| Brocken | |
|---|---|
 The summit of the Brocken, showing the transmitters | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,142 m (3,747 ft) Normalhöhennull  |
| Prominence | 856 m (2,808 ft) |
| Coordinates | 51°48′02″N10°37′02″E / 51.80056°N 10.61722°E /51.80056; 10.61722 |
| Naming | |
| Pronunciation | German:[ˈbʁɔkən] |
| Geography | |
  Brocken Location within Germany | |
| Location | Saxony-Anhalt,Germany |
| Parent range | Harz |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | drive, hike and train |
TheBrocken, also sometimes referred to as theBlocksberg, is a 1,141 m (3,743 ft) mountain nearSchierke in the German state ofSaxony-Anhalt, between the riversWeser andElbe. The highest peak in theHarz mountain range, and inNorthern Germany, it issubalpine, yet has amicroclimate resembling that of mountains nearly 1,000 m (3,300 ft) higher. The elevation above itstree line tends to have snowcover from September to May, and mists and fogs shroud it up to 300 days a year. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; the next prominent elevation directly to its east would be in theUral Mountains in Russia.
The Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected withwitches anddevils;Johann Wolfgang von Goethe took up the legends in his playFaust. TheBrocken spectre is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.
Today the Brocken is part of theHarz National Park and hosts a historicbotanical garden of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. Anarrow-gauge steam railway, theBrocken Railway, takes visitors to the railway station at an elevation of 1,125 m (3,691 ft).
FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of the Brocken. The old television tower, theSender Brocken, is now used as hotel and restaurant. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists.
The Brocken rises over theHarz National Park in the district ofHarz, whose main town ofWernigerode lies about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east-northeast of the mountain. The state boundary withLower Saxony runs past the Brocken some 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west. At the southeastern foot of the Brocken lies the spa resort ofSchierke.
Somewhat to the north below the summit of the Brocken is a reservoir, theBrockenteich, constructed in 1744. On or near the mountain are the source areas of the riversBode,Ecker,Ilse andOder. The rounded summit of the Brocken is treeless, but vegetated withdwarf shrubs.
The highest point on the Brocken reaches an elevation of1,141.1 m above sea level (NN) (3,744 ft). Its subpeaks include theHeinrichshöhe (1,040 m or 3,410 ft),Königsberg (1,034 m or 3,392 ft) and Kleiner Brocken ("Little Brocken") (1,018 m or 3,340 ft).
Before 1989 the height of the Brocken was recorded in almost all the relevant maps and books as1,142 m above NN (3,747 ft). A survey of the summit at the beginning of the 1990s based on the current reference system, however, gave the height as 1,141.1 m (3,744 ft). In order to provide a reference point for the old data, granite boulders were set in the mid-1990s on the highest point of the Brocken to a height of approximately 1143 m, and a benchmark of "1142 m" was established on them.[1]
From a geological point of view the Brocken and its surrounding terrain, the Brocken massif, consists mainly ofgranite (called Brocken granite), an igneous rock. Thegranitic plutons of the Harz – the Brocken, Ramberg and Oker plutons – emerged towards the end of the Harz mountain-building phase of theUpper Carboniferous, about 300 million years ago. First, alkalinemagma intruded into the overlying sediments, crystallized out and formedgabbro anddiorite massifs, such as the Harzburg gabbro. A little later,silica-rich granitic magma rose, some intruding into voids and gaps in the older rocks, but most being created by the melting of existing sediments. On the boundary between granite and host rock, the so-called contact zone, a great variety of transitions may be seen. For example, the summit of theAchtermannshöhe consists of contact-metamorphosedhornfels of the contact zone that, here, lies over the Brocken granite. The subsequent erosion of the Harz mountains that followed the uplifting of the Harz during theUpper Cretaceous saw the disappearance of the protective hornfels summit, thus exposing the granite that had crystallized underground during the Upper Carboniferous. The alleged hardness of Brocken granite is not the reason for the height of the mountain, but the geological fact that it was well protected by its weather-resistant hornfels crest for a long time before erosion set in.
