Wurmberg (Harz)

View from a train on the Brocken Railway Wurmberg with the Wurmbergschanze

The worm Berg, formerly Wormberch, Worms mountain or Wormberg called, in the district of Goslar is with 971.2 meters above sea level. NHN is the second highest mountain of the Harz low mountain range and the highest mountain of Lower Saxony ( Germany ).

• 8.1 ski jumps
• 8.2 Rodelhaus and toboggan run
• 8.3 skiing
• 8.4 Worm Mountain 2015

Geographical location

The worm mountain rises just outside the Harz National Park, the Harz nature park approximately 3.3 kilometers north of Brown layer ( about 560 m) and approximately 3 km west-southwest of Schierke, which lies in the neighboring district of Harz, in Saxony- Anhalt. Its summit is located about 4.8 km to the south (as the crow flies) from that of the Brocken. Both mountains are separated from the valley of the Cold Bode, the running about 700-650 m height there flows in a west-east direction. The border with Saxony -Anhalt leads north and east past the mountain. Beyond it lie in the direction Schierke Big ( 906.4 m) and Kleiner Winterberg ( 837 m). Between the mountain and the little worm winter mountain springs the Bremke. West past the mountain flows the Great Bode as an eastern source stream of warm Bode, the south of the mountain by Braun situation flows.

Geology

The worm mountain is essentially made up of chunks of granite. It is still kontaktmetamorpher hornfels, which shows that it is the roof region of the Brocken.

Nature reserve worm mountain

The worm mountain lay to October 2006 within the nature reserve " Upper Harz ". Since then, only two sub-areas with a total of 183 ha of land are shown on the western and south-western slope as a nature reserve worm mountain.

Worm mountain cliffs

On the southern flank of the mountain worm there are two distinctive worm mountain cliffs that are among the numerous resin cliffs:

• The Great Worm Mountain Cliff (also called Big Cliff, . Maximum 823.8 m), which is designated as a natural monument ( ND GS 32) is located in the nature reserve worm mountain about 220 meters west of the cable car route between the top-and middle station of the Wurmbergseilbahn, a little above the now filled- top worm mountain quarry.
• The little worm mountain cliff ( or small cliff, at about 690 m) is located between the center and the cable car station just 100 meters east of the cable car route in the spruce forest.

History

Mountain Name

In the 13th century emerged for the worm mountain the name Wormberch in the Lehnbüchern goods and directories of the county Regenstein - Blankenburg in conjunction with the iron ore mining on. In the 19th century, the mountain still mountain Worms or Wormberg was called, a conclusive interpretation of the name is not available so far.

Historic stone installations

The summit of the mountain worm is covered with old, peculiar stone plants which have long been interpreted as remnants of a supposedly thousands of years of pre-Christian place of worship.

A long run in a straight line and surface consisting of uncut stones staircase rises about 90 meters above the mining area on iron ore on the eastern flank of the mountain and ends at the edge of the summit plateau in a terrace field edges also unhewn stones. In the vernacular, this staircase was named in the 19th century Heath stairs; in the 20th century, the name witches stairs naturalized one. Heinrich Pröhle reported in 1856 in his resin Say that a stone path on the plateau leads to extension of stairs to a round cairn. On the occasion of his collection of legends of the Upper Harz him in 1851 reported by residents brown Lages, that had once been a pagan temple there.

Between 1949 and 1956, Walter Nowothnig ( 1907-1971 ) on the worm mountain several archaeological excavations. The legends collection Pröhles encouraged in him the suspicion that the rumor that this staircase was first created by the 1825 in Brown living situation, riding forester Daubert, was no longer tenable. The stone path was rediscovered and finally exposed at the end of the path, a circular rampart diameter of about 10 m, which encloses the remains of a square stone building through Nowothnigs digs. Further south were the way discovered the foundations of a small circular building. In 2006 another, larger rampart on the western edge of the summit plateau was known. Nowothnig found no evidence of the date of the complex, which is why she was led from now on as Prehistoric Worship unknown era.

