Sorge: Border History and Hiking Trails

During a stay in Sorge, you can choose to focus on border history, hiking, or trips on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway. The museums and two circular trails bring the history of the inner German border to life locally; trail lengths and difficulty ratings also help you plan your hikes.

Border History in the Museum and Landscape

The Sorge Open-Air Border Museum displays original fragments of the GDR border fortifications and documents the history of the division of Germany. The Little Border Museum features an original model of the border installations, as well as exhibits on everyday life among the GDR border troops and residents of the border area.

The artwork “Ring of Remembrance” is part of the Sorge border landscape. It is located right in the open-air border museum, on the Green Belt and at the former inner German border. The “Harzer Bachtäler” nature reserve also includes areas in Sorge.

Visitors with mobility impairments can visit the open-air border museum only by prior arrangement; please contact the museum beforehand to arrange your visit.

Hiking in Sorge: Two Circular Trails

The easy circular trail to the Sorge Open-Air and Little Border Museums (HWN 46) is 6.9 km long. The stated walking time is 1 hour 50 minutes; the starting point is the Sorge Border Museum car park. The “In the Footsteps of Inner German Border History 1” circular trail is 8.8 km long, moderately difficult, and starts at the Ebersbachstraße car park in Sorge. At 6.9 km compared with 8.8 km, the museum trail is 1.9 km shorter and is rated easy rather than moderate. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Railway, Festival and Playground

Trips on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway by steam locomotive are possible from Sorge station; from there, you can reach the Brocken, Wernigerode, or Nordhausen. Check the timetable for your travel date. There is also a children’s playground near the station. If you plan to visit, check its current condition beforehand.

The Sorge local festival takes place every year at the former small gondola pond in Sorge. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the event date beforehand.

More Things to Do in the Broader Oberharz am Brocken Destination

In the broader Oberharz am Brocken destination, a moderately difficult 2.8 km hike leads through mixed forest to the Krockstein viewpoint; the stated walking time is 55 minutes. Near Hasselfelde, a moderately difficult circular trail runs around the Hasselvorsperre reservoir. It is 5.5 km long, with a stated walking time of 1 hour 28 minutes. The stated walking time for the Hasselvorsperre circular trail is therefore 33 minutes longer than for the Krockstein hike.

At the Harzköhlerei Stemberghaus, traditional charcoal-burning mounds are built, fired, and harvested from early April to the end of October, offering a chance to experience the traditional charcoal burners’ craft in action. The charcoal museum in Hasselfelde gives an impression of the charcoal burners’ difficult working and living conditions. Stiege Staff Church is the only sacred building in Germany in the Norwegian Dragon Style.

Discover more destinations: Hasselfelde, Elbingerode, Rübeland, Trautenstein, Elend, Benneckenstein, Königshütte, Stiege

Back to the broader travel overview: Oberharz Am Brocken.