocked loudly on the door knocker. He was warmly welcomed by the innkeeper and immediately given a hot foot bath.
The old town of Goslar probably looks now better than in Goethe's time
In Goslar, Goethe visited the Rammelsberg mine and, awestruck, descended into its depths. For centuries, the Rammelsberg mine had been Goslar's treasure trove and its curse. The city grew rich from the ore extracted from the mountain, but at the same time, this wealth attracted the greed of the neighboring Dukes of Brunswick, who envied the city's riches and thus embroiled it in grueling conflicts. Today, the Rammelsberg mine is closed, now turned into a museum that has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. On his journey from Wernigerode to Goslar, Goethe was accompanied by ore carts. On his route Goslar wasn't the only place in the northern Harz Mountains with a mine. He passed the town of Ilsenburg, which still today is a center of heavy industry. There's a Blast Furnace Street, a Copper Hammer Street, an old Blacksmith Street, a Steelworks Street, and an Ironworks Park. There's also an iron museum there.
Arrival in Wernigerode
Perhaps I'm only imagining it, but the locals don't look healthy. The men on the train are thin, with pale faces covered in pimples. One woman's head is almost completely hidden under a bandage. Her nose is covered with a plaster. Her mouth, chin, and cheeks are disfigured beyond recognition by red and blue scars. Next to me, a young woman dressed all in black is with a small blond boy in a light blue jumpsuit that must be much too warm in the train. She's busy on her phone, the boy vying for her attention. He dances in front of her, blows a whistle, and lies down across the bench in front of her. The only thing he doesn't do is what she wants him to do: sit still.
The station of Wernigerode
Wernigerode's train station could serve as a model for all the other small-town German train stations that are dilapidated and neglected, slated for demolition. There's a bakery with a café, a newsstand, and a model railway shop. The restrooms are pay-to-use, but open. Good for someone like me, who has to wait here for two hours for the departure of the Brocken Railway.
Wermigerode Nord, the station of the Harz narrrow gauge railway
The narrow-gauge railway has its own station next to the main railway station. The ticket office and souvenir shop are open daily. For the waiting room and restrooms, you're directed to the adjacent station. There, you can also store your luggage in a locker. A three-day ticket, which also includes the trip to the summit of the Brocken, costs €160; a return ticket to the Brocken only costs €65, or €55 for the last train in the afternoon.
A train arrives from the Brocken
Even with a long two-hour wait, there's plenty to do here. The railway depot is right next to the platform. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways have built a viewing platform right next to the turntable, offering a panoramic view of the railway grounds. It's busier here in the summer; in winter, only those locomotives waiting for their next train assignment take a rest here,.
Two steam engines waiting in the shed in Wernigerode for their next duties
When the train departs, I have the carriage to myself. However, that changes at the next stop in Wernigerode-Westerntor, where the railway's large workshop is located. Here, the carriage fills up completely with students, most of them with sleds. Word has apparently gotten around that there's plenty of snow this year. The students are spending a few days of their winter break in Schierke. Due to increasingly warmer and shorter winters, winter sports holidays in the German low mountain ranges are practically impossible to plan far in advance. You never know if there will be any snow or not. Spontaneity is key.
On the turntable
Wernigerode lies at an altitude of 234 meters. On the 15-kilometer journey to Drei Annen Hohne, where the Brocken Railway branches off from the Harzquerbahn to Nordhausen, the train has to overcome a difference in altitude of 306 meters. On the 5-kilometer trip to Schierke, it's another 145 meters, and to the Brocken summit, a further 440 meters. The engine has to work hard. The fireman has to shovel a ton of coal into the locomotive's greedy maw on the way to the Brocken summit. In calm weather like today, the plume of smoke lingers long above the track between the mountain slopes.
Train to the Brocken ready to depart in Wernigerode Nord
The Brocken summit is famous for its prevailing bad weather. Today, however, the air is clear. Although it's the last train of the evening and I've booked a room in the only hotel in Drei Annen Hohne, I decide to take the trip to the top of the Brocken anyway. You never know if you'll be able to expect similarly clear weather in the coming days, as the summit is shrouded in fog for 300 days a year. Despite the cold, I spend most of the ascent on the open platform of the train carriages.