Unscientific speculation turned the stone settings quickly a Celtic cult plant. This square building within the rampart was a temple, the path to a processional, the stone terraces into a cult theater and the remains of the small rotunda were named witches altar. From 1999 to 2000 archaeological investigations were carried out again on the Worm Mountain under the direction of Michael Geschwinde and Martin Oppermann. The results of this research are abundant sobering. The square formation proved to be the foundation of an existing 1820-1840 stone cottage, which the forester Daubert had created there. The remains of this hut, just that pile of stones mentioned in Pröhle were used in 1890 for the construction of the paragraph General called trigonometric measurement tower. The circular system emerged only during the construction of this tower as an abutment for slant post, the abstützten the tower on all sides. Below one of the stones of the witches stairs an English button from the time it was found in 1800, bringing this staircase finally as a work Dauberts proved. Even the great rampart was probably an applied by said forester enclosure. The round altar witches could be identified as the foundation remains of the old signaling system by 1850. Only the age of the stone patio plant could not be determined unequivocally. Geschwindes team holds a naturally formed by strong erosion geological formation for probably, which was later expanded by human hands.

Nowothnig seems to have been blinded by his fabulous finds so that he did not include both the measurement tower, which was canceled only twenty years before the excavations, as well as the signal that was known to him by Pröhles reports in his inquiry. The forester Daubert and his daughter were known for their feast on the mountain, and the superstition Braunlager population seems to have suspected behind pagan acts. From their stories was the legend of the pagan temple in a few decades. Although can be excluded with certainty that there was once a prehistoric ritual site on the mountain, the mountain plateau was expelled in 2003 due to its unique traces of human use of the Upper Harz in the early modern period as an archaeological reserve.

Generally

In 1850, the first signal for the measurement of the resin was erected on the summit of Mount worm. It was in 1890 replaced by a wooden tower for trigonometric measurements, which existed until 1930.

In 1922, a ski jump was built (see Section ski jumps ) and in the 1950s directly adjacent a restaurant - the worm -Alm.

The German division meant that the inner-German border north and east of the worm mountain was over. During the Cold War was on the summit plateau of a listening station set up in 1972, U.S. intelligence on the Worm Mountain a 81 m high tower, the North Tower, for receiving the respective listening devices. This station was blown up on 22 August 1994, her remains fixed ( see also: Enlightenment storm on the Stöberhai ).

Since 1963, runs from Braun layer of the Wurmbergseilbahn on the mountain.

Transmission and measurement systems

On the worm mountain was a gap-fillers for the city Braun situation. This was the time of the German division inadvertently to supply parts of the GDR, including Halle ( Saale), with the Western television because the basic network channels peat house was shielded in this area by the rocks. After the turn more frequencies were added to supply the village Schierke.

At the top, there is since September 2007, a 70 -cm amateur radio relay. It has the callsign DB0WUR and transmits on 438.550 Mhz. Thus, large parts of Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse and Saxony- Anhalt can be achieved.

On the summit is also located in a container one of 25 measuring points of the air hygienic monitoring system Lower Saxony.

Worm mountain quarry

The quarry on the mountain worm was created in the course of the construction of narrow-gauge railway Walkenried-Braunlage/Tanne 1899. Since September 1, 1899 was located at the foot of Mount worm on Brockenweg the goods station Worm Mountain ( until 1958 ). There, the raw and building stone of worm mountain granite were loaded. On the freight station was located since 1925, the " cracker " called gravel pit.

The loading station worm mountain was first connected by a brake mountain with the regions further up the mountain lower quarry floor. On this the stones were transported in located on ropes Loren. The dam, on the tracks of this transport system were installed, is still recognizable in full length. Later, a cable car was built on the dam, whose pier foundations can be found in the woods today.

In 1974, the quarry has ceased operations. What remains is a remarkably high rock wall in the lower part of the quarry. The upper quarry was filled with tailings, most of which was in the first section of the ring road Braun situation. Since 2006, it is within the nature reserve worm mountain.