Only in recent geological times, since thetertiary period, did the typical, rounded,spheroidal weathering of granite outcrops and granite boulders of the Brocken take place. Suchblockfields are very rare in Central Europe outside the Alps and are subject to conservation measures. They originated mainly under periglacial conditions, i.e. during the course of theice ages, and their retreat. Today's blockfields of Brocken granite, as well as other rocks in the Harz National Park, particularly in theOker valley, are therefore at least 10,000 years old. Physical weathering, such asfrost shattering, has played a key role in their formation, resulting in giant piles of loosely stacked rocks. In 2006, the granite blockfields of the Brocken, together with 76 other interesting geotopes, were designated as a "National Geotope".[2]
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The Brocken is a place of extreme weather conditions. Due to its exposed location in the north of Germany its peak lies above the naturaltree line. Theclimate on the Brocken is like that of the alpine 1,600–2,200-metre (5,200–7,200 ft) zone or even that ofIceland. This is due to its short summers and very long winters, with many months of continuous snow cover, strong storms and low temperatures even in summer. The summit, however, does not have an alpineclimate, as the average summer temperature is above 10 °C (50 °F).
Due to its significant height difference compared with the surrounding terrain the Brocken has the highest precipitation of any point in northern central Europe, with an average annual precipitation (1961–1990) of 1,814 millimetres (71.4 in). Its average annual temperature is 2.9 °C (37.2 °F).[3]
The Brocken weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[4]
The Brocken also holds the record for the greatest number of days of mist and fog in a single calendar year in Germany, 330 in 1958,[5] and has an average of 120 days of snowfall per year.[6]
| Climate data for Brocken, (elevation 1,135 m (3,724 ft), 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.0 (84.2) | 25.9 (78.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 19.8 (67.6) | 12.5 (54.5) | 29.7 (85.5) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 19.3 (66.7) | 22.1 (71.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 19.1 (66.4) | 15.5 (59.9) | 11.9 (53.4) | 7.7 (45.9) | 25.7 (78.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | −1.0 (30.2) | 1.4 (34.5) | 6.0 (42.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 15.3 (59.5) | 11.1 (52.0) | 6.8 (44.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | 6.7 (44.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) | −3.3 (26.1) | −1.2 (29.8) | 2.9 (37.2) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.8 (49.6) | 12.1 (53.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 8.3 (46.9) | 4.4 (39.9) | 0.6 (33.1) | −2.2 (28.0) | 3.9 (39.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) | −5.4 (22.3) | −3.6 (25.5) | 0.1 (32.2) | 3.9 (39.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 9.2 (48.6) | 6.0 (42.8) | 2.3 (36.1) | −1.4 (29.5) | −4.2 (24.4) | 1.4 (34.5) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −13.2 (8.2) | −12.8 (9.0) | −9.8 (14.4) | −6.7 (19.9) | −2.6 (27.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.1 (39.4) | 1.2 (34.2) | −3.8 (25.2) | −7.9 (17.8) | −11.1 (12.0) | −15.9 (3.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.5 (−17.5) | −28.4 (−19.1) | −19.6 (−3.3) | −12.6 (9.3) | −8.7 (16.3) | −3.0 (26.6) | −0.1 (31.8) | 0.0 (32.0) | −2.6 (27.3) | −10.3 (13.5) | −16.1 (3.0) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −28.4 (−19.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 202.9 (7.99) | 145.8 (5.74) | 147.5 (5.81) | 86.9 (3.42) | 120.3 (4.74) | 117.2 (4.61) | 159.3 (6.27) | 131.1 (5.16) | 152.7 (6.01) | 171.0 (6.73) | 163.2 (6.43) | 204.0 (8.03) | 1,799.1 (70.83) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 107.2 (42.2) | 127.6 (50.2) | 131.1 (51.6) | 83.9 (33.0) | 11.9 (4.7) | 0.3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.5 (0.2) | 8.7 (3.4) | 32.3 (12.7) | 69.8 (27.5) | 155.2 (61.1) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 25.7 | 23.5 | 23.6 | 18.8 | 19.6 | 19.6 | 20.9 | 20.1 | 22.3 | 25.1 | 25.6 | 26.4 | 271.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 1.0 cm) | 30.2 | 27.8 | 30.0 | 19.2 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 5.1 | 15.3 | 26.5 | 159.0 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 89.6 | 88.8 | 89.2 | 82.6 | 82.3 | 84.2 | 83.0 | 83.2 | 88.9 | 91.1 | 90.5 | 89.5 | 86.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 61.8 | 72.0 | 107.8 | 162.7 | 187.0 | 181.4 | 184.6 | 177.0 | 131.0 | 93.5 | 55.2 | 49.0 | 1,462.9 |
| Source 1:NOAA[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de[8] | |||||||||||||
The harsh climate of the Brocken makes it a habitat for rare species. The mountain's summit is asubalpine zone with flora and fauna almost comparable to those of northScandinavia and theAlps.The Brocken is the only mountain in Germany'sCentral Uplands whose summit lies above thetreeline, so that only very smallspruce grow there and much of it is covered by adwarf shrubheathland. In theBrocken Garden, established in 1890, flora are nurtured by national park employees; visitors are allowed to view it as part of regular guided tours. The garden does not just display plants from the Brocken, but also high mountain flora from other regions and countries.
