The Bode Gorge (german: Bodetal) is a long ravine that forms part of the Bode valley between

Treseburg Treseburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Thale. Geography Treseburg lies at the confluence of the Luppbode stream with the River Bode in t ...

and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, ''Bodetal'' (literally "Bode Valley"), is also used in a wider sense to refer to the valleys of the

Warme Warme (also: ''Warmebach'') is a river of Hesse, Germany. It is approximately 33.1 km long. It flows into the Diemel near Liebenau. See also * List of rivers of Hesse References Rivers of Hesse Rivers of Germany {{Hesse-riv ...

and

Kalte Bode The Kalte Bode is the left-hand headstream of the Bode in the High Harz Mountains in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is long. Name The names of the Warme and Kalte Bode ("Warm" and "Cold" Bode) come from their actual temperature differenc ...

rivers that feed the River Bode. At the Bode Gorge, the River Bode, which rises on the highest mountain in the Harz, the Brocken, has cut deeply into the hard Ramberg granite rock. The ravine is about 140 m deep at Treseburg and some 280 m deep at Thale where it breaks out into the Harz Foreland. The Bode Gorge was designated a nature reserve as early as 5 March 1937; its boundaries being subsequently expanded. With an area of, currently , it is one of the largest nature reserves in Saxony-Anhalt.

Geology

Apart from intrusions of Ramberg granite, which rose to the surface and solidified 300 million years ago in the

Upper Carboniferous Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those ...

Period, and their associated

veins Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

of quartz, the ravine of the Bode also cuts through hornfels and

knotenschiefer Knotenschiefer is a variety of spotted slate characterized by conspicuous subspherical or polyhedral clots that are often individual minerals such as cordierite, biotite, Chlorite group, chlorite, andalusite and others.Bucksch, Herbert (1997). ''D ...

(a type of

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

), as well as argillite and graywacke with quartz elements and

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

from the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

Period, 400 to 370 million years ago. Ramberg granite predominantly forms the front section of the ravine and characterises its highest rocks. It appears light-coloured due to the high proportion of white feldspar. The quartz lends it a grey shade. The proportion of black

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...

(

biotite Biotite is a common group of phyllosilicate minerals within the mica group, with the approximate chemical formula . It is primarily a solid-solution series between the iron-endmember annite, and the magnesium-endmember phlogopite; more alumino ...

) is low and carries no weight in terms of colouring. The light-coloured granite stands out from the dark to black coloured rocks of hornfels and argillite. As a result, the front section of the ravine and the river bed of the Bode in this area appear clearly lighter than the rear section. The argillite at the rear of the gorge shows bands of colour in places that evinces the former strata of the marine sediments. The stratified

was only slightly metamorphosed.

Climate

In the area of the Bode Gorge average annual temperatures range from 8 °C down to 6.5 °C and annual precipitation between 600 and 720 mm. But sharp, local differences in the ravine between, for example, the sunny, warm and dry southern slopes and the more shaded, cooler and damper northern slopes and valley floor, modify the local climate considerably.

Soils

The most common soil types are silicate leptosols, that belong to the thin stony soils around areas of rock and scree. In flatter areas with less rearrangement of the soil particles are stony ''Ranker'' leptosols of various thickness. One particular soil type, brown ''Ranker'' occurs above argillite rock.

Podsol In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of huma ...

ised brown earth soils are found around the edges of the gorge.

Rivers and streams

In the area of the ravine the Bode has a width of 7 to 25 metres and descends 100 metres in 17 kilometres. Its river course and bed are very much in their natural state inside the ravine. Kettle-holes,

rapid Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

s and scouring in the rock alternate with islands of gravel and flat river banks. The most notable rapids on the Bode, the ''Bodekessel'', not far southwest of the Königsruhe tavern, is shrouded in legend. It was a low waterfall before its explosive demolition in 1798. Stones and boulders occupy the river bed. Slow-moving stretches of water occur, especially in the area of the Hornfels (''Zahme Bode''); rapids (''Wilde Bode'') are found particularly in the lower part of the ravine and formed by the incision of the river into the blocks of Ramberg granite. The water regime inside the ravine is affected, however, by the dams owned by the ''Bodewerk'' in the upper reaches of the river. The discharge can vary sharply: during the devastating New Year floods of 1925 a discharge of 350 m³/s was recorded; in the summer of 1926 the Bode almost ran dry (0.,35 m³/s). Other major floods occurred in 1667, 1730 and in April 1984. There was a plan to impound the Bode in the ravine as well in 1891 with a 150 m high dam at the ''Bodekessel''. The plan was scrapped. Only a few streams enter the Bode, on the right-hand side of the ravine. The