Wurmbergseilbahn

The Wurmbergseilbahn leads as a small cable car from Brown situation on the worm mountain. The former two sections Railway was built in two phases: Since 1963, she ran from the present-day Central to the mountain station; the lower piece of the valley to the mountain station was opened in 1967. 2001, the present-day, fully integrated railway was opened - with the possibility and boarding at the middle station. The cable car is 2.8 km long, overcomes 397.5 m difference in altitude, open all year and serves as winter sports enthusiasts and hikers as a climbing aid.

Hiking and Recreation

The hiking destinations on or near the worm mountain next to his summit with the Wurmbergschanze ( with observation deck and restaurant) are the restaurant Rodelhaus, the Small and Great Worm Mountain Cliff, the worm mountain quarry, the Bears Bridge at the warm Bode and the localities Brown situation, misery, Königskrug and Schierke. In the warm season can be driven on the mountain with mountain bikes and monster scooters. The standing on the mountain restaurant worm -Alm is included as No. 156 in the system of stamp locations of the Harz hiking pin.

Winter sports area

On the worm Mountain is a winter sports area (about 570 to 971.2 m):

Ski jumps

The worm mountain is home to several ski jumps: On its summit stands since 1922 Wurmbergschanze, the 30 m high starting tower includes an observation deck, and on the southern slopes are close to Braun situation, the Brockenwegschanzen.

Rodelhaus and toboggan run

At about halfway up the southern slope is 100 m away from the middle station of Wurmbergseilbahn the Rodelhaus. It arose from a simple farm buildings directly on top of the toboggan run in 1908 opened, is farmed to this day and is a popular destination. On the 1.5 or 2 miles of paths to be down with carriage for engagement meadow near the valley station of the cable car sledding.

Skiing

On the worm mountain there are six ski slopes with difficulty from easy to difficult and 12 km in total length. The longest slope is predominantly on the southern slope of 4.5 km in length and 400 m in altitude; more direct trail runs parallel to another runway around 3.5 km in length. On the southeast slope of the slope Coffee Horst, which is 400 m long and 80 m height difference has, and the slope Hexenritt, which is approximately 180 to 200 m long and 60 m has height difference are; Moreover, there's the snowboard slopes for snowboarders, which is 400 m long and 80 m height difference has. On the north side is the slope north slope, which is 350 to 400 m long and 80 m has height difference.

Besides the Wurmbergseilbahn (see above) are available for skiers and snowboarders three drag lifts - the double anchor lift (430 m long, built in 1968 ) on the southeastern slope of the coffee Horst and Hexenritt and two parallel plate lifts ( each 300 m long, 1974 built ) on the northern slope on the ski slope - are available which have a combined carrying capacity (without the cable car ) of 2,454 people per hour. From the winter 2013/2014 season also is a new four-chair available.

For cross country skiers there is the 3.5 km long worm mountain trail available, from which there is a link to other trails, the trail network in the Harz has over 500 km of total length.

Worm Mountain 2015

In the late summer of 2012 was begun against considerable opposition from conservation organizations with the 7.5 million -euro project "Worm Mountain 2015". The clearing works for the widening of the existing ski slopes as well as two new ski slopes and a large parking lot south of the coffee nest was completed on 29 September 2012 for the most part. 2013, the summit of the 5,000 m² large Schneisee was applied to the west, serving the water supply of the extensive snowmaking equipment. The new downhill run from the top to the coffee Horst was equipped with a modern snow lances - conditioning and a 4-seater chairlift. Later, still added a lighting system for night operation. The other runs were made snow is guaranteed by snow cannons. After all, several necessary for the operation of the new facilities buildings were still being built. About the Summit the different runs are now linked. On 6 December 2013, the remodeled ski area was opened.

Northeast of the worm Bergs - in the area between Great and Small Winterberg - to be built towards the village Schierke in Saxony-Anhalt, a ski lift or gondola with four new departures. In addition to a tire sled facility ( snow tubing ) to allow for lift. In the final stage the winter sports and skiing could have 13 runs with a total of around 30 km of slopes. There are also the possibilities for activities are expanded in the warm season: For example, a ZipRider to be erected.