Brocken
1,142 m
Germany
Also known as Blokksbjarg, БрокенAlso known as
Blokksbjarg · Брокен
- Elevation
- 1,142 m
- Prominence
- 856 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 29 Sep 2026
Because of high forest-fire danger the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen switched the Brockenbahn from steam to diesel locomotives with immediate effect on 29 September 2026; a replacement timetable with at least six trains a day to the summit applies, with minor changes to departure times. No end date was given.
volksstimme.de
Routes
2The easiest and busiest way up the Brocken: 8.8 km and about 340 m of ascent from Torfhaus (about 800 m) along the Abbegraben water channel, across the Großes Torfhausmoor on boardwalks and past the Eckersprung on the old inner-German border, finishing on the paved Brockenstraße. About 2.5 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 9.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +369 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,142 m
- Time Up
- 2h 59m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the large paid car park or the bus stop at Torfhaus on the B4, where the Harz National Park visitor centre stands. The Goetheweg, signed and part of the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg, follows the Abbegraben, a water channel of 1827 that belongs to the Upper Harz Water Management World Heritage site, then crosses the Großes Torfhausmoor on a wooden boardwalk and runs along the foot of the Quitschenberg. At the Eckersprung the path crosses the line of the former inner-German border (Harzer Wandernadel stamp 136); a short steep step climbs about 50 m in 300 m. The path then runs beside the Brockenbahn line past the Goetheweg railway halt (about 956 m), where the spruce forest opens into dwarf shrub heath, and joins the asphalt Brockenstraße for the last kilometre or so to the summit plateau, the Brockenhaus and the Brocken station. The official figures are 8.8 km, 341 m of ascent and 2 hours 30 minutes one way; the surface is mostly gravel tracks and road, with only short sections of natural path. Return the same way (about 2 hours), or take the Brockenbahn down to Schierke or Wernigerode. On a clear day the path is very busy; in fog, rain and wind, which are frequent, the open upper section feels far more serious than its grade.
Start
Torfhaus805 m
- Brockenbahn (Harzer Schmalspurbahnen) from Wernigerode via Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke to the summit station (1,125 m)
- Bus 820 (Bad Harzburg – Braunlage) to Torfhaus; Bad Harzburg has a railway station. The Brockenbahn from the summit to Schierke and Wernigerode allows a one-way walk.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torfhaus → Brocken | 9.4 | 369 | 34 | 2h 59m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Torfhaus805 m
Bus stop and Harz National Park visitor centre TorfHaus; large paid car park just north
- Feature: Großes Torfhausmoor800 m
Boardwalk across the moor along the Abbegraben
- Feature: Eckersprung888 m
Former inner-German border; short steep step beyond
- Station: Goetheweg956 m
Brockenbahn halt; the path follows the railway from here
- Feature: Brockenstraße1,126 m
Paved road (closed to public traffic) for the last kilometre to the summit
- Summit: Brocken1,142 m
Key Passages
- Boardwalk across the Großes Torfhausmoor
- Short steep step beyond the Eckersprung
- Open heath beside the Brockenbahn above the Goetheweg halt
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
At 1,141 m the highest summit in northern Germany and the Harz, a broad granite dome in Harz National Park with a narrow-gauge steam railway to the top, fog on around 300 days a year and an easy 8.8 km walk from Torfhaus along Goethe's route.
The Brocken rises about 850 m above its surroundings at the northern edge of the German uplands, and its exposed position gives it a climate closer to the Alps at 1,600–2,200 m than to its modest height: a mean annual temperature of about 3–4 °C, around 1,800 mm of precipitation, snow on about 120 days a year and a record gust of 263 km/h. Above roughly 1,100 m the spruce forest gives way to a natural tree line of dwarf shrub heath and granite boulder fields.
The summit is not wild. It carries the Brockenhaus (the national park visitor centre in a former Stasi listening station), a hotel and restaurant in the old transmitter tower, a Deutscher Wetterdienst station, the Brocken garden and the terminus of the Brockenbahn, a metre-gauge railway that has climbed from Wernigerode since 1899. The paved Brockenstraße from Schierke is closed to public traffic but used by horse-drawn wagons and cyclists.
As a walk the Brocken is easy: the Goetheweg from Torfhaus has about 340 m of ascent, and the steeper Eckerlochstieg from Schierke about 500 m. The interest lies in the weather, the history of the summit as a Cold War exclusion zone, and the clear days when the view extends across the North German Plain. Expect crowds on fine weekends.
Climbing Notes
Any reasonably fit walker can reach the summit; no technical skills are needed. Plan on 2–2.5 hours up from Torfhaus or Schierke and a little less down, or walk one way and use the Brockenbahn. Dress for conditions far harsher than in the valleys: wind, fog and rain are the norm, and the summit is often several degrees colder than Torfhaus. In fog the open upper section is featureless, so keep to the marked paths. In winter the Goetheweg is a popular snow walk; microspikes or snowshoes help, and the steep Eckerlochstieg is awkward when icy. The national park requires visitors to stay on signed paths. On fine weekends start early or go midweek to avoid the crowds.
History
The first documented ascent was by the physician Johannes Thal in 1572. Goethe climbed the Brocken in 1777, roughly along today's Goetheweg, and later set the Walpurgis Night scene of Faust (1808) here. A refuge, the Wolkenhäuschen, was built in 1736 and the first summit inn around 1800; weather observations go back to 1836. The Brockenbahn opened on 27 March 1899, and the world's first television tower was built on the summit in 1936. From August 1961 the summit lay in the GDR border zone as a military exclusion area with Soviet and Stasi listening stations, enclosed by a wall of 2,318 concrete sections. It was reopened by a demonstration walk on 3 December 1989, and became part of Harz National Park in 1990.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Good
- Jan
- Winter walking on snow; frequent fog and strong winds; microspikes or snowshoes useful
- Feb
- Winter conditions; check snow and wind before going
- Mar
- Snow and slush on the upper paths; often wet and foggy
- Apr
- Late snow on the summit plateau is common; paths muddy
- May
- Snow mostly gone; Brocken garden opens mid-May
- Jul
- Busiest month; thunderstorms possible
- Aug
- Busy; check forest-fire warnings in dry spells
- Sep
- Often the clearest weather
- Oct
- Autumn storms and fog increase; Brocken garden closes mid-October
- Nov
- Grey, wet and windy; first snow
- Dec
- Winter walking when snow lies; short days
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Paid parking at the Torfhaus car park and in Schierke
- Brockenbahn: fare charged (Harzer Schmalspurbahnen)
- Rules
- Harz National Park: stay on signed paths (Wegegebot), keep dogs on a lead, do not pick or collect anything; no drones, fires, smoking or camping
- The Brockenstraße from Schierke is closed to public motor traffic
- During high forest-fire danger, parts of the park can be closed at short notice; large fires in 2022 and September 2024 led to the evacuation and closure of the summit area
- Getting There
Wernigerode (Schierke and Torfhaus are the trailhead villages)
Hannover Airport (HAJ); Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ)
- Torfhaus: bus 820 between Bad Harzburg (railway station) and Braunlage; by car on the B4 from Bad Harzburg, the B242 from Braunlage or the L504 from Altenau
- Schierke: Brockenbahn station and buses from Wernigerode; park in the village, the Nationalparkhaus has no car access
- Brockenbahn: Harzer Schmalspurbahnen from Wernigerode via Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke to the summit, usually steam-hauled
Hazards
- Weather