Luppbode The Luppbode is a right-hand tributary of the Bode in the Harz mountains in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Course The Luppbode rises south of Allrode and flows in a northerly direction. It continues as a lively, babbling brook, parallel t ...

is a lively, bubbling brook coming from the direction of Allrode which joins the Bode near Treseburg. Another tributary stream is the Dambach, which empties into the Bode from a side ravine below the Rabenstein.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation

There is a rapid succession of habitats in the Bode Gorge that produces a tightly woven mosaic of vegetation, characterised by an especially rich variety of plant species. * On the steeper slopes, small clumps of ravine and scree forest (''Blockschutt'') alternate with dry broad-leaved woods, scree slopes, silicate rock outcrops with rock vegetation, crags and xerothermous grass. * Meadows of

cheddar pink ''Dianthus gratianopolitanus'', commonly known as the Cheddar pink or clove pink, is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is a herbaceous perennial, hardy to zones 4–8. It grows to a height of 0.5 to 1 feet, blooming from May ...

and

Alpine aster ''Aster alpinus'', the alpine aster or blue alpine daisy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the mountains of Europe (including the Alps), with a subspecies native to Canada and the United States. This herbaceous ...

and Anthericum heath in the Bode Gorge have been classified as rock meadows. * The most widespread dry forests are the birch-oak woods and the catchfly-sessile oak woods. * In places, extensive and very near-natural lime-sycamore ravine woods and scree woods have developed on the lower mountainsides (''Tilio-Acerion'') on shaded slopes. * On small areas of the lower slopes on acidophilous soil, copper beech woods occur (''Luzulo-Fageten''). * The banks of the Bode, in places where the water velocity is slow, have favoured the formation of reed beds of

reed canary grass ''Phalaris arundinacea'', or reed canary grass, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern ...

(''Phalaridetum arundinaceae'') and

ground elder ''Aegopodium podagraria'', commonly called ground elder, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae that grows in shady places. The name "ground elder" comes from the superficial similarity of its leaves and flowers to those o ...

- butterbur meadows (''Aegopodio podagrariae-Petisetum albae''). The most common trees in the woods are

sessile oak ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

(''Quercus petraea''),

large-leaved lime ''Tilia platyphyllos'', the large-leaved lime or large-leaved linden, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae (Tiliaceae). It is a deciduous tree, native to much of Europe, including locally in southwestern Great Britain, growing ...

(''Tilia platyphyllos''), sycamore (''Acer pseudoplatanus''), silver birch (''Betula pendula'') and

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

(''Sorbus aucuparia''). Also worth mentioning is the

common yew ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe (including Britain and Ireland), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...

(''Taxus baccata''). Dominating the ground cover are plants like the

wood bluegrass ''Poa nemoralis'', the wood bluegrass, is a perennial plant in the family Poaceae. The late-growing grass is fairly nutritious for livestock, which feed on it in the autumn, and it is used as a lawn grass for shady situations. Description It fo ...

(''Poa nemoralis''),

wavy hair-grass ''Deschampsia flexuosa'', commonly known as wavy hair-grass, is a species of bunchgrass in the grass family widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and North America. Description Wavy hair-grass, ''Deschampsia flexuosa'', has wir ...

(''Avenella flexuosa''; especially in dry oak woods), white wood-rush (''Luzula luzuloides''),

male fern ''Dryopteris filix-mas'', the male fern, is a common fern of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, native to much of Europe, Asia, and North America. It favours damp shaded areas in the understory of woodlands, but also shady places on hedge-banks, ...

