At , the Bruchberg 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, ...
is the second highest mountain in
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
and the third highest in the
Harz mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High Germ ...
in North Germany. It lies between
Altenau
Altenau () is a town and a former municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the town Clausthal-Zellerfeld.
It is situated in the middle of the Harz mountains, between Clausthal-Zeller ...
and
Torfhaus in the middle of the
Harz National Park. The Bruchberg is more like a plateau and has no real summit. This plateau is partly covered with trees, but on the sunny southern slopes the trees have largely died as a result of
bark beetle
A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Although the ...
infestation (see photograph below). Following this insect destruction, a new natural forest, rich in its variety of species, is now growing in the heart of the Harz National Park.
Geography
The ''Wolfswarte'', at ,
[Harzer Wandernadel]
Stempelstelle 135 – ''Wolfswarte''
auf harzer-wandernadel.de is generally considered as the summit, even if it is not the highest elevation on the Bruchberg. It is a domed hilltop (''
Kuppe'') made of weathered Acker-Bruchberg quartzite. The ''Wolfswarte'' rises east of the mountain town of Altenau and, in good visibility, the
Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...
can be seen from here. The bald summit of the ''Wolfswarte'' is easily visible from other peaks in the area, notably the Glockenberg in Altenau, the
Schulenberg and also from the Torfhaus.
To the southwest the heights of the Bruchberg are continued by the Acker Ridge with its
mountain hut
A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...
, the
Hanskühnenburg.
Ascent
From Altenau the Wolfswarte Way (''Wolfswarter Weg''; its upper section is also known as the Upper Bruchberg Way or ''Oberer Bruchbergweg'') runs past
Okerstein in a fairly straight line up to the ''Wolfswarte''. This track is linked by several lateral tracks to the ''Steile Wand'' road (''Steile-Wand-Straße'') from Altenau to Torfhaus. The easiest way to get to the ''Wolfswarte'' is to take the last lateral track at a height of about 760 m, shortly before the first carpark on the ''Steile Wand'' road and then to branch off after a few hundred metres onto the rather rough track, the ''Butterstieg'', which is not suitable for cyclists. From Torfhaus there is a longer, but more direct route to the ''Wolfswarte'' which is about 4 km long. This is also not very suitable for bicycles.
Walking
Since 2007 the ''Wolfswarte'' has been a checkpoint on the Harz Walking Route (''
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 ...
'').
The checkpoint is not on the summit, but about 200 metres down the hill to the southwest on the ''Wolfswarte Weg''.
Gallery
File:BruchbergSued.jpg, Southern side seen from the Großer Sonnenberg. In the foreground is the B 242 federal highway.
File:BruchbergWolfswarte.jpg, The ''Wolfswarte''
See also
*
List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony
This List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony shows a selection of high or well-known mountains and hills in the German state of Lower Saxony (''in order of height''). Although there is no universally agreed definition of a 'mountain', summits ...
*
List of mountains in the Harz
This list of mountains and hills in the Harz contains a selection of mountains, hills, high points and their outliers in the Harz Mountains of Germany. The Harz is part of the German Central Uplands and a natural region main unit (number D ...
References
{{Authority control
Mountains under 1000 metres
Mountains of Lower Saxony
Mountains of the Harz