Always along the former inner-German border … across almost 100 impressive kilometers: the Harz Border Trail leads directly to the traces of the German division. Sometimes on cozy paths, sometimes on the concrete slabs of the patrol road.
The Harz Border Trail along the Green Belt, which for the most part runs directly on secluded border paths or the former "patrol road" along the former inner-German border, uniquely connects the nature, culture, and history of the Harz.
It crosses the mountain range on a varied and partly demanding hiking route between the Rhoden Border Tower (Osterwieck) in the north and the Borderland Museum Tettenborn (Bad Sachsa) in the south.
On the way, you experience German contemporary history up close. Through the Ecker Valley, long years a border river, the path winds along the Ecker dam – through the middle of which the border also ran – up to the Brocken. Passing the Dreieckiger Pfahl, a historic tri-border stone, it goes below the Wurmberg to the border opening memorial stone between Braunlage and Elend. Relics of the German division are preserved at the open-air border museum near Sorge. The Ring of Remembrance and the tri-border stone at Jägerfleck near Benneckenstein are contemporary border markers on the way to Walkenried Abbey, which offers a fascinating insight into the significance of the Cistercians for the development of the region.
The Harzklub has completely re-signposted the trail. Information boards explain protected biotopes and historical sites along the way. For those who want to know more, specially trained hiking guides offer guided routes. Specialized travel operators also organize luggage-free hikes over various stages along the Harz Border Trail.