Holiday Magazine 2023

Zeit zu bleiben 2 Time

Zeit zu bleiben 2 Time to stay … FOR INQUISITIVES … FÜR STADTGESCHICHTEN Time to stay … FOR INQUISITIVES At the foot of the Brocken: UNIQUE SCHIERKE With its rushing creek Bode, the fragrant mountain meadows as well as the breathless silence of the mountain wilderness, Schierke has the best preconditions for a relaxing stay. When you are here for the first time you don’t really know where to look first. Here a swanky villa, there a half-timbered architecture and over there a rustic wooden hut – a look at Schierke’s history tells you how all this matches. Even though Schierke is a district of Wernigerode since 2009 it is totally different. The “most beautiful floor in the Harz“, as it is called, Schierke surprises its guests with a nearly alpine character. It lies 600 m above sea level surrounded by the protecting Harz Mountains. This special altitude combined with a good air quality brought Schierke the official award “State-approved climatic health resort”. What the jury additionally convinced for this rating was the excellent touristic infrastructure, which had grown over decades and was consistently developed. Schierke’s tradition as a winter sport location really began in the 70s of the 19 th century, when Norwegian students brought skiing to the Harz. It eventually became professional ©Polyluchs Kreativagentur by the foundation of the Upper Harzer Ski Club through which organized skiing could be offered. The numbers of guests increased and facilities like the Eckerloch ski jump or the natural ice stadium were built. At the end of the 19 th century Schierke got connected to the Brocken railway. So the town managed to remain attractive also in snow-free times. More and more tourists spent their holidays in Schierke and explored the Harz from there. Together with the travellers the money came. Swanky villas and grand hotels arose. Between 1960 and 1980 a holiday became a question of confidence. Because of the vicinity to the then – Federal Republic of Germany only very few GDR citizens with permits could spend their holidays there. After the reunification, Schierkes history was changeable at first. With the reopening of the Brocken the tourism gained momentum, took a tumble in the mid-nineties and went up again with the 2000s. Today Schierke has regained its old exclusiveness with the Schierker Feuerstein Arena, its numerous hotels and holiday apartments as well as with its versatile leisure possibilities and elates all those who want spend an active holiday close to nature. 3 ca. 500 Inhabitants counts the district of Wernigerode ca. 8.000 Visitors at Walpurgis 2022 640 meters above sea level directly in the National park Harz 6.500 meters distance to the Brocken ©Polyluchs Kreativagentur Witches at the Walpurgis Festival Schierker Music Summer in the park ©Polyluchs Kreativagentur The Townhall of Schierke ©Polyluchs Kreativagentur The Old Pharmacy in Schierke ADVICE AND BOOKING IN THE TOURIST INFO • Guided town tours • Guided hikes/hiking tips • Accommodations • Event tips • Excursions in the region schierke-am-brocken.de