Hiking & Cycling

Beautiful destinations and plenty of motivation: the Harzer Wandernadel

Old mines, romantic castle ruins,
spectacular natural sites of the majestic Brocken - the
the Harz is a treasure chest for hikers and cyclists

The "Harzer Wandernadel" (Harz hiking pin) is anything but a souvenir: it has to be earned and rewards you with a huge selection of 222 places worth seeing. There are stamping points for your hiking pass and you can earn your hiking pin in various classes by collecting points in a relaxed way.
By the way: the hiking area for your Wandernadel extends over three federal states: the main area in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, southern foothills as far as Thuringia. We wish you lots of fun and full energy!

Picture: © Harzer Wandernadel GmbH

Experience Tour Karst Landscape

Experience the region of Sangerhausen and its surroundings

Discover our themed Tour 1 - a section of the karst landscape "Südharz". Through quiet farming villages and charming natural scenery, we invite you to get to know the country and its people intensively and to participate in the many opportunities that this region has to offer.

Experience Tour History Mining

Experience the historic mining landscape of the south-eastern Harz foreland on this tour.

Experience nature up close - in a uniquely picturesque landscape, this tour offers you magnificent views and gives you an insight into the history of mining. 

Discover the world underground with an excursion almost 300 m below ground. There is much to discover at the ErlebnisZentrum Bergbau Röhrigschacht Wettelrode.

Experience Tour Kaisertour

Experience the region of Sangerhausen and its surroundings

One of the most scenic and interesting tours. Experience and learn "history at your fingertips" - e.g. in the open-air museum in Tilleda, the royal palatinate. 

Here you will find a palace from the 10th-12th centuries, documenting essential partially reconstructed forms, excavation finds as well as written and pictorial sources from the time of German emperors and kings.

Romanesque Road

On the Road of the Romanesque in the Sign of the Rose

Experience romance and romanticism in and around the mountain and rose town of Sangerhausen in the southern Harz region. Enjoy the scent and colours of millions of rose blossoms in the Europa-Rosarium, the largest collection of roses in the world. Follow in the footsteps of Ludwig the Springer in his Ulrich Church in Sangerhausen. Let yourself be carried away and enchanted by the lord of the castle at Allstedt Castle!

High Lime

Hiking with adventure value - to the summit of the Schlösschenkopf and the "Hohe Linde".

This varied circular hike leads through a wonderful mixed forest and beautiful meadows to the foot of the "Hohe Linde".

Take advantage of the opening hours of the Moltkewarte - from this vantage point you have a wonderful view of the countryside around Sangerhausen. On the summit of the Schlösschenkopf, this 26-metre-high tower, named after Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke, was built of limestone and handed over on 03.07.1903.

Wide views sweep across the southern Harz foreland with the panorama of the district town of Sangerhausen, the Golden Aue and the nature park of the Kyffhäuser Mountains.

"Wild Rose Trail" Sangerhausen

On the paths of the wild roses

This varied circular walk gives an impression of the scenic diversity of the southern Harz - an insider tip for all hiking enthusiasts, colourful and exciting in every season.

Along the way, extensive information boards provide information about the rose.

In spring/summer, the endless variety of wild rose blossoms, the fresh green of the meadows and forests, the blossoming fruit trees attract visitors. Predominantly on naturally grown ground, the tour first leads across meadows and mixed forests past the huge spoil heap.

"Hohe Linde", a monument to copper mining in Sangerhausen that can be seen from afar.

Wettelrode

Historical & up close - the mining nature trail.

The circular hiking trails allow hikers to explore the region around Wettelrode, a typical village in the Southern Harz, on different circular routes. The circular walk to the Kalmusgrund leads through the beautiful South Harz landscape with meadows, forests and pastures, past the artificial pond. Stop at the Wald Café am Kunstteich and enjoy the specialities of the region.

From the Kunstteich, continue along the dam to the mining trail. Interesting here are the small shafts (pits) uncovered above ground by excavation.

During a guided hike on the mining nature trail, you can learn even more about the old mining industry. 

The Linden Trail leads hikers through the village of Wettelrode along the Linden Square with its stately 500-year-old linden tree.

Pölsfeld

Abenteuerlicher Themenpfad – Geschichte Altbergbau Karstlandschaft

A beautiful circular trail leads through forests and pastures with panoramic views of Germany's smallest low mountain range, the Kyffhäuser Nature Park, and over Sangerhausen. The starting point is the car park in the centre of the village of Pölsfeld. Copper mining has shaped the region for over 800 years. The remaining tailings piles are witnesses to this. Numerous small slagheaps, the "family slagheaps" from the 12th and 13th centuries enliven the landscape in a special way.

Nature has long since reclaimed the slag heap sites with trees and other plants. The village of Pölsfeld is closely associated with mining. 

