Harz Mountians/Brocken Steam help and advice.

Hello there.

Im hoping a few people on here who travel to see steam may be able to help me.

Myself and a friend are looking at visiting the Harz in Jan for my birthday. We are looking to stay in Wernigerode and make the most of the steam up the Brocken. Does anyone know any good places to stay here? Also what sort of cost are the steam services etc over there. Lastly, whats the best way to get there. Were looking a flying to somewhere and then a train etc. Is it worth the trip?

Im completly new to this and speak no German, so really strugeling with various things.

Thanks

Andy

 

Went there this February, well worth the trip. Where else in the world can you see 3 scheduled steam hauled trains in one station at one time?

Flew to Hanover with BMI from Heathrow about £50 in each direction.

DB to Wernigerode book on line on t'interweb at a discount.

Tickets even tell you which platform your train will go from.

Others fly to Berlin - costs about the same.

If you go to their website

http://www.hsb-wr.de/
and use google translate you will get most of the info you require but happy to answer any specific questions you have.

There a lot of good hotels in the town - depends what your budget is.


I speak very little German - but got by OK. Younger people tend to speak English - older people tend not to (they speak German and Russian) but you can ;learn a few phrases and get by. I learnt Isorry I can't speak German - which just encouraged them to talk more.

I booked via:
http://www.booking.com/index.html?aid=3 ... _headerand stayed at:

Hotel Schloßpalais

Other people will recommend you other hotels.

but they are all reasonable

Town itself is charming.

I think a three day rover is 40 euros

If you are there on a Friday afternoon you can tour ther old works but the tour is in German (worth doing anyway) That was the only time I struggled when I tried to buy a ticket as I spoke too little German and no one spoke English.


my pics from my trip:

http://simon71.fotopic.net/c1468559.html

Going back soon I hope
PM me if you want to know more.

 

You do know I have a decent grasp on German don't you? I could help you plan.

 

I didnt, may well ask you to translate some bits for me if you dont mind.

 

Well worth the effort if you fly to Berlin or Hannover by cheap flights then train to the Harz via either Halle ( Berlin ) or Braunschweig ( Hannover ).

The shed at Wernigerode is very friendly - especially at night for night shots and the junction at Drei Annen Hohne is good for departures. Do not be put off by the weather at this location as often the trip up to Brocken goes through the clouds and reaches sunshine.

The area is a maelstrom of witch culture which emanates from the optical illusion of human shadows being cast on the clouds and the locals, not realising it was their own shadows, opined it was witches haunting the mountains hence the legends that surround the Brocken and which also gave rise to Goethe's tale of Dr Faust.

If you need further info - log on to www.hsb-wr.de for information on the railway and its timetable - but be aware that because this area was once part of East Germany Russian and German are the prime languages but the English are visiting in such numbers that young people are now learning English and are happy to talk in fractured English with you as part of their learning experience.

If you spend long enough it may also be worth visiting the Ruebelbahn which is in the same area. Its main claim to fame was that it was the only 25kV AC overhead system in Germany; since the wall came down so has the electric network and traction is now provided by diesel prototypes which were not promulgated on the main line but the gradient profile still makes this a line worth visiting.

 

I heartily recommend the Selketalbahn section of the network. Very nice unspoilt old towns like Hasselfelde and Alexisbad. Not as dramatic as Brocken line but atmosphere of a rural backwater in the old days remains. Not as much steam on the Selketalbahn, but even the railbuses look quite pleasant.

It depends on how long you have and of course how many Euros - present exchange rate not very favourable; hope it improves by the time you go.

Gute Reise!

John

 

Just go....

I have been to East Germany over a dozen times and to Harz five times. My German is rubbish. I can order a beer and that is about it! You will have no problems in the Harz as it is a tourist area and they are certainly more friendly/understanding to foreign speakers than in North Wales (only joking..well sort of!).