Brocken train climbing out of Wernigerode
The panoramic views are particularly spectacular with the light at sunset and the approaching darkness. Many others seem to agree, as there are still numerous hikers out in the gathering gloom, and the oncoming train heading downhill is also quite full. Nevertheless, it's bitterly cold at the summit. The wind is considerably stronger here than further down in the valley. I'm glad to be able to retreat to the warm interior of the carriage now.
Train on the climb up
The network of hiking trails around the Brocken is well-developed these days. Even in snow, you can enjoy pleasant and safe winter hikes on well-trodden paths. Lately, I've been encountering more and more tourists who prefer this time of year to a summer trip, when it is often too hot, crowded, and expensive. And if you can spontaneously head to the low mountain ranges when it snows, you don't have to deal with the crowds and exorbitant prices notorious in the Alpine ski resorts.
The deforested slopes of the Harz mountains
Although the first tourists had already begun climbing the Brocken around 1730, Count Christian Ernst zu Stolberg-Wernigerode spent 17 thalers to built a shelter on the Brocken in 1736 and the first Brocken inn was established as early as 1747, there were no established trails when Goethe first set out for the Brocken on December 10, 1777, in particular in winter.
Several times a day three srteam trains bound for the Brocken, Wernigerode and Nordhausen meet in Drei Annen Hohne
Goethe came to Torfhaus from the mining town of Braunlage. Here the forester Christoph Degen stayed even during the winter. In the summer, he had plenty to do. Leatherworkers, beekeepers, tar burners, charcoal burners, peat cutters, forest workers, and berry sellers sought their livelihoods up here, and occasionally he also had to deal with poachers. Torfhaus was itself a stop along the old trade route, the Kaiserweg, from Braunschweig to Nordhausen. There were plenty of guests, for whom the forester had to fetch beer from the valley and prepare meals. But in winter, he had nothing to do there except feed his chickens, goats, and the game, and clear the road to Altenau and Harzburg a couple of times a week with a snowplow before the snow got too deep. Winter guests were rare.
After the climb from Wernigerode the engines have to get a refill of water in Drei Annen Hohne
That's why he was very surprised when a lone rider arrived and asked to be taken up the Brocken. In summer, yes. But in winter? And outside, everything was shrouded in the thickest fog. But he began to have doubts when the rider offered the enormous sum of 5 thalers. But even for that much money, he wasn't willing to risk his life.
Already after 5 km the water is topped up again in Schierke
But Weber had his lucky day. While the forester was busy preparing food, a breeze picked up and slowly dispersed the fog. At a quarter past ten, the two set off, armed with a ration of sausage and bread and a bottle of schnapps, trudging towards the summit. Sometimes they sank up to their hips in the snow. Granite boulders were hidden beneath the snowpack. Their legs slipped into the crevices between rocks and roots. Often they had to pull themselves out using branches. But they made it. After a three-hour climb, Goethe reached the summit. They didn't return to Torfhaus until nightfall.
The steep ascent after Schierke
From today's perspective, one has to take one's hat off to Goethe's achievement of climbing the Brocken in the middle of winter. Heinrich Heine later even found the ascent arduous in summer:
„Mir war immer, als ob der Pferdefuß neben mir hinauf klettere, und jemand humoristisch Atem schöpfe. Und ich glaube, auch Mephisto muß mit Mühe Atem holen, wenn er seinen Lieblingsberg ersteigt; es ist ein äußerst erschöpfender Weg, und ich war froh, als ich endlich das langersehnte Brockenhaus zu Gesicht bekam.“ (Heinrich Heine, Harz Journey)
(It was always as if the horse's hoof (the devil had horse hoves…) were climbing alongside me, and someone was humorously catching his breath. And I believe Mephisto, too, must struggle to catch his breath when he climbs his favorite mountain; it is an extremely exhausting path, and I was glad when I finally caught sight of the long-awaited Brockenhaus)
The dead forrest on the lower slopes of Brocken
In the upper part of the line the fading evening sun appears
Not far from the top a descending train waits in a siding for our passage
Although the paths to the summit are now cleared even in winter, the Brocken remains treacherous. Sudden changes in weather and poor visibility can still prove fatal for inexperienced hikers. And the railway can also experience problems. On January 9, 2019, a train became stuck in a massive snowdrift. Locomotive 99 7234 partially froze and blocked the track. Around 60 passengers had to be evacuated. After the locomotive was finally freed and train service resumed, the spectacle repeated itself on January 12th. Since then, the locomotive has been nicknamed "the Ice Queen" by the staff.
