The Ilse valley () is the ravine of the

Ilse Ilse is a Germanic feminine given name. It is technically a German diminutive of Elisabeth, functioning as a given name in its own right chiefly in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa and all of the Scandinavia ...

stream in the northern boundary of the

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 ...

mountain range in Germany. Part of 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 ...

, 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 nort ...

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 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, ...

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

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

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

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the Goslar (district), district of Goslar and is located on the northwestern wikt:slope, slopes of the Harz ...

and

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 ...

, 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 (Germany), Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction. Origin and meanin ...

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 b ...

and Bode (

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 ...

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

, the famous German writer, described the Ilse valley with its little river and the rocks of the

Ilsestein The Ilsestein (formerly also called ''Ilsenstein'') is a prominent granite rock formation near the town of Ilsenburg in the Harz mountains of central Germany. Offering a scenic view over the Ilse valley to the Brocken massif, the highest mountain ...

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 By birth, member of an ancient House of Stolberg, ...

(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 Plessenburg is a village in the town of Ilsenburg (Harz), Ilsenburg in the Harz National Park, in the district of Landkreis Harz, Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Location and establishment In the years 1775-76 Count Henry Ernest of ...

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. 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 (in downstream order with checkpoint numbers in brackets): '' Gelber Brink'' (22), ''

Große Zeterklippe The Zeterklippen are a striking rock formation or tor on the 930-metre-high Renneckenberg mountain, overlooking the Ilse valley in the Harz mountains in Germany. The Renneckenberg is an eastern sub-peak of the Brocken. The rocks themselves lie ...

'' (10), '' Brockenhaus'' (9), ''

Stempelsbuche The Bremen Hut () in the Harz Mountains is a refuge hut and shelter in that part of the Harz National Park lying within the borough of Ilsenburg (Harz) in Harz district in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Location The Bremen Hut is situated i ...

'' (8), '' Bremer Hütte'' (6), ''Gasthaus

'' (30) and ''

Froschfelsen The Froschfelsen ("Frog Rocks", 545 m above Normalnull, NN), also called the Froschsteinklippe,''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