Bad Sachsa - the Brocken

Storms have always blown over the mountain plateau. Banks of fog often transform the Brocken into a mystical splendor, surrounded by magical tales of witches and devils.
Visual illusions create strange experiences, the mountain spirit frightens and scares people. The Brocken emits a magical attraction and witches, devils, and other mystical beings are not far away...

The Brocken, with its distinctive round peak, often surrounded by fog, located in the mystical Harz, is with its 1,141 m the highest peak in the northern low mountain range of Germany.
Extreme weather conditions prevail on the Brocken. Due to its isolated location and the absence of higher peaks nearby, severe storms regularly occur, which is also why the summit lies above the tree line.
An alpine climate prevails, comparable to the weather in the mountains of Iceland, with an average annual temperature of only 2.9 degrees, winter lasts six months, fog and mist occur on no less than eight out of ten days, and snowfall is not uncommon at the end of May.
Due to this alpine climate, special plants can be found, such as various species of sedges, moss, and lichens, and the Brocken anemone is found here.

The Brocken is located in the wettest part of Germany. A wooden walkway leads through the Große Torfhaus Moor. Peat was once extracted here; today, the valuable peat of the Harz is strictly protected.

The Brocken, formerly also known as Blocksberg, was a strategic lighthouse during the Cold War from 1961 to 1989 at the former German-German border.
After World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones by the occupying forces, separated by zonal borders. The borders between the Western zones disappeared with the formation of the Federal Republic in 1949, after which the German-German border remained the only zonal border.
From 1945 to April 1947, the mountain was occupied by American troops. This was followed by takeover by the Red Army, as the area belonged to the Soviet occupation zone.
From 1948 to 1959, the Brocken was freely accessible. Starting in 1961, the mountain, which was located in the border area of the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, was declared a military zone.
The wall was built over the flanks of the Brocken. Soldiers of the seventh border company Schierke stood guard with the dogs, controlled the forest... There was no passage.
The mountain summit was converted into a fortress and utilized by the Soviet army and the Stasi for surveillance and espionage purposes.
On Sunday, December 3, 1989, the gate in the Brocken wall opened, and the legendary mountain was peacefully and massively reclaimed.
With the reunification of Germany, the military facilities were removed from 1990 onwards. The Brocken has since been accessible to everyone again.

There are several hiking trails, the most frequented route is the Goetheweg, named after the German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe. At the end of the 18th century, Goethe climbed the Brocken and was thus the first person to reach the summit in winter. The Goetheweg became a reality in 1891.

The forests in Germany, including in the Harz, are in distress. Those who are unaware would walk past the silent catastrophe. The forests of the Harz are of impressive beauty. But if you look around now, you can see how the disaster unfolds.
In addition to drought, heat, and forest fires, there is now the rapidly advancing bark beetle, a type of bark beetle. This bark beetle measures only 5 millimeters, not much larger than the head of a matchstick. Yet the damage caused by the bark beetle is anything but minor. An epidemic destroyed almost 300,000 hectares of coniferous forest last year.

Tips:
- Throughout the year, you should be prepared for bad weather with low temperatures on the Brocken.
The average temperature is just above 2°C. Rapid weather changes can occur.
- Take your time for the ring road on the Brocken with the rock formations Teufelskanzel and Hexenaltar. The legend says that witches and the devil meet here on Walpurgis Night (April 30 to May 1). In Germany, Walpurgis Night is celebrated to welcome the arrival of spring. The age-old customs are still kept alive to welcome the spring.
- The Brockenbahn, a small train pulled by a steam locomotive, which slowly crawls up the narrow-gauge railway to the Brocken.

Food:
- Sufficient at the start/finish and at the Brockenhaus.
- No catering facilities on the way, make sure you have enough provisions in your backpack.