First sight of the top of the mountain
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was so impressed by his ascent of the Brocken that he returned twice, in 1783 and 1784. The Brocken, known as "Blocksberg," serves as the setting for Walpurgis Night in "Faust." In the following verse, Faust apparently foresaw the swift train journey, as he had rejected the use of the witch's broomstick suggested by Mephistopheles for the ascent…
„Sieh die Bäume hinter Bäumen,
wie sie schnell vorüberrücken,
und die Klippen, die sich bücken,
Und die langen Felsennasen,
Wie sie schnarchen, wie sie blasen!“
(See the trees behind the trees,
how swiftly they pass by,
and the cliffs that bow down,
And the long rocky promontories,
How they snore, how they blow!)
Steam of the engine above the snow covered fir dwarfs
The 1100 m line
View from the station at the summit
The last train of the day in the summit station
Goethe was not the only German literarian climbing the Brocken, but the most crazy to insist on doing it in winter. As early as 1785, Christian Friedrich Schröder wrote a "Treatise on the Brocken," a kind of monograph about the mountain. In 1789, the Göttingen student Alexander von Humboldt climbed the Brocken. Heinrich Heine followed him in 1824, honoring the experience in his "Harz Journey," which, however, remained a fragment. In 1831, the Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by a climb of the Brocken to reshape his writing style. The mountain also plays a role in Theodor Fontane's novel "Cécile." Other writers who used the Brocken in their works were Friedrich Gottschalck, Otfried Preußler, and Ludwig Bechstein.
The last train on its way back to Wernigerode stops for water in Drei Annen Hohne, in the background the hotel
For today, I feel brave enough having climbed the Brocken by train and I head back to Drei Annen Hohne, a place that essentially consists of little more than the train station and a hotel where I've booked a room. From the window and the dining room, I can see the snow-covered station. In February, the first and last trains of the day are replaced by minibuses. They don't carry many passengers. I wouldn't risk relying on the bus, which departs from an indistinct location at inconsistent times. If he doesn't come, you're at the mercy of the elements. In a winter night, the Harz Mountains are still desolate.
View of the station of Drei Annen Hohne from my hotel room
The hotel serves dinner until 7 p.m. Most of the tables remain empty. It is chilly in the large dining room with its panoramic windows. Although everyone greets me politely, the guests keep to themselves. After dinner, everyone retreats to their more comfortably heated rooms. Not everyone is like Goethe, who sought contact with others on his Harz Mountains journey. Although he traveled under the pseudonym Weber, he was recognized as a refined gentleman. However, he refused to be seated at a separate table and instead shared his meals with ordinary people.
Train taking water in Drei Annen Hohne. Next to it the railcar to Eisfelder Talmühle
The next morning, I took the first train, departing from Drei Annen Hohne at 10:02 a.m, to the summit. When a few passengers wanted to board shortly before departure and asked the conductor if they could buy a ticket from him, he wanted to send them to the ticket office in the station. Howeverk, they explained that they would then miss the train and have to wait an hour for the next one. He pointed out that the ticket office had priority. When the passengers asked if he would delay the departure until they returned with tickets, he let them board nevertheless. It is common to buy the ticket on the train here since most of the ticket counters in the stations are permanently closed. I'm glad I have a three-day network pass. It's checked three times by the same conductor: between Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke, between Schierke and the Brocken, where a higher fare applies (but this is included in my ticket), and on the return journey. Each time he remembers me, but he checks the ticket anyway. It is his job.
Train to the Brocken leaving Schierke
But today the mountains are shrouded in fog. The view from the carriage windows is opaque, like frosted glass. A woman selling local schnapps and liqueurs to warm passengers is circulating on the train. Despite the cold, the best spot today is the platform of the last carriage. From there, you can see the track disappear into nothingness behind the train. The colors range from black to white; there are no others. The cold night has coated everything in a layer of ice crystals. The branches of the few remaining trees are covered with a thick layer of snow. Above it all, the train's plume of steam hangs suspended in the still air.
Tracks disappearing in the misrt
Although the fog completely envelops the summit, the first train is quite full. After arriving, everyone disappears into the void with their sleds and dogs. The train station, the inn, all the signs, poles, and railings are covered with fine ice crystals.Nothing is visible of the buildings on the broad, flat summit of the Brocken. It doesn't look as if a ray of sunshine will penetrate here for today.