Amongst the typical species of the Brocken that are rarely if ever found elsewhere in North Germany and which occur above about1,050 m above NN (3,440 ft) are the variant of thealpine pasqueflower known as theBrocken flower orBrocken anemone (Pulsatilla alpina subsp.alba),hawkweeds like the Brocken hawkweed (Hieracium negrescens) and the alpine hawkweed (Hieracium alpinum),vernal grasses (Anthoxanthum), thelady's mantle (Alchemilla), thetormentil (Potentilla tormentilla), thealpine clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum), the lichens,Iceland moss (Cetraria islandica) andreindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina). Thecrowberry is also referred to here as the Brocken myrtle (Brockenmyrte).
On theraised bogs around the summit of the Brocken there are e.g.cottongrasses,sundews and thedwarf birch (Betula nana).
Several animal species have adapted to the conditions of life on the Brocken. For example, thewater pipit (Anthus aquaticus) and thering ouzel both breed in the area around the summit.
Theviviparous lizard occurs on the Brocken in a unique, dark-colored variant,Lacerta vivipara aberr. negra. Thecommon frog (Rana temporaria) can also be found here. Insects are very numerous. There are manybeetles includingground beetles such asAmara erratica, and hundreds of species ofbutterfly. Thecabbage white here produces only one generation per year compared with two in the lowlands.
Some mammal and bird species that occur here are relics of theice age, including thenorthern bat (Eptesicus nils soni), thealpine shrew (Sorex alpinus) and thering ouzel.
The first documented ascent of the Brocken was in 1572 by the physician and botanist, Johannes Thal fromStolberg, who in his bookSylva Hercynia described theflora of the mountain area. In 1736 Count Christian Ernst ofStolberg-Wernigerode had theWolkenhäuschen ("Clouds Cabin") erected at the summit, a small refuge that is still preserved. He also had a mountain lodge built on the southern slope, namedHeinrichshöhe after his son Henry (Heinrich) Ernest. The first inn on the Brocken summit was built around 1800.
Between 1821 and 1825Carl Friedrich Gauss used the line of sight to theGroßer Inselsberg in theThuringian Forest and theHoher Hagen mountain nearGöttingen fortriangulation in the course of thegeodesicsurvey of theKingdom of Hanover.[9]A measurement carried out by themilitary staff ofPrussia in 1850 found the Brocken's height to be at its present level of 1,141.1 metres (3,744 ft). After the first Brocken lodge had been destroyed by a fire, a new hotel opened in 1862. TheBrocken Garden, abotanical garden, was laid out in 1890 by Professor Albert Peter ofGöttingen University on an area of 4,600 m2 (50,000 sq ft) granted by Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. It was Germany's firstAlpine garden.
The narrow-gaugeBrocken Railway was opened on 27 March 1899.Brocken station is one of the highest railway stations in Germany lying at a height of1,125 m above NN (3,691 ft). Its gauge is1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in). In 1935 theDeutsche Reichspost made the firsttelevision broadcast from the Brocken using a mobile transmitter and, in the following year, the first television tower in the world was built on the mountain; carrying the firstlive television broadcast of theSummer Olympics inBerlin. The tower continued functioning until September 1939, when the authorities suspended broadcasting on the outbreak ofWorld War II.
In 1937 the Brocken, together with theWurmberg,Achtermann andAcker-Bruchberg were designated as the Upper Harz (Oberharz)nature reserve.
During an air attack by theUnited States Army Air Forces on 17 April 1945 the Brocken Hotel and the weather station were destroyed by bombing. The television tower, however, survived. From 1945 until April 1947, the Brocken was occupied byUS troops. As part of the exchange of territory (specified at theYalta Conference) the mountain was transferred to theSoviet occupation zone. Before the Americans left the Brocken in 1947, however, they disabled the rebuilt weather station and the television tower.
The ruins of the Brocken Hotel were blown up in 1949. From 1948 to 1959 part of the Brocken was reopened to tourists. Although a pass was required, these were freely issued. From August 1961 the Brocken, which lay inEast Germany's border zone, immediately adjacent toWest Germany, was declared amilitary exclusion zone and was therefore no longer open to public access. Extensive military installations were built on and around the summit. The security of the area was the responsibility of the border guards of the7thSchierke Border Company, which was stationed in platoon strength on the summit. For accommodation, they used the Brocken railway station. TheSovietRed Army also used a large portion of territory. In 1987, the goods traffic on the Brocken Railway ceased due to poor track conditions.
