The Ilse valley (german: Ilsetal) is the ravine of the Ilse stream in the northern boundary of the

Harz The Harz () 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'' derives from the Middle High German w ...

mountain range in Germany. Part of the

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

, it runs from the town of

Ilsenburg Ilsenburg () is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilse valley with its little river, the Ilse, a tributary of the Oker, about six nor ...

at the foot of the mountain range up to the source region near the summit of the

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

massif, the highest mountain of the range. The scenic valley is a popular

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

area. As one approaches the steep northwestern edge of the Harz, one can see its more prominent peaks. Between

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different p ...

and

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

, the mountains are especially striking, where their slopes rise steeply from the northern foothills. Between the mountains of the Harz rim run deep gorges. These include those of the Ilse river as well as the parallel valleys of the

Oker The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction. Origin and meaning of the name The ...

Ecker The Ecker is a , right-hand, southeast tributary of the Oker which runs mainly through the Harz mountains in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. Course From its source to Abbenrode the Ecker is a border river, today running ...

and Bode (

Bode Gorge The Bode Gorge (german: Bodetal) is a long ravine that forms part of the 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 t ...

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lie ...

, the famous German writer, described the Ilse valley with its little river and the rocks of the Ilsestein enthroned above it. In the 1830s, a country road was built from Ilsenburg through the Ilse valley running past the Brocken massif up to

Schierke Schierke is a village and a former municipality in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Wernigerode. Situated within the Harz mountain range in the valley of the river Bode, at the rim ...

, paid for by Count

Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode (25 September 1772 in Wernigerode Castle – 16 February 1854 in Wernigerode Castle) succeeded his father in 1824 as ruler of the County of Wernigerode. Life Count Henry was the eldest son of Count Christ ...

(1772–1854). The road made it much easier for tourists to reach the higher mountain regions; today it is closed to public traffic. The Brocken () can be climbed from Ilsenburg () via the 'Heinrich Heine Way' and the Plessenburg lodge on a long hiking trail. In or near the Ilse valley are the following checkpoints on the

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

hiking network (in downstream order with checkpoint numbers in brackets): '' Gelber Brink'' (22), '' Große Zeterklippe'' (10), '' Brockenhaus'' (9), '' Stempelsbuche'' (8), '' Bremer Hütte'' (6), ''Gasthaus Ilsestein'' (30) and '' Froschfelsen'' (5).''Harzer Wandernadel: Das Wanderstempeln im Harz'' - Übersichtstabelle
at www.harzer-wandernadel.de. Retrieved 20 Jun 2019.

References

External links

{{Coord, 51, 51, 01, N, 10, 39, 58, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title Harz Valleys of Saxony-Anhalt Ilsenburg