“Now to the Brocken the witches ride;
The stubble is gold and the corn is green;
There is the carnival crew to be seen,
And Squire Urianus will come to preside.
So over the valleys our company floats,
With witches a-farting on stinking old goats.”
– Goethe
Written in 1808 Goethe described Brocken Mountain in Faust as where the witches meet on Walpurgis Night. He was inspired by two rock formations at the top called the Teufelskanzel (Devil’s Pulpit) and the Hexenaltar (Witches’ Altar).
“The mountain somehow appears so Germanically stoical, so understanding, so tolerant, just because it affords a view so high and wide and clear. And should such mountain open its giant eyes, it may well see more than we, who like dwarfs just trample on it, staring from stupid eyes.” – author Heinrich Heine, A Harz Journey
The drive to Schierke, Germany is scenic and swervy. We parked near the town hall and started steppin up the path. This was the first mountain hike for both me and my friend so we took our time, enjoying the landscape and taking lots of photos.
After a couple hours of hoofing it… we finally made it to the top!
We were SO LUCKY to have such beautiful weather! You could see for miles and miles. At the summit there is a museum, gift shop, and a couple places to treat yourself to a bockwurst and a beer. If you walked up you definitely deserved it!
Taking a different path back down to Schierke made for a totally different foliage and a rockier path. We realized we had a hitchhiker wood gnome with us who kept wanting his picture taken. The hike wasn’t too arduous but it was an all day event so make sure to plan ahead. And check the weather… from what I read the weather from town versus the top of Brocken can differ greatly.