I always fly via Berlin. Hanover is fine but you have to trek all the way to London and I would rather travel in Germany. The Germans are better at transport than we are. Hamburg is a fairly good option as well if you want a two centre trip. Mega model railway is worth the trip alone plus loads of ships and modern traction.

The Selketalbahn is fantastic and of another age but fairly sparse service. Worth doing though as I have my doubts how long it can survive. Bit like the W&L without the passengers. If photting best advice is to get a car or use the frequent bus service that follows the line out of Gernrode.

As far as photo locations are concerned get a map and walk the sign posted paths that follow the line. Some good locations have been opened up above the tunnel that are well worth doing. Also there is a cracking shot about 3KM above Schierke at a level crossing. If you need info on more spots pm me.

I would stay in Wernigerode. La Rustica is my favourite, great location, good price and very friendly. They are use to people who can not speak German. Recommend the kebab shops and Asian Imbis, which overlooks the shed yard, if you want cheap but good food. Warning shed is very friendly but they do not appreciate people going into the shed building unless invited.

Got to go, tea on the table!

 

Pay for my ticket and I'll come along as interpreter. :smt003
Stayed here two years ago http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/sch...t_monthday=3;errorv_checkin_year_month=2007-1
Some staff including the boss spoke English so no problems on that front if you don't speak the lingo. A working knowledge of German helps but non German speaking mates of mine have been and got by OK.

 

If you around at Wernigerode at Night if you ask the blokes on shed if it is ok to look around, it seems ok to them as long as you are polite and ask first.

 

A quick check of Easy Jet shows a daily service at 11:50 from Liverpool - Berlin arriving at 14:45 which should connect into main line services for Halle then local service to Wernigerode.

Noting your avatar detail refers to Middleton Railway I presume you're handy for Liverpool thus this could be the best departure point; my wife and I have used Easy Jet befotre and find it basic but reasonable so go and enjoy - and have a Happy Birthday

 

I have found be polite, be decent and a whole new world opens up. They even sold me a sack of coal (legally) for my live steam locos.

A car helps to get some of the more unusual shots but travelling by train you still get many opportunities.

Try speaking a bit of German as well. Two or three phrases are a good start.

 

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/

This website is in english. Can book tickets. 3.50 hours from Berlin Sch. Note you can also go by Magdeburg which is the way I have always gone. Most of the way is on hauled RE but last bit is on a plastic railcar.

Fred - Not sure about Easyjet being basic? Brand new planes, polite staff, good fares, very reliable, regional to city centre routes.... I am converted! Use to travel with BA and BMI and most of the other flag airlines but don't bother anymore as Easyjet is just as good in all areas accept you don't pay an extra £100 for a sandwich, paper and a coffee. Now Ryanair...

 

Just to whet your appetite - and that of anyone who wonders what the fascination is of the Harzquerbahn system - try the undernoted which will guide you to a series of films that should explain it all

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WeMKzUQP- ... re=related

Look - enjoy - and savour !

 

A bog-standard return from Wernigerode to the Brocken will cost you 24 euros, which I guess with the way the pound has gone down the pan so much lately is quite pricey. So it's worth bearing in mind - presumably you'd be spending a few days on the trains - that you can get a 3-day rover for 40 euros and a 5-day rover for 45 euros, these cover the entire HSB network. These are "Mehrtageskarten [multiday ticket] Erwachsene [adult]" in German.

If you fancy, you can pay extra to have a cabride. This'll cost you 31 euro for a 15 km section anywhere on the HSB, except for the Drei Annen Hohne to Brocken section which will cost you 62 euros. In a way it's a lot of lolly, but then the engine will be giving it some welly going up the mountain, so should be pretty exciting! You have to be over 18 to do this and the HSB usually recommend you book that in advance. "Dampflokmitfahrt" is the German for this.

Cheers

Andrew

 

The thrash up the Brocken is pretty tasty from the train so it will be something rather special from the Führerstand I should imagine.