The interplay between forest, meadows and meadows is impressive and makes the hike an experience. You hike through the village of Obersdorf, the Hainsche Tal valley and past an old windmill. The course of the tour leads along a section of the certified Karst hiking trail with very good signposting, numerous resting places and information boards on the respective location.

„Buschklepperweg“

Hike yourself fit - around the resort of Grillenberg.

For visitors they appear like pyramids, for locals they are the secret landmark of the Mansfelder Südharz region: the Schachthalden!

Between Wippra and Sangerhausen, around the village of Grillenberg, the specially designated circular hiking trails "Buschklepperweg" and "Steigerschleife" lead in two levels of difficulty. The network of hiking trails allows you to create your own individual training programme. With the smaller circular hiking course of approx. 6 km - the Buschklepper- weg you hike around the village of Grillenberg. 

Wildly romantic views and hilly landscapes at an altitude of 200 to 420 m above sea level await the hiker who nowadays sets out on his or her soles around the resort of Grillenberg.

The people of Grillenberg like visitors! That's why they have over 240 guest beds in hotels, guesthouses and holiday homes ready for hikers. And for those who want to know exactly what to do, the Harzklub branch club offers individually guided hikes.

„Steigerschleife“

Hike - around the resort of Grillenberg.

The Steigerschleife (approx. 15 km) - Cuxloch, Försterkranz, Wildenstall ... these rare place names lie on the route and promise a wild area, in the middle of 2 core zones of the Karst Landscape South Harz Biosphere Reserve. 

Maybe some mysterious events happened around today's ruins of Grillenburg Castle. The climbing loop provides insights into the history of copper mining, which is more than 800 years old and which shaped people, landscape and life in the Harz foreland region.

The trail takes you further out - through intact, vast forests and to the idyllically situated "Artificial pond".

So you are fit for the subsequent mining nature trail and a rope ride in the ErlebnisZentrum Bergbau Röhrigschacht Wettelrode.

„Erlebnispfad“

Wippra - the gateway to the Harz

Dreamy, but not sleepy, in a balance of intact nature and active liveliness - this is how the over 1000-year-old Harz community of Wippra meets its visitors. It shows its natural, active and spirited side for hikers, recreational athletes and families all year round. A wide network of hiking trails through extensive forest and meadow areas awaits nature lovers.

There is plenty of room for active experiences for young and old - leisure fun for the whole family. Here you can test yourself on a climbing rock, indulge in the thrill of speed on the summer toboggan run with 1,000 m of descent or test your courage and dexterity in the climbing forest.

After an eventful hike, treat your feet to some relaxation in the Kneipbecken and the pool for the senses at the start and end points of the circular trail.

„Planetenweg“

On the path of the solar system - the Planet Trail.

An invaluable advantage of Wippra is its geographical location. If you draw an imaginary diagonal line from the Ottostadt Magdeburg to the Thuringian capital Erfurt and from the central German metropolis Leipzig to the Hochharz, Wippra lies at the intersection of these lines! This offers visitors an ideal starting position for a holiday characterised by nature, activity and spirit.

The extended Planetary Path in and around Wippra is a hiking trail of a special kind. A scale model of the solar system is displayed along the trail. Information boards provide important details about the history of the planets. This circular tour, which is attractive for children and adults, provides interesting information about our solar system. The trail leads past the Hasselbachschanze, the venue for regional competitions, and on through dense forests across wide meadows.

Let yourself be drawn into an encounter with a place that knows how to preserve half-timbering and Hildesheim carving, that surprises and seduces.

„Hainrode“

Hainrode, one of the most beautiful villages in the karst region, is surrounded by deciduous and mixed forests and orchards. A very varied hike, leading along a section of the Karst hiking trail.

Frequent contact with woods and meadows characterises this tour; new impressions are constantly created by the shaped landscape of the karst area. Zechstein deposits with easily water-soluble gypsum, anhydrite and salts come to light here. The trail leads past the Ankenbergschwinde.

The bizarre landscape offers a magnificent sight. Almost all the villagers have maintained the old tradition of the Hainrode broom-makers' guild for many generations.

This circular tour takes you past the Ankenberg winch.

This circular tour shows an idyllic village that blends harmoniously into the landscape all around, with lovingly tended farm gardens, numerous half-timbered buildings and a Baroque church with a late Romanesque tower section, as well as cattle paddocks that radiate peace and harmony in the southern Harz region. Where else can you still find real broom makers who traditionally make and sell brooms from birch twigs?

Questenberg Karstlandschaft

Experience nature - karst landscape around Questenberg 

When hiking through the southern Harz, you will be fascinated by extensive deciduous forests interspersed with small meadows and valleys with lively streams. Here you will discover prehistoric and early historical sites, the remains of a medieval feudal castle, beautiful half-timbered houses, the small church, the wooden Roland statue and the all-surpassing Queste.

