Schierke | |
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 View fromWurmberg | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Schierke  | |
  Schierke  Schierke | |
| Coordinates:51°45′50″N10°39′53″E / 51.76389°N 10.66472°E /51.76389; 10.66472 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Harz |
| Town | Wernigerode |
| Area | |
• Total | 40.13 km2 (15.49 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 610 m (2,000 ft) |
| Population (2006-12-31) | |
• Total | 721 |
| • Density | 18/km2 (47/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 38879 |
| Dialling codes | 039455 |
| Vehicle registration | HZ |
| Website | www.schierke-am-brocken.de |
Schierke is a village and a former municipality in theHarz district, in theGerman state ofSaxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the townWernigerode. Situated within theHarz mountain range in the valley of the riverBode, at the rim of theHarz National Park, it is mainly a tourist resort, especially forhiking and all kinds ofwinter sports.
Thewinter sport andclimatic spa of Schierke lies in the High Harz mountains, southeast of their highest summit, theBrocken. It is situated in theHarz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park and borders on theHarz National Park in the north. Situated 600 to 650 m abovesea level in the valley of theCold Bode, the parish of Schierke has an area of 40.1 km² and a population of 713 (as at 31 December 2007).
Today Schierke again is a popular place to start or finish a walk to theBrocken massif via theGoetheweg or theGlashüttenweg. It has bus service and access to theBrocken Railway, whose station is located about 100 metres above the village. A popular attraction in the area is the "Brocken Coaster", a localsummer rodelbahn. Schierke is also not far fromdownhill skiing destinations such as the slope of theWurmberg mountain, the second highest of the Harz. Another winter activity in the area involves hiring or obtaining a sled and riding it down the "bob bahn" – a localtobogganing track.
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The average air temperature in Schierke is 5.3 °C, and it has an annual precipitation of 1,275 millimetres.
The field name of Schierke was first mentioned in the records in 1590 asSchiriken (theGerman wordschier means, in the Harz area, an utterly, unspoilt wood (blankes, reines Holz). Hitherto there had been asawmill in 1506, below the site of the subsequent village, inElend, and a smelting works above the Cold Bode near the moor slags (Moorschlacken). A first church at the site was consecrated in 1691.
On 20 June 1898 Schierke was connected toWernigerode by theBrocken Railway line, today run by theHarz Narrow Gauge Railways, and on 4 October 1898 the line was extended up to the Brocken summit. Thereupon, Schierke became a popular tourist destination and numerous hotels and villas arose. In 1914 and again in 1934 it was the site of theGerman Skeleton Championships. Schierke became a municipality in its own right in 1924.
After World War II, however, due to its location next to theinner German border, Schierke for a long time was not accessible to the public for winter sports. Visits required an extra permission byEast German authorities between 1952 and 1989. Several hotels were converted into public holiday resorts of theFree German Trade Union Federation (FDGB) and of theStasi ministry. Barracks for theBorder Troops of the German Democratic Republic stood on the site of the present training centre for engineering and metallurgy. The 7th Border Company of the 20th Border Regiment guarded the stretch of border from the Brocken plateau via formerGoetheweg station and theDreieckiger Pfahl border stone (checkpoint no. 168 in theHarzer Wandernadel) to theGroßer Winterberg. Each troop was stationed for a week at a time in the present-day station building on the peak of the Brocken.
AfterGerman reunification, tourism again prospered and many villas were restored. On 13 January 2009 Mayor Hans-Jochen Ermisch, and his counterpart from Wernigerode, Peter Gaffert, signed the treaty incorporating Schierke into Wernigerode.[2] This merger came into effect on 1 July 2009.[3] Since then, the Wernigerode town council has made comprehensive efforts to develop Schierke as aresort town.
The coat of arms was granted to Schierke on 5 May 1939 by the governor (Oberpräsident) of the Province of Saxony.
Emblazonment: "On a field or, a stag's skull and antlers sable" ("In gold ein schwarzer Hirsch-Schädel mit Geweih im Visier").
The stag's antlers epitomize the "King of the Harz Forest", the dominant wild animal in the mountain forests around Schierke. Just as the antlers are the crown of the deer, Schierke, on the Brocken, "crowns" the Harz landscape with its natural beauty and its healing climate.
The coat of arms was designed by the head of the Magdeburg state archives,Otto Korn.
The area around Schierke is criss-crossed by numerous trails, several leading up to the top of the Brocken. There is a choice of longer or shorter, but usually steeper, walks. The Wurmberg Trail (Wurmbergstieg) runs up to the summit of the Wurmberg. From the station, a trail runs directly to thetor known as theFeuersteinklippe. For winter sports lovers, Schierke has an extensivecross-country skiing trail network and a natural ice rink.
In the first half of the 20th century Schierke was known for itsskeleton run, where the German Championships were twice held – in 1914 and 1934. In 1950 the first East German national winter sports championships took place here, being portrayed on one of two special stamps by theEast German Deutsche Post.
In Schierke there is asummer rodelbahn, theBrockencoaster with a sun terrace.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited Schierke in 1784. TheWalpurgis Night scene inFaust: The First Part of the Tragedy is set in the "District of Schierke andElend".
Schierker Feuerstein is a herballiqueur anddigestif (35%abv), patented in 1924 by the local chemist, Willy Drube. The red-brown beverage is named after the redgranite of theFeuersteinklippe, a tor-like rock formation nearby. After World War II the production at first continued inBad Lauterberg on the western side of the inner German border, but was also resumed in Schierke from 1972 on asVolkseigener Betrieb. Afterreunification the enterprises merged while theFeuerstein is still bottled at both locations.
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