Spending the fall in the capital has its charm. Sure, it’s Berlin after all. Wide lakes and dense forests invite you to take a walk. In traditional restaurants, hearty, home-cooked food warms you up and tells a piece of Berlin’s history. Cozy, inviting – and yet sometimes we are drawn out. As the spookiest day of the year approaches, the desire for unusual, almost eerie plans grows. From a “Devil’s Bridge”, which according to legend was built by the devil himself, to a “witch town” where witch trials took place in the 16th and 17th centuries – exciting destinations await around Berlin. If you follow the history of the witch town of Wernigerode, it quickly becomes clear that its connection to witches goes back to the legends surrounding the Brocken in the Harz Mount ains, also known as the Blocksberg. And you can’t get there on a boring train ride, but on the Brockenbahn – a historic steam locomotive that takes you directly to the highest mountain in northern Germany.
The Brockenbahn in the Harz Mountains
For over 100 years, the steam locomotive has been puffing through dense forests, wafts of mist and craggy rocks up to the Brocken, which at 1,141 meters is the highest mountain in northern Germany. The starting point is Wernigerode, where the special atmosphere is immediately noticeable. The town is decorated with witch figures and is reminiscent of the time when – according to legend – witches danced on the Brocken. The Brocken Railway departs from here several times a day towards the summit, but you can also hop on in Drei Annen Hohne or Schierke, which is often referred to as the “witches’ village”.
As soon as you sit on the Brockenbahn, a special experience begins: the rising steam, the rhythmic pounding of the locomotive and the whistling as it breaks through the fog make the ride feel like a scene from a Harry Potter film – as if you are sitting in the middle of the Hogwarts Express. As if through the Scottish Highlands, it puffs its way up through the misty Harz landscape. Looking out of the window, you can see half-timbered towns, dark forests and enchanted stops – an enchanting journey that combines history and magic.
