The ''Kästeklippen'', often shortened to ''Käste'', is a rocky tor above the

Oker The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction. Origin and meaning of the name The ...

valley in the

Upper Harz The Upper Harz (german: Oberharz, ) refers to the northwestern and higher part of the Harz mountain range in Germany. The exact boundaries of this geographical region may be defined differently depending on the context. In its traditional sense, th ...

mountains of central Germany. It lies at a height of . Near the ''Käste'' are other similar granite rock formations such as the ''Hexenküche'' ("Witch's Kitchen"), ''Mausefalle'' ("Mousetrap"), ''

Feigenbaumklippe The ''Feigenbaumklippe'' is a rock formation in the Oker valley in the Harz mountains of central Germany. They lie on the hiking trail from the ''Kästeklippen'' crags to Romkerhall Waterfall. These granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phan ...

'' and the ''

Treppenstein The ''Treppenstein'' is a rock formation in the Oker valley in the Harz mountains of central Germany. It lies on the trail from the Romkerhall Waterfall to the '' Kästeklippen''. The rocks consist of granite and have clearly undergone so-called " ...

''. Next to the observation platform is a protruding rock which resembles the face of an old man and is called ''Der Alte vom Berge'' ("Old Man of the Mountain"). The rocks consist of granite "wool sacks", typical of the Harz region. The ''Kästeklippen'' (''Klippen'' = crags) are a popular destination in the Harz. From here, there are views to the

Sudmerberg Sudmerberg is a quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany, named after a prominent -metre-high hill to the east. Geography The settlement is located between Goslar town centre and the Oker in the southeast. The Abzucht stream r ...

hill in the borough of

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

. Numerous paths lead from the Oker Reservoir,

Romkerhall Romkerhall (also frequently called ''Romkerhalle'') is a popular tourist destination on the River Oker in the Harz Mountains of Germany. There is a public car park here as well as a hotel and restaurant opposite the Romkerhall Waterfall. Romkerh ...

, Göttingerode and

Bad Harzburg Bad Harzburg (; Eastphalian: ''Bad Harzborch'') is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa and climatic health resort. Geograph ...

up to the ''Käste''. The most important access route is the ''Kästestraße''. It runs from Bad Harzburg up to the ''Schlackenplatz'' on the Morlberg and then continues at a height of just under 600 m over the ''Alte Schlewecke'' and the crags of the ''Stiefmutterklippen'' to the ''Käste''. From there it goes downhill again, past the ''Hinterer Ziegenrücken'' and ''Vorderen Ziegenrücken'' to Oker. The ''Kästestraße'' was once tarmacked all the way from Bad Harzburg to the ''Käste''. Remnants of the asphalt surface can still be seen today. From the beginning of April to the end of October a bus service runs from Bad Harzburg to the ''Käste''. The ''Kästehaus'' restaurant was demolished in 2019. The ''Kästehaus'' is checkpoint no. 118 in the

Harzer Wandernadel The Harzer Wandernadel is a system of hiking awards in the Harz mountains in central Germany. The hiker (or mountain biker) can earn awards at different levels of challenge by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and stamping his or ...

hiking trail network. Image:Kaesteklippen.JPG, On the crags Image:Hexenkueche.JPG, The ''Hexenküche'' Image:Kaestehaus.JPG, The former ''Kästehaus'' restaurant Image:KaestekilppenAlterMann.JPG, ''Der Alte vom Berge'' ("Old Man of the Mountain")

External links

''Kästehaus''
(with hiking map) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kasteklippen Bad Harzburg Rock formations of the Harz Rock formations of Lower Saxony

See also

External links