Guided tours through the Upper Harz Water Mgt. System –
discover the world's most important pre-industrial energy supply system above ground!
Specially trained World Heritage Guides are also available to guide you through the Upper Harz Water Management System. The tours are organized by the Upper Harz Mining Museum. In addition to the tours described in the following, which you can book as an individual or group, the tour managers of the museum can put together an individual tour according to your wishes.
With clothing to suit the weather conditions and sturdy shoes you are ideally equipped for a diversity of tours above ground:
© Stefan Sobotta
The largest pond cascade in the world heritage site – Auerhahn Cascade in the Bockswiese Mining Area
Discover this masterpiece of water engineering in the old mining area of Bockswiese. Six ponds arranged one above the other look as though they have been carved out of the forest. Together they can store around half a million cubic metres of water and in 1680 they already supplied numerous mines in Bockswiese with water power. On this circular tour between the six Auerhahn, Grumbacher and Flöß ponds you will learn about the function of a "Striegelhäuschen" (a small hut on the dam), the "Striegelzapfen" and the overflow.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2.5 hours · difficulty: easy to medium
© Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum
Of emperors, miners and machines – Zellerfelder Kunstgraben
Romantic babbling brooks run through the tranquil landscape of open mountain meadows next to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Artistic dry stone walling, small bridges and stone arches, however, tell a different story about the mines in Zellerfeld. They are evidence of the enormous achievements of the miners and their complex efforts to utilize the valuable water for mining. This easy circular tour offers you an ideal introduction to the Upper Harz Water Management System.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2.5 hours · difficulty: easy
© Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum
The crystal palace of aquarius – legends of the Harz
Does Aquarius still live in one of the ponds near Zellerfeld? Can you still see the walls of his Crystal Palace shimmering in the water? Walk with one of our expert World Heritage Guides on an exciting journey of discovery through the world of the Upper Harz legends and of course also on an exploratory tour through the Upper Harz Water Management System. Based on the old Harz legend of Aquarius you will also get to know the World Heritage, its method of function, its creators and the uses of this unique energy system.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 1.5 - 2 hours · difficulty: easy
© Hansjörg Hoerseljau
Water on a high level – Hirschler-Pfauenteich cascade
The Hirschler-Pfauenteich cascade, with its four ponds and the associated network of water transport ditches, is an impressive feature of the unique cultural heritage of the Upper Harz Water Management System and its sustainable utilization. On this circular tour you will find out about the connection, starting in the 17th century, between this impressive system of storage ponds and the bi-directional waterwheels in the nearby Caroline and Dorothea mines, which were especially rich in ore. You will also see how human activity changed the landscape of the Upper Harz.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2 hours · difficulty: easy to medium
© Stefan Sobotta
Where water flows backwards: Huttaler Widerwaage
Be amazed by ingenious hydraulic engineering on this tour, which includes the Huttaler Widerwaage counterbalance pond and the Hirschler-Pfauenteich cascade of ponds as well as numerous water transport ditches of the Upper Harz Water Management System.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 3:30 h · difficulty: easy
© Stefan Sobotta
Water and colourful meadows – pond landscape around Buntenbock
This easy circular tour will take you past mining ponds, many of which are dotted around the Clausthal plateau, turning it into a wonderful landscape filled with water and meadows. A network of ditches and tunnels carried the water from the area around Buntenbock to the ore mines far away in the Rosenhof mining area. Immerse yourself in the history of this cultural landscape and its importance for mining in the Upper Harz.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2 hours · difficulty: easy
© Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum
Pumps and water storage – Polsterberger hubhaus and dammgraben
The Dammgraben ditch system brings water from the distant upland moors around the Brocken and on the Bruchberg to the plateau around Clausthal-Zellerfeld. In the Polsterberger Hubhaus, today a forest restaurant, pumps driven by water wheels lifted the water 18 metres higher, into the Hirschler and Jägersbleeker storage ponds. The ore-rich mines Dorothea and Caroline needed a lot of water to hoist the coveted silver ore from the depths. On this easy circular tour you will investigate the most important "distribution nodes" in the Upper Harz Water Management energy supply system. At the pump house, the old water wheel chambers, the Polstertaler Teich pond and the numerous water transport ditches you will find out how water wheels provided the silver mines in the "Burgstätter" mining area with energy for centuries.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2 hours · difficulty: easy
© Harzwasserwerke GmbH
The monumental harz aqueduct – Sperberhaier Damm and Großer Kolk
With a height of 16 metres and a length of 950 metres the Sperberhaier Damm, which was built between 1732 and 1734, is one of the most monumental constructions in the Upper Harz Water Management System. Find out on this tour about the reasons for building this aqueduct, despite the enormous difficulties, the function of the "Großer Kolk" and why the Dammgraben and Morgenbrodtstaler Graben ditches flow together at exactly this point.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 1.5 hours · difficulty: easy
© Britta Nause, Harzer Tourismusverband e.V.
300 years of regenerative energy – Oderteich and Rehberger Graben
The largest of all the storage ponds in the Upper Harz is very unusual. With its 20-metre-high dam constructed from huge blocks of granite, the Oderteich was Germany's largest and highest reservoir for almost 170 years. Idyllically located in the middle of the Harz National Park, it still supplies water via the Rehberger Graben ditch for the generation of electricity. The Oderteich is thereby a very special example of the use of sustainable energy sources in the UNESCO World Heritage. Find out where the water was directed during dry periods, what the purpose of the granite obelisks was and when the impressive Oderfall waterfall was created. This circular tour offers you an insight into the construction and the function of this unusual architectural feature.
get further information on this guided tour
duration: around 2 hours · difficulty: easy to medium
![[Translate to english:] 4-2 Hirschler Pfauenteiche (© Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum Clausthal-Zellerfeld)](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/3/csm_4-2_Hirschler_Pfauenteiche___c__Oberharzer_Bergwerksmuseum_Clausthal-Zellerfeld__d86d863455.jpg "[Translate to english:] 4-2 Hirschler Pfauenteiche (© Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum Clausthal-Zellerfeld)")
Guided tours around Hahnenklee-Bockswiese
From April to October, guided hikes through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Harz Water Management System take place on Wednesdays. With a specially trained and certified hiking guide, you go on a discovery tour and get to know an ingenious water supply system.
From June to October, every Thursday (except Ascension Day) at 3.00 p.m. you can visit the mountain farmers' market in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. Here you can sit together after the hike before returning to Hahnenklee either on foot or by bus.
Exciting themed hikes (depending on the season)
- Easter hike followed by an egg supper
- Hikes to the Christmas market in Goslar
- Medicinal plant hikes
- Kale hike
- Mushroom hikes
All guided hikes are free of charge for Hahnenkleer guests with a guest card, otherwise they cost 2.00 euros per person. The minimum number of participants is 2, the maximum 20. Groups on request.
All prices are final prices incl. 19 % VAT, travel costs, state forestry permit fee and any spa administration fees.
CONTACT
Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum
Bornhardtstr. 16
38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Tel. +49 5323-98950
info(at)bergwerksmuseum.de
www.bergwerksmuseum.de