Frost covered branches
As early as 1800, an observation tower and a year-round inn were built on the Brocken. The latter initially served primarily as accommodation for the workers who were to extract the peat found in the summit's moor. However, other visitors could also stop there for refreshments and overnight stays. Around 1850, a paved road was built to the Brocken. The narrow-gauge railway followed in 1899. This made the summit accessible to everyone and it became a popular destination for excursions.
Frost on a tree trunk
Due to its exposed location on the edge of the North German Plain, the summit was an ideal location for radio transmission facilities. After the first public television broadcast from the Brocken mountain took place in 1935 using a mobile transmitter, the mountain received its first television tower in 1936. During the war, up to 40 military transmitters were operated there.
Early passengers leave the morning train in the mist of the summit station
In 1945, the Brocken was occupied by US soldiers, but in 1947, in accordance with the agreements reached at the Yalta Conference, it was handed over to the USSR. From May 1954, the GDR established a restricted zone more than five kilometers wide along the inner-German border. The GDR leadership had massive fortifications, automatic firing devices, and minefields constructed. The German-German border was hermetically sealed, and free border crossings were no longer possible.
The ice covered Brocken summit station
The restricted area could only be entered with a special permit. Special laws applied here: Local residents had to registered with the border authorities. Being outdoors was only permitted from sunrise to sunset. Permit and border violations were severely punished.
No winter service
The Summit of the Brocken mountain, which lay directly on the border, also became a restricted area, off-limits to civilians from August 1961 onward. Starting in 1977, a 3.60-meter-high wall, 1.56 kilometers long, was erected around the Brocken. The wall consisted of 1,350 concrete elements weighing 2.4 tons. Within the Brocken wall was another fenced-off area reserved for Soviet military intelligence.
Ice covered window
Within the Brocken mountain wall, alongside several historical buildings such as the old train station and the weather station,numerous buildings used for broadcasting and eavesdropping facilities arose. From 1983 to 1986, the Brockenhaus was built on the Brocken mountain as the headquarters of the State Security Service (Stasi). The listening station housed within was given the memorable codename "Urian," one of the names of the devil in Goethe's "Faust." Colloquially, the building was called the "Stasi Mosque" because of its large white antenna dome. Up to 28 employees listened here around the clock using state-of-the-art eavesdropping technology, some of it of Western manufacture, reaching distances of up to 500 km to the West. Radio and telephone conversations between West Germany and Berlin could also be intercepted. A 40-meter-high lattice tower with a directional antenna established the Stasi's encrypted connection to spies abroad. "Urian" was connected to the State Security headquarters in Berlin via a secure direct line.
The summit station of Brocken and view across the plain
The fenced-off area belonging to the Russians comprised almost a quarter of the area within the wall. Here, 100 men maintained a radar surveillance station. The crews lived in stone buildings. From their cold home countries they were likely accustomed to the cold winters here.
The "Stasi mosque", the coupula for the spionage antennas
The counterpart to the Brocken, on the western side of the border, was the Wurmberg. At 971 meters, it is the second highest mountain in the Harz Range. From 1922 onward, there was a ski resort here with a ski jump featuring a 30-meter-high inrun tower. In 1972, the US intelligence service erected an 81-meter-high tower for listening devices on the Wurmberg. However, the mountain remained accessible, and winter sports continued.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, on December 3, 1989, citizens of the Harz region demonstrated for free access to the Brocken. On October 1, 1990, two days before German reunification, the Harz National Park was established, with the Brocken at its center. The Brocken Wall was demolished in 1991.
On September 15, 1991, train service from Schierke to the Brocken resumed with a grand celebration and two special trains. Thousands of locals and visitors accompanied the two special trains along the route. The mountain was reclaimed by the public.
The Brocken hotel
On the other side of the former border, the "North Tower," the listening tower on the Wurmberg, was demolished in 1994. The ski jump also became obsolete due to the increasing lack of snow and cold winters. It was demolished in 2014.