 

I've just booked flights to Bremen and back in February to go to the Harz. Yes, I know Bremen is a bit of a trek (3 1/2 hours away from Wernigerode!) but it was far cheaper to do it that way and get the train down than to fly to somewhere closer. The joys of £5 flights from Ryanair! Hotel booked too, 120 euros B&B for 4 nights.

Anyone know any good locations that are accessible by train or bus? Basically got 3 full days there, plus afternoon on first day and morning of last day, so not really a lot of time to go exploring.

 

Not the easiest of lines to do by public transport but there are some worth exploring. If doing it by train then the crossroads immediately after Wernigerode Westerntor station is a classic location as the line runs right through the middle of it. Can't guarantee queues of Trabants these days though. There are also one or two nice spots either side of Wernigerode Kirchstrasse station with a short bit of street running. Next comes to mind Drei Annen Hohne. Shots are available of both arrivals and departures with short walks to a couple of spots. Another way of doing things is to get the large scale walking map of the Brocken, take the first train to the top and then walk back down to Schierke. IIRC the line crosses the track in three places with shots available at each. You'll need good weather for that though. Have never used the buses so can't comment although I'm sure it's possible to use them to chase trains at least at the Wernigerode end.

 

I also haven't used the buses around Wernigerode myself, but should imagine it would give you some extra options if you wanted to change locations for photographing the trains.

The local bus company WVB's website address is http://store.hhips.de/wvb-gmbh/np_region.php. The various timetables are available as PDFs on that page

The area route map (netzplan) is available as a PDF on http://store.hhips.de/wvb-gmbh/pdf/np_region.pdf - that shows the bus routes and the HSB railway lines, so you can get an idea where the buses and trains both go to from that.

The 257 for example, goes from Wernigerode Hbf, the main station, through Westerntor and Hasserode to Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke - so that could be useful on the Brockenbahn for moving about, that bus also goes to Elend, that's the next station after after Drei Annen Hohne on the Harzquerbahn down to Eisfelder Talmuhle, so there's a possibility there for changing locations between the two lines, depending how the timings work out.

There's also the 262 bus which goes down to Sorge and Benneckenstein and the 265 which goes down to Hasselfelde and Stiege, so those might be useful, again, depending how the times work out.

The bus company do various 'rover' tickets, that's on http://store.hhips.de/wvb-gmbh/preistafel.php... I haven't really read that through yet to see what might be of use... the 3-day Harz Tour Card might be useful as that appears to cover the HSB, excluding the Brockenbahn, the buses and some DB trains... I'll have to check the small print on that one, might be wrong!

Cheers,

Andrew

 

There's a decent street map of Wernigerode at...
http://www.staedte-verlag.de/utcms/de-k ... pplz=38855
You can follow the route of the HSB through the town quite easily on that and see the couple of locations Spamcan81 mentioned where the line crooses over the main road near Westerntor station - where the big yellow Illsenberger Strasse, Freidrichstrasse, Westernstrasse and Salzbergstrasse meet on the map, as per photo at...
http://flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/1037903891/
and then scrolling the map as it follows the railway to the left brings you to 'Haltpunkt Hochschule Harz' - or Harz High School Halt if you like, the small platform where you get some nice picturesque street running shots at Kirchstrasse, as per photo at...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dick_van_b ... 322731620/

Again, as as Spamcan81 mentioned, short walks either side of Drei Annen Hohne and Schierke stations will give you some decent shots, the HSB lines are nice and open - none of those grisley Network Rail metal fence things about, and the station cafes at those two locations are pretty decent! Plenty of footpaths around the Brocken, the line does a curly bit around the mountain as it gets towards the top , so you haven't got far to go to get a trackside shot on the climb, if that makes sense.

Cheers

Andrew

 

It is worth taking a trip to Quedlinburg to pick up the other end of the line - rather quieter but still some big gradients. Easily reached by train.

If you are there on Friday afternoon, you should do the shed tour - 1.30pm on Friday.

http://simon71.fotopic.net/c1468559_1.html