(''Dryopteris filix-mas''), limestone oak fern (''Gymnocarpium robertianum''),

wall hawkweed ''Hieracium murorum'', the wall hawkweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and naturalized in some of the colder regions of North America.baneberry ''Actaea'', commonly called baneberry, bugbane and cohosh, is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae, native to subtropical, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. Taxonomy The genus was redefine ...

(''Actaea spicata''),

small balsam ''Impatiens parviflora'' (small balsam, or small-flowered touch-me-not) is a species of annual herbaceous plants in the family Balsaminaceae, native to some areas of Eurasia, naturalized elsewhere and found in damp shady places. ''Impatiens par ...

(''Impatiens parviflora''),

Herb Robert ''Geranium robertianum'', commonly known as herb-Robert, or (in North America) Roberts geranium, is a common species of cranesbill native to Europe and parts of Asia, and North Africa. The plant has many vernacular names, including red robin, de ...

(''Geranium robertianum''),

dog's mercury ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.granite rocks. Plants such as the

snowy mespilus Snowy mespilus refers to species of trees or shrubs in the genus ''Amelanchier'': *''Amelanchier lamarckii'' *''Amelanchier ovalis ''Amelanchier ovalis'', commonly known as snowy mespilus (a name which is also attached to the related '' A. lamar ...

(''Amelanchier ovalis''),

dyer’s greenweed ''Genista tinctoria'', the dyer's greenweed or dyer's broom, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Its other common names include dyer's whin, waxen woad and waxen wood. The Latin specific epithet ''tinctoria'' means "used as a ...

(''Genista tinctoria''),

browntop bent ''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family ( Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial be ...

(''Agrostis capillaris''), sticky catchfly (''Lychnis viscaria''),

blue stonecrop ''Petrosedum rupestre'', also known as reflexed stonecrop, Jenny's stonecrop, blue stonecrop, stone orpine, prick-madam and trip-madam, is a species of perennial succulent flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae, native to northern, central, a ...

(''Sedum reflexum'') are particularly common. The scenery in spring is graced by

wood anemone The phrase wood anemone is used in common names for several closely related species of flowering plants in genus ''Anemonoides'', including: * ''Anemonoides nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an e ...

s (''Anemone nemorosa'') and

yellow anemone ''Anemonoides ranunculoides'' (syn. ''Anemone ranunculoides''), the yellow anemone, yellow wood anemone, or buttercup anemone, is a species of herbaceous perennial plant that grows in forests across Europe to western Asia, and less frequently in ...

s (''Anemone ranunculoides''), hollowroot (''Corydalis cava''),

spring vetchling ''Lathyrus vernus'', the spring vetchling, spring pea, or spring vetch, is a species of flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the genus ''Lathyrus'', native to forests of Europe and Siberia. It forms a dense clump of pointed leaves with purple ...

(''Lathyrus vernus''),

kidneywort ''Hepatica'' (hepatica, liverleaf, or liverwort) is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America. Some botanists include ''Hepatica'' within a wider interpr ...

(''Hepatica nobilis'') and

alternate-leaved golden saxifrage ''Chrysosplenium alternifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known as the alternate-leaved golden-saxifrage. It is a mat-forming perennial of wet places that grows between tall. It blooms from March onward. Descripti ...

(''Chrysosplenium alternifolium''), which grows on stream banks, but also covers scree slopes like a carpet.

Common toothwort ''Lathraea squamaria'', the common toothwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe and also occurs in Turkey. It is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder, and occasionally other tre ...

(''Lathraea squamaria'') and

spring snowflake ''Leucojum vernum'', called the spring snowflake, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is native to central and southern Europe from Belgium to Ukraine. It is considered naturalized in north-western Europe, including ...

(''Leucojum vernum'') also occur here and there. Perennial honesty (''Lunaria rediviva'') and large white buttercup (''Ranunculus platanifolius'') may be found in places in the woods.

Species

The Bode Gorge ist also a habitat and refuge for many types of rare animal. Such rarities include the wildcat, Bechstein's bat,

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

, black stork,

middle spotted woodpecker The middle spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocoptes medius'') is a European woodpecker belonging to the genus '' Dendrocoptes''. Taxonomy The middle spotted woodpecker was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the ...

. The insect fauna is particularly varied. The white-throated dipper and grey wagtail can be observed hunting for insects on the stream beds.

