The Hexentanzplatz in the Harz mountains is a plateau , which lies high above the Bode Gorge

Bode Gorge

The Bode Gorge is a long, ravine that forms part of the Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, Bodetal , is also used in a wider sense to refer to the valleys of the Warme and Kalte Bode rivers that feed the River Bode.At the Bode Gorge,...

, opposite the Rosstrappe in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

, Germany.

History

The Hexentanzplatz is reputedly an Old Saxon cult site, at which, celebrations were held in honour of the so-called Hagedisen (forest and mountain goddesses), particularly on the night of 1 May. The place did not become known as the Hexentanzplatz until the cult was banned by the invading Christian Franks

Franks

The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...

. According to tradition the site was guarded by Frankish soldiers in order to enforce the ban and they were chased off by Saxons

Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...

 dressed as witches and riding on broomsticks. Another old Saxon cult site is found on the Brocken.

Above the Hexentanzplatz are the remains of the Sachsenwall ("Saxon Dyke"), a wall of granite rocks and possibly part of a larger fortification, more than 1,500 years old.

Tourism

Since the middle of the 19th century there has been a mountain hotel of the same name on the Hexentanzplatz.

On the plateau is the Thale Mountain Theatre (Bergtheater Thale) one of the oldest open-air theatres in Germany with 1,350 seats, which was founded in 1903 by Ernst Wachler.

In the Walpurgishalle Museum, built by painter, Hermann Hendrich

Hermann Hendrich

Hermann Hendrich was a German painter.-Biography:...

, the legends of the surrounding Harz mountains and scenes from Goethe’s

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...

 Faust are brought to life. A sacrifice stone (Opferstein) is also exhibited there, which recalls ancient fertility rites.

A gondola lift runs from Thale

Thale

Thale is a town in the Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany.-Geography:It is situated on the river Bode, approximately 8 km west of Quedlinburg. It is the terminus of the Magdeburg–Thale railway.- History :...

 up to the Hexentanzplatz.

Today, the Hexentanzplatz resembles a small theme park aimed at families, including a car park (charge: 5 euros), the gondola car and mini-coaster rides, small gift and craft shops and a zoo. While there are relatively unspoiled forests nearby with plenty of hiking trails, the immediate area of the Hexentanzplatz has been fairly well commercialized.

The Hexentanzplatz Wildlife Park illustrates the variety of the many different species of animal in the Harz region. There is also a Sommerrodelbahn

Sommerrodelbahn

A Sommerrodelbahn is a form of dry toboggan run. Located on the side of a steep hill, it may consist of a track or rail upon which cars or carriages run downhill at high speed or simply a concave concrete trough down which participants slide on plastic 'toboggans'.An example of a Sommerrodelbahn...

, the Harzbob; and the Homburg Watchtower

Homburg Watchtower

The Homburg Watchtower is an observation tower on the site of a Germanic refuge castle near the Hexentanzplatz above the town of Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany.- Location :...

 lookout tower below the mountain theatre.

There is a checkpoint (no. 167) in the 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...

hiking network at the viewing point of Ellricher Blick.

Sources

• Falko Kirsch: Führer durch das Bodetal. Geschichte, Geologie, Sagen, Flora, Fauna. Thale
• Ute Fuhrmann und Rainer Vogt: Die Steine am Hexentanzplatz Stekovics Verlag 2007, ISBN 978-3-89923-116-8

External links

• Hexentanzplatz