Goslar: Half-timbered houses, mining history and Harz trails

Goslar combines a largely intact half-timbered old town with imperial and mining history. The wider destination also offers hiking trails, museums and seasonal activities. To start planning, decide whether you mainly want to experience historic townscapes, mining traditions or activities in the Harz towns. The places below show how varied a stay can be.

Half-timbered houses, the Imperial Palace and local history

Goslar’s historic old town has been preserved as a continuous area of around one square kilometre and includes more than 1,500 half-timbered houses. One notable example is the St. Annenhaus on Glockengießerstraße. Dating from 1488, it is the oldest half-timbered house in the old town to remain completely intact. The Imperial Palace has stood at the foot of the Rammelsberg for nearly 1,000 years and was once the seat of kings and emperors. Together, the half-timbered architecture and the Imperial Palace offer different perspectives on Goslar’s history.

The Goslar Museum adds another perspective, covering how people in the town lived and worked over more than ten centuries and how the town developed over time. The Imperial Palace offers public tours of the Great Hall, special guided tours, themed tours and tours for school groups. As tour formats can change, it is worth checking the programme before your visit.

Mining history and museums

The former Rammelsberg ore mine is a visitor mine where you can explore various aspects of the mining tradition. An adjoining museum delves into its history. The Upper Harz Mining Museum in Clausthal-Zellerfeld offers a different perspective, combining significant exhibits with original mining installations that visitors can explore and experience for themselves.

Other museums have their own distinct focus. An exhibition on the late Middle Ages at the Zwinger features armour, siege equipment and weapons from the 1525 Peasants’ War and the Thirty Years’ War. It also includes objects relating to medieval criminal justice. At the Goslar Tin Figure Museum, children and adults can cast and paint their own tin figures in the open workshop. The Wilhelm Busch House in Mechtshausen is the former parsonage where Wilhelm Busch lived in his final years. He died there in 1908 and was buried in the local cemetery.

The annual Sehusa Festival is held in the adjoining park of the former Sehusa Castle and is considered northern Germany’s largest historical festival. Check the exact festival dates and programme before your trip.

Hiking, views and seasonal activities

Bad Harzburg borders directly on Harz National Park. From there, themed hiking trails lead past lynx and wildcat enclosures and the Radau Waterfall, among other places, and continue up to the Brocken. The Harz Canopy Walk has offered an accessible experience above the Kaltes Tal since 2015. It is more than 1,000 metres long and up to 26 metres high, and offers insights into nature and geology. The Harz Tree-Top Zipline has added to the experience since 2020: suspended in a harness from a tubular system, you glide at 12 to 15 km/h for more than 1,000 metres downhill from Burgberg to the far end of the canopy walk, through ancient oaks and beeches.

Braunlage offers many hiking trails and mountain biking routes. There are also ski slopes, an ice rink and a toboggan run; several ski jumps are located on the Wurmberg as well. As seasonal operating hours and conditions can vary, check these activities for your travel dates. For views and relaxation, there are other options: from the castle tower in Vienenburg, you can see across the Harz foothills; the tower is considered a landmark of Vienenburg. The Harly Tower is a popular hiking destination with sweeping views. The area around Lake Vienenburg offers opportunities to relax, as does the Innerste Dam near Langelsheim, a local recreation area for residents and tourists alike.

Include places and transport in your plans

The different attractions may help you choose a hotel: the old town and museums, mining history or activities in the Harz towns. First, decide which experiences you want to shape your stay. An interactive public transport network map for the district of Goslar shows the nearest stops and departure times and lets you explore sights. Transport information can change, so check the details before setting out.

Overnight guests can use HATIX free of charge during a holiday in the Harz if they pay the current visitor’s tax in a participating town. Before your trip, check that the participation requirements and network coverage suit your stay.

Discover more destinations: Lutter am Barenberge, Liebenburg, Seesen, Langelsheim, Sankt Andreasberg, Goslar, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Braunlage, Bad Harzburg, Vienenburg, Oberharz, Altenau.

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