The Brocken was extensively used for surveillance and espionage purposes. On the summit were two large and powerfullistening stations, which could capture radio traffic in almost all of Western Europe. One belonged to Soviet military intelligence, theGRU, and was also the westernmost outpost of the Soviets in Germany; the other was Department III of theMinistry for State Security in theGDR. The listening posts were codenamed "Yenisei" and "Urian".[10] Between 1973 and 1976 a new modern television tower was built for the second channel of the GDR's television service, theDeutscher Fernsehfunk. Today it is used by the publicZweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) television network. TheStasi (East German secret police) used the old tower until 1985, when they moved to a new building – now a museum. To seal the area, the entire Brocken plateau was then surrounded by a concrete wall, built from 2,318 sections, each one 2.4 tonnes (2.6 short tons) in weight and 3.60 metres (11.8 ft) high. The whole area was not publicly accessible until 3 December 1989. The wall has since been dismantled, as have the Russian barracks and the domes of their listening posts. Today the old tower beside the lodge again is home to a weather station of theDeutscher Wetterdienst.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, beginning on 3 December 1989 the Brocken was again open to the public during a demonstration walk.[11] WithGerman reunification there was a gradual reduction in border security facilities and military installations from 1990. The last Russian soldier left the Brocken on 30 March 1994. The Brocken summit was renaturalised at a cost of millions of euros. It is now a popular tourist destination for visitors to the Harz.
As aprotected area since 1939 and due to the decades of restricted access the unique climate of the Brocken provided outstanding conditions. The massif is partly still covered withprimary forest extremely rare in Germany. It provides perfect conditions for endangered and nearly extinct species like theEurasian lynx,wildcats andcapercaillies. The Brocken was therefore declared part of anational park in 1990.
The widespread use of the name "Brocken" did not occur until towards the end of theMiddle Ages. Hitherto the region had just been described as the Harz. This was primarily because, until then, the focus had been mining.[12] The first record of a placename that resembles the present name of the mountain goes back, however, to the year 1176 when it is referred to asbroke in theSaxon World Chronicle (Sächsische Weltchronik).[13] Another early written reference to the mountain, this time as theBrackenberg, appears in 1490 in a letter from Count Henry of Stolberg.[14] Other early documented names of the Brocken were, in 1401, theBrockenberg, in 1424 theBrocberg, in 1495mons ruptus (Latin), in 1511 theBrogken andBrockin, in 1531 theBrogken, in 1540 theBrokenberg and, in 1589, theBrackenberg.[15]In Old Saxon-Germanic times, a large portrait of Wodin is supposed to have been found on the Brocken. In addition, animal and human sacrifices were offered by the Saxons to their supreme god, Odin, on theblockfields of the summit until they renounced them as part of their baptismal vows whenChristianity spread to the region underCharles the Great.[16]
As far as the origin of the name is concerned, there are several interpretations:In the town records (Stadtbuch) ofOsterwieck an entry for the Brocken was found in the year 1495 under theLatin name ofmons ruptus, which means "broken hill".[13] ItsLow German name,broken, as the mountain had become named in 1176 in the Saxon World Chronicle and also inEnglish, means "broken". On the one hand, this explanation of its meaning can be attributed to the fact that the two mountains, "Kleiner Brocken" and "Großer Brocken", were formed by the breakup of a single massif.[12] On the other hand, its meaning may refer to the seriouserosion of the mountain. In other words, it refers to the fact that the Brocken was eroded or "broken down" to its present size.[17]
But the most likely derivation of the name comes from the shape of the mountain as a whole. Abrocken in German is a large, shapeless mass. The size of the Brocken may thus have given it its name. Since the term "block" has a similar meaning, this could also be the derivation of its alternative name, the Blocksberg.[12] The true origin of the name Blocksberg, however, should not be seen as "block" in the sense of "mass", but rather the German wordblock (as in block of wood) in witchcraft.[18]
Another theory holds that the name "Brocken" is derived frombruch, a word used in northern Germany forbog ormoor, which commonly used to be spelt asbruoch orbrok.[14] It is however doubtful that this fact was primarily responsible for its name.[12] Another possibility is that its name is derived from the fields of boulders strewn over the summit and the slopes of the mountain. This derivation for the name "Brocken" is, however, unlikely[17] because such blockfields are also found on other mountains in the Harz. Moreover, the regions concerned were hardly known at the time when the term was used.[12] Another presumption is based on the reference in a letter written in 1490 by Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode, where he uses the termBrackenberg. However the suggestion that this referred to old, unusable timber, which was calledbracken, is disputed.[14]
Today a narrow-gauge railway, theBrocken Railway, once more shuttles betweenWernigerode,Drei Annen Hohne,Schierke and the Brocken. The trains are regularly hauled bysteam locomotives.
