Harzer Hexenstieg

The Witches' Trail of the Harz, the Harzer Hexenstieg runs about 97 km across Germany's northernmost mountain range, from Osterode in the west to Thale in the east, crossing the Brocken, the highest summit in northern Germany. It takes most walkers four to five days through forest, moor and folklore-rich country.

The Brocken is the centrepiece, a bleak granite dome long associated with witches and the Walpurgis Night legends immortalised in Goethe's Faust. The trail also passes historic mining ditches, reservoirs and the dark spruce forests of the Harz National Park, where lynx have been reintroduced and old steam railways still climb to the summit.

Difficulty is moderate, following good forest tracks and paths with a sustained climb to the 1,141-metre Brocken but no technical ground. Villages and small towns such as Bad Harzburg and Thale provide guesthouses and inns, so the route is comfortably walked without camping, and no permit is required. A branch route offers a longer, quieter alternative through the mining landscape.

The Harz's mining heritage — its water-management ditches now a UNESCO site — and its deep folklore give the trail an unusual blend of industry and myth. The best season is May to October; summer brings the easiest walking and the fullest views from the often cloud-wrapped Brocken, while the exposed summit is cold and windy in any season, so warm layers are recommended even on fine days.