To protect the Kaiserpfalz at Goslar, emperor Henry IV initiated the construction of the Große Harzburg between 1065 and 1068 CE. The fortification is located on the Burgberg, a very good strategic position which was by that time easy to defend. Henry was at war with the Saxonians and had to flee to the Harzburg which he also used to safely store relics and as a crypt for his family. Few years later in 1074 he had to agree to slight the fortification which exposed the Harzburg to looting by local farmers.
One hundred years later the castle was rebuilt under Frederick I (a.k.a. Barbarossa) and Otto IV. It changed owners several times and in 1650 finally the remaining parts of the Große Harzburg were removed. Today you can see remains of the walls, a reconstructed tower, the foundations of the castle and a bridge over a moat. There is not so much left, but the nice views on the surroundings and the Brocken mountain as a well as the beautiful forest surrounding it make it worth to get up onto the Burgberg.
Up there you’ll find a statue depicting Krodo, a God of the Saxonians. It is said that when Charlemagne succeeded against the Saxonians in 780 CE he destroyed a statue of Krodo on the Burgberg. But Krodo is back and today he is also the icon of Bad Harzburg. The second curio on the hill is the Canossasäule which is basically an obelisk with the face of Otto von Bismarck on it and quoting his words in the Reichstag in 1872: ‘We don’t walk to Canossa‘. But what does that mean and why didn’t he want to visit the Emilia-Romagna in Italy?
By that time states often were in conflict with the Holy See. In this case pope Pio IX declined the delegate of Bismarck who in reply denied to knee in front of the church and quoted the famous Walk to Canossa: Henry IV was excommunicated from the church by pope Gregory VII and walked to the castle of Canossa to bid for absolution. An absolute humiliation by the church which Bismarck didn’t want to repeat. The memorial for Otto von Bismarck was erected on the grounds of the Harzburg in 1877 as the castle was originally built by Henry IV.
To get up the hill you first need to park on one of the metered parking lots of the city. You can also reach Bad Harzburg by public transport (from Hannover, Braunschweig and Göttingen), the railway station is a 30 minutes walk afar from the cable car. At the lower station of the cable car you can buy your tickets and then queue up for the lift. Capacity is limited therefore you should expect some waiting time on busy days with bright sunshine. Personally, I would recommend to not buy the round trip ticket – the hike down the hill is quite nice and easy to do.
Bad Harzburg itself is a small town within the Harz mountain range in northern Germany. It is a spa town, offers a casino and it has several attractions created in the last years like the Baumwipfelpfad that gives you the opportunity to take a one kilometer long walk throughout the treetops of a forest or the suspended monorail that lets you glide down from the Burgberg through the trees. Don’t miss a walk through the pedestrian zone of the city with its many small shops and restaurants.
Große Harzburg
Bad Harzburg
Germany
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