Bruchberg
Encyclopedia
At the Bruchberg in the Upper Harz
is the second highest mountain in Lower Saxony
and the third highest in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It lies between Altenau
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
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.
The Wolfswarte, at , 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 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, the Hanskühnenburg
.
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.
Since 2007 the Wolfswarte has been a checkpoint on the Harz Walking Route (Harzer Wandernadel
). The checkpoint is not on the summit, but about 200 metres down the hill to the southwest on the Wolfswarte Weg.
Upper Harz
The Upper Harz refers to the western and higher part of the Harz mountain range in central Germany. Much of the Upper Harz is over , but at its eastern edge in the High Harz it climbs to over on the Brocken massif.- Geography :...
is the second highest mountain in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
and the third highest in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It lies between Altenau
Altenau
Altenau may refer to:places in Germany:* Altenau, Lower Saxony, a town in Lower Saxony* A part of Mühlberg in Brandenburg* A part of Saulgrub, Bavariarivers in Germany:* Altenau , a tributary of the Oker in eastern Lower Saxony...
and Torfhaus
Torfhaus
Torfhaus is a village in the borough of the mining town of Altenau in the Harz mountains of Germany and lies at a height of about .This small settlement consists mainly of restaurants, youth hostels, ski huts and large car parks. It is the highest settlement in Lower Saxony...
in the middle of the Harz National Park
Harz National Park
The Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises large portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg on the northern slopes...
. 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
Bark beetle
A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family...
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.
The Wolfswarte, at , 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 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
Schulenberg im Oberharz
Schulenberg im Oberharz is a municipality in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany....
and also from the Torfhaus.
To the southwest the heights of the Bruchberg are continued by the Acker Ridge with its mountain hut, the Hanskühnenburg
Hanskühnenburg
The Hanskühnenburg is a mountain hut in the Harz mountains. It is located at a height of above sea level in fields known as Auf dem Acker, or simply Acker, in the middle of the Harz National Park and has its own observation tower...
.
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.
Since 2007 the Wolfswarte has been a checkpoint on the Harz Walking Route (Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
). The checkpoint is not on the summit, but about 200 metres down the hill to the southwest on the Wolfswarte Weg.