The plain covered in clouds
Today, many of the former military buildings have disappeared. A museum has been established in the former listening station with its distinctive dome, telling the story of the mountain. In addition to exhibits on its military use, there is also an exhibition on the ecology of the Harz National Park. The natural environment of the flat summit of the mountain was subject to organized vandalism due to the construction of the wall and the military activities in recent history. Today, this task has been taken over by the many tourists. As early as 1890, Professor Albert Peter of the University of Göttingen established the world's first alpine experimental garden on the Brocken mountain. After German reunification and the demolition of most of the buildings, efforts are underway to renaturalize part of the summit and restore the garden. In winter, it's difficult to assess the extent of this success. Only the barriers protrude from the snow and fog beside the hiking trails.
The train for Eisfelder Talmühle leaving from Drei Annen Hohne while the Brocken train waits for departure
I decide to spend the foggy day admiring the Harz Mountains from the train window and try my luck again coming back tomorrow. Although there's significantly more snow in the higher elevations of the Harz Mountains, which the Harzquerbahn crosses, operations generally seem to be running smoothly and on time. Perhaps Deutsche Bahn and its infrastructure subsidiary with the regularly changing name should invite a consultant from the HSB (Harz Mountain Railway) to take a look…
The train on its way to Eisfelder Talmühle
It starts with the fact that all the switches needed for daily operation, even those at the summit of the Brocken, are heated and kept free of snow and ice. In Wernigerode, there's a snowplow that clears the track, especially the Brocken, after overnight snowfall. That this isn't always enough in extreme weather conditions was demonstrated in January 2019. During extreme winds, service on the Brocken Railway sometimes comes to a complete standstill.
The abandoned station of Elend
Another advantage over the main railway is the availability of real instead of virtual staff who ensure the tracks remain passable day in and day out. The lower speed and high weight of the locomotives allow for safe travel even on icy and snow-covered tracks. And if an obstacle appears, the attentive train crew can bring the train to a stop in time.
The station of Elend
This happens today on the journey from Drei Annen Hohne to Eisfelder Talmühle. In a cutting, a tree had collapsed under the weight of the snow and landed on the track. The steam train came to an abrupt halt. The windows opened, and telephones were held out. There was no time to get off, as the crew quickly cleared the obstruction.
Frost covered trees on the high plain
The personnel and material costs, along with the sometimes low passenger numbers, have their consequences. Due to these high costs, the HSB (Harz Mountain Railway) was almost insolvent and was only saved by a loan guarantee from the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Meanwhile, parts of the network are in dire need of renovation. On the way to Eisfelder Talmühle, the train sometimes navigates the tight curves unusually slowly. The short, charming section of the railway to Hasselfelde station, where time seems to have stood still, has already been converted to a rail replacement bus service due to the poor condition of the track. The last time I was there two years ago, I was the only one on the train. The question is whether after cutting the costs a similar high service will still be offered in the future and whether the track and rolling stock will be kept in good enough condition to allow operation even in the prevailing winter conditions.
Railcar in the station of Eisfelder Talmühle
Normally, the isolated Eisfelder Talmühle station is deserted. There's no village here; the station's only significance lies in the fact that the Nordhausen to Wernigerode line branches off from the Quedlinburg line via Stiege and Alexisbad. I was here before, many years ago, in the evening, in the dark, during winter. I had walked here along the tracks and intended to wait for the last railcar.
The train from Wernigerode has arrived in Eisfelder Talmühle
I was alone. It was dark. It was cold. The rushing of the stream was loud enough to drown out the sounds of the few vehicles on the road somewhere on the other side. Back then, and perhaps still now, there was no cell phone reception here in the narrow valley. I had to wait a long time, but that wasn't due to a delay, but because I had arrived too early. There was no current train information. If the train didn't come, I could only hope that a driver would pick me up on the road. That's rather unlikely for a man standing alone at the side of the road at night. People are afraid.
The engine of the Quedlinburg train taking water in Eisfelder Talmühle
But the railcar arrived on time. Even then, I was the only passenger. The few small villages in the Harz Mountains are far apart, and only the odd few use the admirable service of this railway.
Today, everything is different in Eisfelder Talmühle. The station is unchanged, but it's full of photographers. For a few months in winter, two steam trains and a railcar meet here. One train comes from Wernigerode and returns from here. Another train is coming from Quedlinburg and to go back from here. The railcar ensures that my train has a connection to Nordhausen. The HSB (Harz Mountain Railway) has arranged for the departure of both steam trains towards Wernigerode and Quedlinburg to occur simultaneously. The photographers know this, which is why they're here. The one next to me came all the way from Hamburg for this event. By car, of course.
