The ''Hexentanzplatz'' (literally “Witches′ Dance Floor”) in the

Harz mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...

is a plateau () that lies high above the

Bode Gorge The Bode Gorge () is a long ravine that forms part of the Bode (river), Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, ''Bodetal'' (literally "Bode Valley"), is also used in a wider sense to r ...

, opposite the Rosstrappe in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

, Germany.

History

The Hexentanzplatz is reputedly an Old Saxon cult site, at which pagan celebrations were held in honour of the so-called Hagedisen (forest and mountain goddesses), particularly on the night of 1 May. The place did not become known as the ''Hexentanzplatz'' until the cult was banned by the invading Christian

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

. According to tradition the site was guarded by Frankish soldiers in order to enforce the ban and they were chased off by

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

dressed as

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

es and riding on

broomstick A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

s. Another old Saxon cult site is found on the

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is a mountain near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, between the rivers Weser River, Weser and Elbe. The highest peak in the Harz mountain range, and in Northern Germany, ...

. Above the Hexentanzplatz are the remains of the (“Saxon Dyke”), a wall of granite rocks and possibly part of a larger fortification, more than 1,500 years old.

Tourism

Since the middle of the 19th century there has been a mountain hotel of the same name on the Hexentanzplatz. On the plateau is the Thale Mountain Theatre ( Bergtheater Thale) one of the oldest open-air theatres in Germany with 1,350 seats, which was founded in 1903 by Ernst Wachler. In the Walpurgishalle Museum, built by painter

Hermann Hendrich Hermann Hendrich (31 October 1854 in Heringen, Thuringia – 18 July 1931 in Schreiberhau in Niederschlesien) was a German painter. Life Hermann Hendrich was born in the vicinity of the storied Kyffhäuser, his parents were Auguste Frieder ...

, the legends of the surrounding

and scenes from

Goethe's Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on literary, political, and philosophi ...

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' are brought to life. A sacrifice stone () is also exhibited there, which recalls ancient fertility rites. A

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

runs from

Thale Thale () is a town in the Harz (district), Harz district in Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany. Located at the steep northeastern rim of the Harz mountain range, it is known for the scenic Bode Gorge stretching above the town centre. Geography The ...

up to the Hexentanzplatz. Today, the Hexentanzplatz resembles a small theme park aimed at families, including a car park (charge: 5 euros), gondola lift and mini-coaster rides, small gift and craft shops and a zoo. While there are relatively unspoiled forests nearby with plenty of hiking trails, the immediate area of the Hexentanzplatz has been fairly well commercialized. The Hexentanzplatz Wildlife Park illustrates the variety of the many different species of animal in the Harz region. There is also a

Sommerrodelbahn A summer toboggan is an amusement or recreational ride which uses a bobsled-like sled or cart to run down a track usually built on the side of a hill. There are two main types: an alpine coaster or mountain coaster is a type of roller coaste ...

, the ''Harzbob''; and the

Homburg Watchtower The Homburg Watchtower () is an observation tower on the site of a Germanic refuge castle (''Fliehburg'') near the Hexentanzplatz above the town of Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. Location The Sachsenwall Way (''Sachsenwallweg'' ...

lookout tower below the mountain theatre. There is a checkpoint (no. 167) in the

Harzer Wandernadel The Harzer Wandernadel is a system of hiking awards in the Harz mountains in central Germany. Hikers (or mountain bikers) can earn awards at different levels of challenge by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and stamping their ...

hiking network at the viewing point of Ellricher Blick. File:Hexentanzplatz - Teufel.jpg, The Devil File:Hexentanzplatz - Hexe.jpg, The Witch File:Hexentanzplatz - Des Teufels Gehilfe.jpg, The assistant of the devil

Sources

* Falko Kirsch: ''Führer durch das Bodetal. Geschichte, Geologie, Sagen, Flora, Fauna.'' Thale * Ute Fuhrmann und Rainer Vogt: ''Die Steine am Hexentanzplatz'' Stekovics Verlag 2007,

External links

Hexentanzplatz
{{Coord, 51, 44, 03, N, 11, 01, 43, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title Harz Thale