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

breed here and there in the reed beds or on remote gravel beds. In spring fire salamanders can be seen splashing about in the Bode Gorge during the spawning season. Care must be taken when walking not to disturb them. Where it flows through the gorge, the Bode, is characterised by fast-flowing, clean, shady stretches of river. In addition to

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

it ish also home to loach, bullhead, three-spined stickleback and minnow. Rare visitors include

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, dace and perch.

Rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

have been introduced by anglers.

Tourism

The Bode Gorge may only be passed through on foot. A cycle path or bridleway is not feasible due to the narrowness of the ravine. Climbing and walking off the path, mountain biking, canyoning, water walking and whitewater canoeing or rafting are banned in order to protect the wildlife and

biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term "habitat", which is more commonly used in English-speaking countrie ...

. Tourist facilities, restaurants and overnight accommodation are located at Thale by the entrance to the Bode Gorge. A ten kilometre long footpath runs through the Bode Gorge between Thale and Treseburg. At pinch points the path is routed in steep zigzags and walkways over the rocks. From them there are superb views into the ravine. Paths lead down into the gorge from the observation rocks at '' Rosstrappe'' and the ''

Hexentanzplatz The ''Hexentanzplatz'' (literally “Witches′ Dance Floor”) in the Harz mountains is a plateau () that lies high above the Bode Gorge, opposite the Rosstrappe in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. History The Hexentanzplatz is reputedly an Old Sax ...

'' ("Witches' Dance Floor"). From the latter there is also a ridgeway to Treseburg. The Bode Gorge receives hundreds of thousands of visitors per year and is one of the leading tourist destinations in Saxony-Anhalt.

Places of interest

The following places of interest are listed in the order they occur along the Bode Gorge from Thale to Treseburg. * ''Katersteg'': a bridge by the youth hostel (a former hotel dating to 1845) and the Waldkater Café. Legend has it that this was the spot where a hunter spared a wine adulterer who had been turned into a tomcat by a spell. As a reward he received a hoard of treasure which he used to build the inn. * ''Schallhöhle'': in 1760 a walkway, roughly 20 metres long, was hewn out of the rock and the local innkeeper amused his guests by firing gun salutes into it to create echoes. Spring water from the cave was sold as ''Lebenswasser''. Today it is sealed by a grille. A memorial plaque next to the old entrance commemorates Heinrich Reckleben, who owned the inn for many years and eventually lost his hearing as a result of the firing. He died when he was run over by a beer coach. * ''Siebenbrüder'' or ''Goethefelsen'' (Seven Brothers or Goethe Rocks): a granite rock formation with a number of pinnacles. According to legend, seven brothers from the Bohemian Forest had been spurned by a woman, so they wanted to rape her on this spot at the entrance to the gorge. As a punishment they were turned into the seven-headed rock formation. The rocks were renamed the Goethe Rocks on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on 28 August 1949. During his visit to the Bode Gorge, Goethe had studied the jointing of the rock on a granite block in the river below the rock formation. * ''Kronensumpf'': a kettle hole in the Bode. According to the '' Rosstrappe'' legend this is the spot where the hound, Bodo, guards the crown of Princess Brunhilde. * ''Jungfrau'', or ''Großer Kurfürst'', and ''Mönch'' (Virgin, or Great Elector, and Monk): rock formations in front of the Jungfern Bridge. According to the ''Rosstrappe'' legend, a monk turned to stone in fright when he saw Bodo fall into the ravine. * Jungfern Bridge: a stone bridge by the ''Gasthof Königsruhe''. A legend maintains that only virgins may cross it so that it does not collapse. Later the publican had a bell ring whenever a virgin crossed the bridge. *

Königsruhe Königsruhe (also ''Gut Königsruhe'' i.e. Königsruhe Estate) is a small settlement in the Bode Gorge in the Harz Mountains of Germany, south of the town of Thale in Saxony-Anhalt. Location Königsruhe lies in the ''Hirschgrund'' ("Stag Botto ...

