Follow the signage number 1 on the yellow petal.
The starting point is at the tourist information at Schnappelberg. Follow the paved main path through the castle park to the Great Castle. Leave it to the right and continue straight ahead into Friederike-Caroline-Neuber Street towards Schieferberg. An information board there explains the namesake of the renamed street. Crossing the small parking lot by Café Benz, you reach the wide forest path leading uphill toward the Ziegenkopf excursion restaurant. From the left, after a few hundred meters, the panoramic hiking trail, marked with a 3 on the green petal, joins your path. This trail accompanies you from now on to Michaelstein Monastery. The signage points the way to a small, inconspicuous path on the right. Your path winds first close to the B 27 along the hillside. A bench with a beautiful view of the castle invites you to rest. Continue along the steep ascent next to the fenced property before descending in switchbacks onto Knorrenbergstraße. At the signage by the garden fence, turn left and walk a few meters along Knorrenbergstraße before it turns into an increasingly narrow forest path by the weekend houses. Heading toward the federal road B 27, you reach a well-built stairway continuing on the other side of the street. A seemingly insignificant bridge lying in the forest protects against muddy shoes on wet days below the small pond.
The path continues winding toward Wasserweg. On this, briefly keep left, then follow the wide forest road to the right toward Michaelstein Monastery, passing the holiday home settlement “Eichenberg.” Following the path, you circle a forest clearing and come straight to the underpass of the “Rübelandbahn.” Further through the deciduous forest, you eventually reach the “Schäferlinde,” an impressive natural monument. The tree was considered a protective tree for shepherds and herders in the area. The path leads to the edge of Oesig, a district of Blankenburg, onto Waldfriedensstraße. Shortly following this to the left, you pass a scenic pond and then turn right toward the Teufelsbad specialist clinic. The wide path continues through mixed forest. At the monastery ponds, walk between the ponds and reach stamp box number 59 of the Harz Hiking Badge. The nearby inn “Zum Klosterfischer” offers a nice, nature-close place to stop.
The second, quite demanding stage of the Herzogstour leads from the stamp box and the adjacent hiking sign initially right toward Klostergrundweg. Once there, turn left and follow the main path for about 4 km straight uphill toward Volkmarskeller. On this part of the hike, you overcome about 200 meters of elevation. Along the way, you pass a memorial for miners from the Volkmar mine who died in a 1893 explosion.
The Volkmarskeller is a karst cave, whose settlement by a hermit named Volkmar around the year 950 is assumed. Exactly above the cave entrance, in the 12th century, Cistercians built a small monastery they named after their patron saint “Michaelstein.” Shortly afterward, the monastery was moved to its current location at the beginning of Klostergrund. Stamp station number 87 is directly on the hiking trail next to an information board. The cave itself is accessible via a narrow path about 30 m to the left of the stamp box.
Continue following signage number 1 towards Eggeröder Brunnen. The small forest settlement is mostly part of the city Oberharz am Brocken. This explains why the highest point of today’s tour, around 460 m above sea level, is reached here. Before reaching the houses, turn left onto Herzogsweg towards Blankenburg. From here, stay on this path for about 8 km, which leads through the beautiful shady Stiftung forest. Rocky sections and whispering treetops line the comfortable path. Here, away from crowd and busy trails, you will find peace and relaxation. You will probably meet the next hikers only at the Otto-Ebert railway bridge looking for stamp number 79 of the Harz Hiking Badge. A few steps further, cross federal road B 27 at the Albert-Schneider monument. The monument commemorates the railway specialist and co-founder of the Harzklub. Nearby, the mountain inn “Ziegenkopf” offers a place to eat. The Herzogsweg continues straight to the next major crossroads. Here, keep right and walk along the sunny mountainside. Through the trees, you can see the Sägemühlenteich sparkling to the right below. Approaching the Great Castle, you will find some information boards of the Stiftung circular route (trail no. 4 on red petal) with explanations about the natural forest habitat that surrounded you on your beautiful hike. Upon arriving at the buildings, turn left, then immediately right through the castle park downhill to the starting point of the Herzogstour.