At the summit is the Brockenhaus with a museum on the history of the mountain and the Brocken Garden (a botanical garden), which is managed by theHarz National Park. In addition there are restaurants and the Brocken Hotel, which is run by the Brocken publican (Brockenwirt), Hans Steinhoff. Important publicans in the past included Johann Friedrich Gerlach from 1801 to 1834, Carl Eduard Nehse between 1834 and 1850, who brought out a map of the Brocken in 1849 and the Brocken Register (Brockenstammbuch) in 1850, as well as Rudolf Schade from 1908 to 1927, who considerably increased the repute and the size of guest facilities on the Brocken.[14]
The area around the Brocken is especially popular with hikers. TheGoethe Way (Goetheweg) is a well known trail that leads to the summit of the Brocken. It is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who more-or-less followed this route in 1777. Many paths lead to the local towns of Schierke,Braunlage andSankt Andreasberg. The 100-kilometre-long (62 mi)Harz Witches' Path also runs from the Brocken eastwards toThale and westwards via Torfhaus andAltenau toOsterode. The "Bad Harzburg Devil's Path" runs from the Brocken toBad Harzburg.Mountain bikers also use the trails.
From Schierke a metalled road leads to the summit,[19] which is used by horse-drawn wagons, as well astouring andracing cyclists. Because of the situation in the national park, vehicles with internal combustion engines are only allowed with special permission.
There are also hiking paths to Brocken fromSchierke,Wernigerode andIlsenburg.
Worthy of special mention is the bearer of the Badge of Honour of Saxony-Anhalt, Benno Schmidt (born 1932) – also known as Brocken Benno – of Wernigerode, who has climbed the mountain since 1989, almost daily, with more than 8,888 ascents (as of September 2020) and whose feat has been registered in theGuinness Book of World Records.[20]
Two well-known running events pass over the Brocken: theIlsenburg Brocken Run (beginning of September, 26 kilometres or 16 miles, of which 12 kilometres or 7.5 miles uphill, has taken place since the 1920s) and theBrocken Marathon which is part of theHarz Mountain Run with its start and finish south of Wernigerode. Both start in the valley, climb the Brocken and return. The most challenging part in each case is the last four kilometres to the Brocken summit, for which in both races, a separatemountains classification is given. This section is a concrete slab track with a steady incline of about 20% and the runners are exposed above the tree line, often to a sharp, icy wind. Of the just under 1,000 people who usually achieve it, only 50 negotiate this section without stopping to walk.
Since 2004, the Brocken Challenge, anultra marathon 84-kilometre-long (52 mi) fromGöttingen to the Brocken summit, has been staged in February each year. The proceeds from this event go to charity. The runs are conducted in accordance with the rules of the national park.
The 87-kilometre-long (54 mi) "Brocken Climb" from Göttingen to the Brocken has taken place annually since 2003. More than 300 people take part in these two-day hikes in June.
In early May each year the Braunschweig-Brocken Ultra Run takes place with 2 × 75 km (46.5 mi) legs spread over two days. The participants run fromBraunschweig to Schierke, cross the Brocken, overnight in Schierke and run back again the next day. Overall, it is therefore a 150-kilometre (93 mi) race.
Since the 1930s various radio and television transmitters have been erected on the Brocken, seeBrocken Transmitter.
Brocken House (Brockenhaus), the modern information centre for the Harz National Park, is located in the converted "Stasi Mosque" (Stasi-Moschee), a former surveillance installation for theMinistry for State Security. The historic antenna equipment in the dome may be visited. Behind the building is checkpointNo. 9 on theHarzer Wandernadel hiking trail network.
The extreme weather conditions of the Brocken are of specialmeteorological interest. From 1836 theBrockenwirt, who also ran the guest house and restaurant, kept meteorological records. The firstweather station on the Brocken was built in 1895. Technically poor and too small, it was partially demolished in 1912 and replaced with a large stone construction, theHellman Observatory, that was not completed until theFirst World War. In 1917 the academic and nature lover George Grobe took over running the observation post, his daughter supporting him until his death in 1935.[21] Today's weather station started life in 1939. Measurements were interrupted at the end of the Second World War as a result of military bombardment, but began again in 1947. On 16 March 2010 the Brocken Weather Station became a climate reference station to provide uninterrupted, long-term climatic observations.[22]
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