The train race out of Eisfelder Talmühle
First, the simultaneous watering of the locomotives in the beautifully renovated station is photographed from all sides. Then, the enthusiasts position themselves just beyond the station exit to document the event. I board the train again to return to Drei Annen Hohne. At least the event has attracted a few additional passengers who are filming the departure from the window with their phones. If all the others standing beside the line had also bought tickets, the HSB might be in a better financial position.
Train heading for the Brocken summit in the winter sunshine
Once again, the next day, the station in Drei Annen Hohne is shrouded in fog. But even during the stop in Schierke, where the water supply needs to be replenished, a few patches of blue sky are visible. As the journey continues, the fog remains in the valley. The bare trunks of the dead trees stand eerily with their bases shrouded in mist. Beyond them, only the highest of the surrounding mountains rise above the sea of fog in the valley. The view has not only improved due to the dying trees, but it has also added a certain drama to the landscape, which was previously hidden in the depths of the forests.
Dead trees and mountain tops rising from the valley fog
Higher up, the forest is in better condition. The trees are covered with a thick layer of snow. The summit of Brocken is the only peak in the German Central Uplands that lies above the tree line. Before it reaches the barren summit plateau the trees become increasingly stunted as the train ascends. But who could better describe the changing landscape than Heinrich Heine during his ascent:
„Je höher man den Berg hinaufsteigt, desto kürzer, zwerghafter werden die Tannen, sie scheinen immer mehr und mehr zusammen zu schrumpfen, bis nur Heidelbeer- und Rotbeersträuche und Bergkräuter übrig bleiben. Da wird es auch schon fühlbar kälter. Die wunderlichen Gruppen der Granitblöcke werden hier erst recht sichtbar; diese sind oft von erstaunlicher Größe.“ (Heinrich Heine, Harzreise)
(The higher you climb the mountain, the shorter and more dwarfed the fir trees become; they seem to shrink more and more until only bilberry and redberry bushes and mountain herbs remain. It also becomes noticeably colder. The curious groups of granite boulders become truly visible here; they are often of astonishing size)
Snow covered dwarf trees close to the top of Brocken
A man joins me on the platform. He chatters nonstop. He's from Berlin and is visiting the Harz Mountains for the first time. He marvels that it's so cheap here. He and his girl friend found a room in Wernigerode for just €130 for two nights, including breakfast, for the two of them. Well, it's a bit out of the way. But he can take the car, even though they charge €6 for parking.
The train has arrived in the sunshine of the summit sttation
"You can actually go for a walk here," he observe as the train passes a few waving hikers, their silhouettes barely visible in the mist. He would have done that in the past. Now he feels too old. He's 47.
Day tourists leaving the first morning train at the summit
His girlfriend, a pretty Asian woman with bright lipstick, joins us. She takes a few selfies. Then she complains that it's actually too cold out here and disappears back into the steamy interior of the carriage. She's right, actually. It is too cold. Nevertheless, I stay outside.
Ready to roll down back into the valley
In glorious sunshine, several hundred people disembark from the train at Brocken station. I slowly begin to follow the path that winds around the summit roughly sstaying at the same altitude. After only a short time, all my fellow passengers have disappeared as if swallowed by the snow. Only a few English people, who probably only came here for the steam engine, board the train again for the return journey disregarding the glorious weather. Later, I read that a fireman from the Welsh Highland Railway came here to volunteer to help with the firing of the locomotives during the winter.
View from the top of Brocken
There were also Indians, Chinese, and Spanish-speaking tourists on the train. The Brocken mountain has become an internationally renowned attraction, and the railway is an integral part of that. It now boasts the only railway line in the world that operates year-round with more than half a dozen steam locomotives. Many people come for this reason alone. Would they still come if the railway were modernized and electrified, as proposed for saving costs?
Wurmberg and the fog in the plain
Some hikers have already arrived up here after having climbed up on foot this morning. I get into conversation with a 75-year-old man. He hiked up here from Torfhaus with the aid of his walking sticks. This is the same path Goethe took back in 1777. You wouldn't guess from the man's athletic build that he's already had hip replacements. His knees will need work soon, too. So, you certainly don't have to be considered over the hill at the age of 47.
