Winter doesn't just bring snow and ice to Germany, it also makes many a mysterious place seem even more mysterious. The Kyffhouser Mountains, for instance, a small range on the southern edge of the Harz, unfold their full magic in winter. This magic dates back to the emperor Frederick the First, the legendary Barbarossa, who is said to be waiting here hidden away deep inside the mountain for the day when he will rise once again.
Mystical events are also associated with the Teutoburg Forest. This is where the legendary battle between the Romans and the Germanic tribes, led by Hermann of the Cherusci, is said to have taken place. It's also the site of the Externsteine, a group of weirdly shaped rocks which served as a place of worship in pre-Christian times. Other mystical places in Germany may be less conspicuous, but they are no less mysterious.
Not far from Rabenstein Castle, near Bayreuth, lies the Druid's Grove, which is said to have been an extremely sacred place to druids in Celtic times. The Harz, on the other hand, has always been the home of witches. Every year on Walpurgis Night, they meet to dance on the legendary Blocksberg. If Goethe's Faust is to be believed, this legendary witches mountain is none other than the Brocken, the highest of the Harz mountains.
Tourist-Information
Harzer Verkehrsverband e.V.
Marktstr. 45
38640 Goslar
Tel.: 05321 - 34040
Fax: 05321 - 340466
Additional sources of information:
Kyffhouser Denkmal
06567 Bad Frankenhausen
Tel: 0343651- 2780
Externsteine
Peter Weinfurth
Herner Str. 299 Haus 6
44809 Bochum
Walpurgisnacht
Harzer Verkehrsverband e.V.
Marktstr. 45
38640 Goslar
Tel.: 05321 - 34040
Fax: 05321 - 340466