Questenberg - a gem, surrounded by steep rocky slopes of the Zechstein karst, lies in the middle of a nature reserve. The karst hiking trail leads through the village. Follow the markings - the Questen symbol. This circular tour begins with the ascent to the Queste on the southern edge of the village. Here stands the Queste, an ancient symbol with a rich past. This circular walk is recommended for its picturesque location alone. Enjoy the fantastic view.

After the descent over the glacier pots, you reach the karst hiking trail via the Dinsterbachschwinde towards Borntal. From Borntal, head back via the hikers' hut in the direction of Questenberg.

Bauerngraben

Farmers' ditch - a mystery 

The hike starts at the hikers' car park directly on the country road between Roßla and Agnesdorf. The circular route leads along the Karst hiking trail to the Bauerngraben.

Be surprised whether it is currently filled with water or empty, because it is an episodic lake, i.e. the water level is subject to fluctuations ranging from 15 m water level to complete dryness. For years the lake can be filled, but for years it can also be completely dry. A stream, the Glasebach, flows into the depression of the basin, and the filling and emptying of the Bauerngraben is due to the complicated geological system of the karst area. The karst hiking trail runs above the basin over the steep slope of the Bauerngraben.

Hike past flora that has become rare and unforgettable nature experiences.

around the Helmestausee

With a far-reaching view - hiking along the still water 

A well-marked and varied circular hiking trail with scenic and cultural-historical highlights leads around the Helmestausee.

The distant view of the Kyffhäuser Nature Park with forest, adjacent fields and orchards is magnificent.

The area of the reservoir was flooded in 1969. The reservoir protects the lowland of the Golden Aue from the floods that used to occur on a regular basis.

The area of the reservoir was flooded in 1969.

The view sweeps far and wide over the flooded lake. A variety of bird species find breeding and resting places here.

In October/November, numerous cranes rest here on their way south.

Special guided tours are offered.

Genießerpfad

High-altitude hiking trail with distant views 

The Kaiser-Otto-Höhenweg leads over the ridge between Sangerhausen and Bennungen, on the northern edge of the Golden Aue in the Karst Landscape South Harz Biosphere Reserve. It was given its name on the occasion of the 1100th birthday of Otto the Great, who saw the light of day in Wallhausen. On this hiking trail, you can enjoy magnificent views between the Allstedt Forest, the Thuringian Gate, into the Goldene Aue, onto the Kyffhäuser Mountains all the way to the Eichsfeld Gate and into the Leine Valley.

On two circular hiking trails R1 Wallhausen (8.3 km) and R2 Großleinungen-Drebsdorf (9.1 km) you can learn about the history of the region and discover the charming landscape.  Parking is available at the starting points Sangerhausen railway station or Bennungen. For the return trip by train, find out about the current train connections at www.bahn.de.

This hiking trail offers unforgettable impressions in fantastic nature and can be hiked at any time of year.

„Along the Helme“

Hiking along the Helme  - River Landscape of the Year 2012/2013

From the car park at the end of the village of Oberröblingen in the direction of Edersleben, a path begins behind the bridge on the left, gradually winding through meadow orchards along the river Helme until it meets the asphalted path to Niederröblingen. Both villages lie on the Helme. The river was awarded the title "River Landscape of the Year" in 2012/2013.

The small river rises in the Eichsfeld region of Thuringia and flows for about 74 kilometres through the Kyffhäuser district and the southern Harz foreland in Saxony-Anhalt. In Kalbsrieth, the Helme flows into the Unstrut.

Oberröblingen and Niederröblingen impress with an idyllic, rustic and rural local landscape. The way back leads past one of the numerous spoil heaps of the region's former copper mining.

through the Rohnetal Allstedt

On the paths of Müntzer and Goethe

Allstedt lies south-east of Sangerhausen in the Helmeniederung on the Romanesque Road. On the edge of this small town steeped in history, at the foot of the Schlossberg, is the Unter den Linden car park. This is where our tour begins, on which we first walk past the Vorwerksteich pond, behind the baths, towards the castle.

The route takes us through the beautiful Rohne valley with natural wetlands. Along the country road, the hiker can enjoy a wide view from the Golden Aue to the Kyffhäuser and the Vorharz.

This easy circular tour has idyllic resting places and passes the small village of Klosternaundorf.

Allstedt Romanesque Road

Rendezvous with culture and nature.

The starting point for this circular tour is the Unter den Linden car park on the edge of the town of Allstedt. The town is overlooked by Allstedt Castle, a mighty complex where kings and emperors of the Middle Ages resided, Thomas Müntzer held his famous sermon to the princes and Goethe wrote his Iphigenia.

During the Reformation, the town was the stronghold of Thomas Müntzer, who was called the "Satan of Allstedt" by Luther. Here, even before Luther, and as the first ever, he held services in German. Thousands came to hear him preach.

You can experience a lot of history and some cultural monuments on the way through a scenic and very wooded area, nestled in the Golden Aue, the foothills of the Southern Harz and the Querfurter Platte. This route leads the hiker mainly on nature trails through picturesque mixed forests.