The Hirschhorn Rocks ( or ''Hirschhörner'') are a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

in the

Harz National Park Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the Germany, German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg am Harz, Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern ...

in central Germany.

Geographical location

The Hirschhorn Rocks are one of the many tors in the Harz and are located on the

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

mountain above

Goetheweg station Goetheweg station () is located between the stations of Schierke and Brocken on the Brocken Railway in the Harz Mountains of Central Germany at a height of 956 m above sea level. The track layout today consists, as in the past, of a horizont ...

only a hundred metres south of 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, ...

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 ...

. The highest point of this group of rocks is 1,023 metres (0,635 mi) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Because the

tor Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Toronto, Canada ** Toronto Raptors * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor ...

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

times was right inside the border zone and now within the core zone of the Harz National Park, there is no public access to them. Administratively the crags lie within the borough of

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the Harz (district), district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the Wernigerode (district), district of Wernigerode. Its population was 32,181 in 2020. Wernigerode is located southwes ...

in the county of

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a 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 name ''Harz'' der ...

.Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie, Staatsbetrieb Geobasisinformation und Vermessung Sachsen (GeoSN): Digital topographical map 1:50,000 series.

History

The tor was first mentioned in the records in 1571 in the phrase ''an den Hirsch Hornern'' (on the ''Hirsch Horner''). Other early mentions include: in 1587 ''zwischen den Hartzhernern und dem Könnigesbergk'' (between the ''Harztherner'' and the ''Könnigesbergk''), in 1667 ''unter den Hirschhören'' (below the ''Hirschhören''), in 1709 as the ''Hirschhörner'' and in 1725 as the ''Hirschhornerklippe''. The border ran right between the Hirschhorns between the

County of Wernigerode The County of Wernigerode () was a state of the Holy Roman Empire which arose in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range. The comital residence was at Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhal ...

and the District of Harzburg in the old

Duchy of Brunswick The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital city, capital was the city of Braunschweig, Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ...

. A border cross carved into one of the rocks bears witness to the fact. Due to their unique appearance the Hirschhorn Rocks were once a popular destination for Brocken walkers. From 1961 to 1989 they lay immediately on the

Inner German Border The inner German border ( or ''deutsch–deutsche Grenze''; initially also , zonal boundary) was the frontier between the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West ...

within East Germany's border zone and were not accessible. Now they are inside the core zone of the

and may only be visited as part of a guided walk accompanied by a National Park warden.

References

{{Coord, 51, 47, 25, N, 10, 35, 43, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title Rock formations of the Harz Rock formations of Saxony-Anhalt Natural monuments in Saxony-Anhalt

Geographical location

History

See also

References