: a pub with beer garden and guesthouse in the ''Hirschgrund'' in the middle of the Bode ravine. This is where the Jungfern Trail (''Jungfernstieg'') crosses the Bode and where the narrow section of the gorge begins. There is a view of the Bode rushing over the rocks from the terrace. The group of houses includes the Harz Mountain Rescue hut which is occupied during peak visitor periods. Refreshments were being sold in the Hirschgrund as early as 1820. In 1860 a stone building was erected that initially housed a

Konditorei A ''Konditorei'' is a business that typically offers a wide variety of pastries and typically also serves as a café, these are found in many different countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Repub ...

or cake shop. The Hirschgrund is No. 178 the Harzer Wandernadel hiking network. * ''Steinerne Kirche'': the "Stone Church", a rock formation above the Hirschgrund in the shape of a church tower with adjoining nave. A cross has been erected on the top of the rocks. * ''

Schurre The Schurre (pronounced "shoorer") is a stone run in the Bode Gorge in the Lower Harz near Thale in Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Sax ...

'': a former hunting path that was expanded in 1850, and climbs steeply through 18 hairpin bends up a

stone run A stone run (called also ''stone river'', ''stone stream'' or ''stone sea''diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...

to the ''Rosstrappe''. * ''Teufelskanzel'': "Devil's Pulpit". Rocks above the Bode gorge by the ''Teufelsbrücke'' ("Devil's Bridge") above the ''Blauer Sumpf'', the narrowest part of the Bode Gorge. It was from here, according to legend, the devil spoke to witches. * ''Bodekessel'': a kettle hole in the Bode by the ''Teufelsbrücke''. Legend has it that it was formed as follows: the Germanic god, Wasur (eternal circulation of the waters), broke through the rock wall that once linked the ''Hexentanzplatz'' and the ''Rosstrappe'', in order to save

Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...

from the wrath of his father, Hodir. He paved the way for the Bode and created the ''Bodekessel''. Wotan was consequently placed on the throne of the gods. In fact the kettle hole had been scoured out by a low waterfall that was explosively demolished in 1784 to enable timber rafts to use the Bode. * ''Langer Hals'': "Long Neck". A river loop on the Bode that extends some distance to the north. The ''Langer Hals'' takes the Bode around a hard rock mass made of hornfels and diabase. In the knotenschiefer region the valley widens again. Bodetal 2

* ''Prinzensicht'': "Prince's View", a rock formation with a stone run above the Bode Gorge, that can only be reached along the plateau trail. The viewing point is No. 70 in the Harzer Wandernadel. * ''La Vieres Höhe'': A viewing point near the ''Hexentanzplatz'' and zoo (''Tierpark'') that is No. 72 in the Harzer Wandernadel. * ''Gewitterklippen'': a rock outcrop of hard, lime silicate hornfels and diabase, which forces the Bode to describe a further loop. * ''Bodegang'': several quartz-porphyry lodes 3 to 8 metres wide cross the valley in various places. First described by the geologist, K. A. Lossen. * ''Kästental'': ("Box Valley") A small side valley of the Bode with a little waterfall that was named after the old yew trees (Old High German: ''Kästen'' ~ "boxes") that occur there. * Pfeil Monument: near the ''Dambachhaus'', not far from the Bode Gorge, is a monument that commemorates the forestry scientist,

Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold Pfeil Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold Pfeil (28 March 1783 – 4 September 1859) was a German forester. Pfeil was born in Rammelburg. From 1801 onward, he trained and worked as a forester at several sites in the Harz region, Neuchâtel and Silesia. As a ...

. The monument is No. 68 in the Harzer Wandernadel.

Notable visitors

* Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1771) * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1784) * Alexander von Humboldt (1790) *

Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...

, named "Novalis" (1797) * Joseph von Eichendorff (1805) * Theodor Fontane (1848 and 1868)

Notes

Sources

* Kirsch, Falko: ''Führer durch das Bodetal. Geschichte, Geologie, Sagen, Flora, Fauna.'' Thale * Oelsner, Manfred: ''Bodetal.'' 5. Auflage. Tourist-Verlag, Berlin 1991,

External links

The wild, romantic Bode Gorge
{{Authority control Harz Nature reserves in Saxony-Anhalt Canyons and gorges of Germany Landforms of Saxony-Anhalt Thale