Snow covered tree cripple and the tower on the top of the Wurmberg
You can hear the trains from afar as they slowly chug up from the valley. The plume of smoke that lingers above the fog reveals their current location. As the train approaches, the chatterbox from Berlin rejoins me to take a photo with his phone. His girlfriend is nowhere to be seen. He does not hesitate to give some advice on how to best set the correct exposure on my camera.
The next train has almost reached the summit
I sit down on a bench, turn my face to the sun, and enjoy the view and watch the passersby. A woman sits down next to me. She's sprained her ankle and has to sit down from time to time, she says. Her husband simply continues walking. Due to the injury she also came by train today. She enjoys hiking. They had already hiked up here before from Bad Harzburg. The 47-year-old man could probably be her son.
The line close to the summit
A family with two small children walks by. One of them throws himself down in the snow at my feet. He doesn't want to go any further. He probably thinks his demands will be better met if he attracts the attention of a stranger. I told the father he should just leave him with us; we'll take care of him. But I don't think he appreciates my interference in his parenting matters.
Train returning down into the valley
Only a few bizarre, stunted trees manage to survive here near the Brocken summit. When no one is passing by, the only sound is from the melting snow falling from the branches. The base of the trees gradually disappears into the a heap which came from there. Little is visible of the striking rock formations found up here, called names such as the Devil's Pulpit and the Witches' Altar.
Snow covered granite formation on the summit of Brocken
A path descending towards Bad Harzburg crosses the railway line which curves around the Brocken summit in a wide spiral. The steady slope between the summit and the level crossing is perfect for sledding. The children glide down, while their parents pull the sleds back up.
The transmission tower
The next train must be coming soon. The locomotive's exhaust can already be heard from the valley. The parents adjust their phones to get a good photo. The children are getting impatient. One of them, age maybe five, runs across the tracks with his sled to continue his descent on the other side. Cursing, the father sets off in pursuit. Meanwhile, the others are getting closer and closer to the level crossing. The parents don't seem bothered. Even a narrow-gauge locomotive weighs 65 tons. There's no way the train could stop quickly enough if one of the children slides too far with their sled.
View across the fog covered north German plain
One of the little ones needs to poop. The mother calls for the wipes. She rummages through the backpack. Then she goes with the child to one of the stunted trees by the path. The poop and the wipes are left behind. The mother glances around somewhat uncertainly, sees only me, and then follows her offspring, who is already heading back towards the tracks with his sled. The father piles some snow over the steaming heap.
A climbing train passes a returning train waiting in the siding
All day long, the lowlands and valleys have remained hidden in mist. Only the mountain peaks are bathed in sunlight. I must once again turn to Heinrich Heine to best describe the view:
„Der Brocken ist ein Deutscher. Mit deutscher Gründlichkeit zeigt er uns klar und deutlich, wie ein Riesenpanorama, die vielen hundert Städte, Städtchen und Dörfer, die meistens nördlich liegen, und ringsum alle Berge, Wälder, Flüsse, Flächen, unendlich weit. Aber eben dadurch erscheint alles wie eine scharfgezeichnete, rein illuminierte Specialkarte, nirgends wird das Auge durch eigentliche schöne Landschaften erfreut; wie es denn immer geschieht, daß wir deutschen Kompilatoren wegen der ehrlichen Genauigkeit, womit wir alles und alles hingeben wollen, nie daran denken können, das einzelne auf eine schöne Weise zu geben“ (Heinrich Heine, Harzreise)
(The Brocken is a German. With typical German thoroughness, it shows us clearly and distinctly, like a giant panorama, the many hundreds of cities, towns, and villages, mostly located to the north, and all around, all the mountains, forests, rivers, and plains, stretching infinitely far. But precisely because of this, everything appears like a sharply drawn, purely illuminated special map; nowhere is the eye delighted by genuinely beautiful landscapes. For it always happens that we German compilers, because of the honest precision with which we want to present everything, never think of presenting the individual details in a beautiful way)
The last train of the day stopping in Drei Annen Hohne
Sources:
Bernd Wolff, Winterströme, Goethes Harzreise 1777, Verlag der Nationen, Berlin 1990
Brockenzug im Schnee steckengeblieben https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66k-dwbObco
Hans Christian Andersen, Reise in den Harz, Husum 2006
Goethe, Faust, Der Tragödie erster Teil, Reclam, 2024
Other post about the Harz railway:
