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Brocken

2023-11-24T18:08:24Z

172.92.125.14: /* In popular culture */ Added links

{{Short description|Highest peak of the Harz mountain range in Northern Germany}}
{{Other uses|Brocken (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Brocken
| photo = Brocken vom Torfhaus.jpg
| photo_caption = The summit of the Brocken, showing the transmitters
| photo_size = 280
| elevation_m = 1142
| elevation_ref =
| prominence_m = 856
| prominence_ref =
| map = Germany
| map_caption = Location within Germany
| map_size = 250
| label_position = right
| pronunciation = {{IPA-de|ˈbʁɔkən|lang}}
| location = [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Germany]]
| range = [[Harz]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|48|02|N|10|37|02|E|type:mountain_region:DE_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = drive, hike and train
}}

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 River|Weser]] and [[Elbe]]. Although its elevation of {{convert|1141|m|ft}} is below [[Alps|alpine]] dimensions, its [[microclimate]] resembles that of mountains of about {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The peak above the [[tree line]] tends to have a snow cover from September to May, and mists and [[fog]]s shroud it up to 300 days of the year. The mean annual temperature is only {{convert|2.9|°C|°F|1|lk=on}}. It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; travelling east in a straight line, the next prominent elevation would be in the [[Ural Mountains]] in Russia.

The Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with [[witch]]es and [[devil]]s; [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] took up the legends in his play ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]''. The [[Brocken spectre]] is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.

Today the Brocken is part of the [[Harz National Park]] and hosts a historic [[Brocken Garden|botanical garden]] of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. A [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] steam railway, the [[Brocken Railway]], takes visitors to the railway station at the top on {{convert|1125|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of the Brocken. The old television tower, the ''[[Sender Brocken]]'', is now used as hotel and restaurant. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists.

== Geography ==
[[File:LuftbildBrocken.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of the summit (2009)]]
[[File:Brockenkuppe wp.png|thumb|Overview plan of the Brocken summit]]
[[File:Brocken Gipfelstein.jpg|thumb|Summit stone]]
[[File:Brocken Granit.JPG|thumb|Granite on the Brocken]]

=== Location ===
The Brocken rises over the [[Harz National Park]] in the district of [[Harz (district)|Harz]], whose main town of [[Wernigerode]] lies about {{convert|12|km|mi}} east-northeast of the mountain. The state boundary with [[Lower Saxony]] runs past the Brocken some {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the west. At the southeastern foot of the Brocken lies the spa resort of [[Schierke]].

Somewhat to the north below the summit of the Brocken is a reservoir, the [[Brockenteich]], constructed in 1744. On or near the mountain are the source areas of the rivers [[Bode (river)|Bode]], [[Ecker]], [[Ilse (Oker)|Ilse]] and [[Oder (Harz)|Oder]]. The rounded summit of the Brocken is treeless, but vegetated with [[dwarf shrub]]s.

=== Summit and subpeaks ===
The highest point on the Brocken reaches an elevation of {{Höhe|1141.1|DE-NN|link=true}} ({{convert|1141.1|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). Its subpeaks include the [[Heinrichshöhe]] ({{convert|1040|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}), [[Königsberg (Brocken)|Königsberg]] ({{convert|1034|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and Kleiner Brocken ("Little Brocken") ({{convert|1018|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}).

Before 1989 the height of the Brocken was recorded in almost all the relevant maps and books as {{Höhe|1142|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1142|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). A survey of the summit at the beginning of the 1990s based on the current reference system, however, gave the height as just {{convert|1141.1|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In order to provide a reference point for the old data, in the mid-1990s granite boulders were set on the highest point of the Brocken, which not only matched the old given height, but exceeded it by about a metre. A bench mark of "1142 m" was recorded on the summit stone. This height on the upper plate refers to the line on the lower plate.<ref>[http://www.harzlife.de/top/brockenhoehe.html www.harzlife.de] accessed on 13 July 2010.</ref>

=== Geology ===
From a geological point of view the Brocken and its surrounding terrain, the Brocken massif, consists mainly of [[granite]] (called Brocken granite), an igneous rock. The [[Pluton|granitic plutons]] of the Harz – the Brocken, Ramberg and Oker plutons – emerged towards the end of the Harz mountain-building phase of the [[Upper Carboniferous]], about 300 million years ago. First, alkaline [[magma]] intruded into the overlying sediments, crystallized out and formed [[gabbro]] and [[diorite]] massifs, such as the Harzburg gabbro. A little later, [[silica]]-rich granitic magma rose, some intruding into voids and gaps in the older rocks, but most being created by the melting of existing sediments. On the boundary between granite and host rock, the so-called contact zone, a great variety of transitions may be seen. For example, the summit of the [[Achtermannshöhe]] consists of contact-metamorphosed [[hornfels]] of the contact zone that, here, lies over the Brocken granite. The subsequent erosion of the Harz mountains that followed the uplifting of the Harz during the [[Upper Cretaceous]] saw the disappearance of the protective hornfels summit, thus exposing the granite that had crystallized underground during the Upper Carboniferous. The alleged hardness of Brocken granite is not the reason for the height of the mountain, but the geological fact that it was well protected by its weather-resistant hornfels crest for a long time before erosion set in.

Only in recent geological times, since the [[tertiary]] period, did the typical, rounded, [[spheroidal weathering]] of granite outcrops and granite boulders of the Brocken take place. Such [[blockfield]]s are very rare in Central Europe outside the Alps and are subject to conservation measures. They originated mainly under periglacial conditions, i.e. during the course of the [[ice age]]s, and their retreat. Today's blockfields of Brocken granite, as well as other rocks in the Harz National Park, particularly in the [[Oker]] valley, are therefore at least 10,000 years old. Physical weathering, such as [[frost shattering]], has played a key role in their formation, resulting in giant piles of loosely stacked rocks. In 2006, the granite blockfields of the Brocken, together with 76 other interesting geotopes, were designated as a "National Geotope".<ref>Friedhart Knolle, Béatrice Oesterreich, Rainer Schulz und Volker Wrede: ''Der Harz. Geologische Exkursionen''. Perthes-Exkursionsführer, Justus Perthes Verlag Gotha, Gotha 1997</ref>

=== Climate ===
[[File:Klimadiagramm-Brocken (Harz)-Deutschland-metrisch-deutsch.png|thumb|left|Climatic diagram for 1961-1990 normals]]
[[File:BrockenTopFromWest.jpg|thumb|Winter landscape (2003)]]
[[File:BrockenWarteFromTopWinter.jpg|thumb|Brocken tower in winter (2001)]]
The Brocken is a place of extreme weather conditions. Due to its exposed location in the north of Germany its peak lies above the natural [[tree line]]. The [[climate]] on the Brocken is like that of the alpine {{convert|1600|-|2200|m|ft|adj=on}} zone or even that of [[Iceland]]. This is due to its short summers and very long winters, with many months of continuous snow cover, strong storms and low temperatures even in summer. The summit, however, does not have an alpine ''climate'', as the average summer temperature is above {{convert|10|C|F}}.

Due to its significant height difference compared with the surrounding terrain the Brocken has the highest precipitation of any point in northern central Europe, with an average annual precipitation (1961–1990) of {{convert|1814|mm|in}}. Its average annual temperature is {{convert|2.9|C|F}}.<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_menu2_leistungen_a-z_freiemetinfos&T115202758871200642573928gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadatenzentren%2FNKDZ%2Fkldaten__akt%2Fausgabe__mittelwerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue DWD – Klimadaten Mittelwerte] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref>

The Brocken weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=DWD110Jahre>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230450/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2005/200509301__pdf,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/200509301_pdf.pdf ''110 Jahre Wetterbeobachtungen auf dem Brocken''] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref>
* Its highest temperature was {{convert|29.7|C|F}} on [[2019_European_heatwaves#Germany|25 July 2019]].
* Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-28.4|C|F}} on 1 February 1956.
* In 1973 it had 205 days of snow cover.
* Its greatest depth of snow was {{convert|380|cm|in|abbr=on}} on 14 and 15 April 1970.
* Its highest measured wind speed was {{convert|263|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} on 24 November 1984.
* Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|2335|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1981.
* Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|984|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1953.
* The longest annual sunshine was 2004.5 hours in 1921.
* The shortest annual sunshine was 972.2 hours in 1912.
The Brocken also holds the record for the greatest number of days of mist and fog in a single calendar year in Germany, 330 days in 1958,<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_result_page&portletMasterPortlet_i1gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FWetterrekorde%2Fnebel__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue DWD Weltrekorde - Nebel] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref> and has an average of 120 days of snowfall per year.<ref name=harzseite>{{Cite web|url=http://www.harz-seite.de/klima.htm|title = Klima / Harz}}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Brocken, (elevation {{convert|1135|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1896–present)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 14.0
|Feb record high C = 14.6
|Mar record high C = 17.5
|Apr record high C = 21.4
|May record high C = 24.1
|Jun record high C = 26.7
|Jul record high C = 29.7
|Aug record high C = 29.0
|Sep record high C = 25.9
|Oct record high C = 21.9
|Nov record high C = 19.8
|Dec record high C = 12.5
|year record high C = 29.7
|Jan high C = -1.1
|Feb high C = -1.0
|Mar high C = 1.4
|Apr high C = 6.0
|May high C = 10.1
|Jun high C = 13.2
|Jul high C = 15.4
|Aug high C = 15.3
|Sep high C = 11.1
|Oct high C = 6.8
|Nov high C = 2.9
|Dec high C = 0.0
|year high C = 6.7
|Jan mean C = -3.3
|Feb mean C = -3.3
|Mar mean C = -1.2
|Apr mean C = 2.9
|May mean C = 6.8
|Jun mean C = 9.8
|Jul mean C = 12.1
|Aug mean C = 12.0
|Sep mean C = 8.3
|Oct mean C = 4.4
|Nov mean C = 0.6
|Dec mean C = -2.2
|year mean C = 3.9
|Jan low C = -5.4
|Feb low C = -5.4
|Mar low C = -3.6
|Apr low C = 0.1
|May low C = 3.9
|Jun low C = 6.7
|Jul low C = 9.1
|Aug low C = 9.2
|Sep low C = 6.0
|Oct low C = 2.3
|Nov low C = -1.4
|Dec low C = -4.2
|year low C = 1.4
|Jan record low C = -27.5
|Feb record low C = -28.4
|Mar record low C = -19.6
|Apr record low C = -12.6
|May record low C = -8.7
|Jun record low C = -3.0
|Jul record low C = -0.1
|Aug record low C = 0.0
|Sep record low C = -2.6
|Oct record low C = -10.3
|Nov record low C = -16.1
|Dec record low C = -25.0
|year record low C = -28.4
| precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 202.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 145.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 147.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 86.9
|May precipitation mm = 120.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 117.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 159.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 131.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 152.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 171.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 163.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 204.0
|year precipitation mm = 1799.1
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 25.7
|Feb precipitation days = 23.5
|Mar precipitation days = 23.6
|Apr precipitation days = 18.8
|May precipitation days = 19.6
|Jun precipitation days = 19.6
|Jul precipitation days = 20.9
|Aug precipitation days = 20.1
|Sep precipitation days = 22.3
|Oct precipitation days = 25.1
|Nov precipitation days = 25.6
|Dec precipitation days = 26.4
|year precipitation days = 271.1
|Jan sun = 61.8
|Feb sun = 72.0
|Mar sun = 107.8
|Apr sun = 162.7
|May sun = 187.0
|Jun sun = 181.4
|Jul sun = 184.6
|Aug sun = 177.0
|Sep sun = 131.0
|Oct sun = 93.5
|Nov sun = 55.2
|Dec sun = 49.0
|year sun = 1462.9
|Jan humidity = 89.6
|Feb humidity = 88.8
|Mar humidity = 89.2
|Apr humidity = 82.6
|May humidity = 82.3
|Jun humidity = 84.2
|Jul humidity = 83.0
|Aug humidity = 83.2
|Sep humidity = 88.9
|Oct humidity = 91.1
|Nov humidity = 90.5
|Dec humidity = 89.5
|year humidity = 86.9
|unit snow days = 1.0 cm
|Jan snow days = 30.2
|Feb snow days = 27.8
|Mar snow days = 30.0
|Apr snow days = 19.2
|May snow days = 3.1
|Jun snow days = 0.1
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0.2
|Oct snow days = 5.1
|Nov snow days = 15.3
|Dec snow days = 26.5
|year snow days = 159.0
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA>{{cite web
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916125025/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Brocken_10453.csv
|archive-date = 16 September 2023
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Brocken_10453.csv
|title = Brocken Climate Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = 16 September 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = DWD (extremes)<ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=722&maand=1&country=1&order=1&extreem=X_TX
|title = Extremwertanalyse der DWD-Stationen, Tagesmaxima, Dekadenrekorde, usw.
|publisher = DWD
|language = de
|access-date = 24 November 2023}}</ref>
}}

=== Flora ===
[[File:Brocken Baumgrenze.jpg|thumb|Brocken: treeline]]
The harsh climate of the Brocken makes it a habitat for rare species. The mountain's summit is a [[subalpine zone]] with flora and fauna almost comparable to those of north [[Scandinavia]] and the [[Alps]].
The Brocken is the only mountain in Germany's [[Central Uplands]] whose summit lies above the [[treeline]], so that only very small [[spruce]] grow there and much of it is covered by a [[dwarf shrub]] [[heathland]]. In the [[Brocken Garden]], established in 1890, flora are nurtured by national park employees; visitors are allowed to view it as part of regular guided tours. The garden does not just display plants from the Brocken, but also high mountain flora from other regions and countries.

Amongst the typical species of the Brocken that are rarely if ever found elsewhere in North Germany and which occur above about {{Höhe|1050|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1050|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}) are the variant of the [[Pulsatilla alpina|alpine pasqueflower]] known as the ''Brocken flower'' or ''Brocken anemone'' (''Pulsatilla alpina'' subsp. ''alba''), [[hawkweed]]s like the Brocken hawkweed (''Hieracium negrescens'') and the alpine hawkweed (''Hieracium alpinum''), [[vernal grass]]es (''Anthoxanthum''), the [[lady's mantle]] (''Alchemilla''), the [[common tormentil|tormentil]] (''Potentilla tormentilla''), the [[Clubmoss|alpine clubmoss]] (''Diphasiastrum alpinum''), the lichens, [[Iceland moss]] (''Cetraria islandica'') and [[reindeer lichen]] (''Cladonia rangiferina''). The [[crowberry]] is also referred to here as the Brocken myrtle (''Brockenmyrte'').

On the [[raised bog]]s around the summit of the Brocken there are e.g. [[cottongrass]]es, [[sundew]]s and the [[dwarf birch]] (''Betula nana'').

=== Fauna ===
[[File:Boloria.aquilonaris.2689.jpg|thumb|The [[cranberry fritillary]] (''Boloria aquilonaris'')]]
Several animal species have adapted to the conditions of life on the Brocken. For example, the [[water pipit]] (''Anthus aquaticus'') and the [[ring ouzel]] both breed in the area around the summit.

The [[viviparous lizard]] occurs on the Brocken in a unique, dark-colored variant, ''Lacerta vivipara aberr. negra''. The [[common frog]] (''Rana temporaria'') can also be found here. Insects are very numerous. There are many [[beetles]] including [[ground beetle]]s such as ''Amara erratica'', and hundreds of species of [[butterfly]]. The [[large white|cabbage white]] here produces only one generation per year compared with two in the lowlands.

Some mammal and bird species that occur here are relics of the [[ice age]], including the [[northern bat]] (''Eptesicus nils soni''), the [[alpine shrew]] (''Sorex alpinus'') and the [[ring ouzel]].

== History ==
[[Image:Brocken L. S. Bestehorn.jpg|thumb|270px|Map of the Brocken, L.S. Bestehorn, 1732<br/>(note the witches)]]

=== Ascent, construction and use ===
The first documented ascent of the Brocken was in 1572 by the physician and botanist, Johannes Thal from [[Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt|Stolberg]], who in his book ''Sylva Hercynia'' described the [[flora]] of the mountain area. In 1736 Count Christian Ernst of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]] had the ''Wolkenhäuschen'' ("Clouds Cabin") erected at the summit, a small refuge that is still preserved. He also had a mountain lodge built on the southern slope, named ''Heinrichshöhe'' after his son Henry (''Heinrich'') Ernest. The first inn on the Brocken summit was built around 1800.

Between 1821 and 1825 [[Carl Friedrich Gauss]] used the line of sight to the ''[[Großer Inselsberg]]'' in the [[Thuringian Forest]] and the ''Hoher Hagen'' mountain near [[Göttingen]] for [[triangulation]] in the course of the [[geodesy|geodesic]] [[surveying|survey]] of the [[Kingdom of Hanover]].<ref>A comprehensive account of this famous Gaussian survey may be found, for example, in Charles Kittel et al., ''Berkeley Physik Kurs 1, Mechanik'', 5., verbesserte Auflage, Brunswick/Wiesbaden, 1991, p. 5, ([https://books.google.com/books?id=v-epNSZnhtEC&pg=PA5&dq=gauss+brocken+hoher+hagen+inselberg&lr=&sig=uND87sCuyT3ZYzBwEVqa_55Ynyw Scan] at GoogleBooks)</ref>
A measurement carried out by the [[staff (military)|military staff]] of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in 1850 found the Brocken's height to be at its present level of {{convert|1141.1|m|ft}}. After the first Brocken lodge had been destroyed by a fire, a new hotel opened in 1862. The [[Brocken Garden]], a [[botanical garden]], was laid out in 1890 by Professor Albert Peter of [[University of Göttingen|Göttingen University]] on an area of {{convert|4600|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} granted by Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. It was Germany's first [[Alpine garden]].

[[File:Brocken Sendeanlage und Brockenhaus.jpg|thumb|View from the weather observation platform of the weather station on the Brocken peak (2006)]]
The [[narrow gauge]] [[Brocken Railway]] was opened on 27 March 1899. [[Brocken station]] is one of the highest railway stations in Germany lying at a height of {{Höhe|1125|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1125|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). Its gauge is {{RailGauge|1000mm}}. In 1935 the ''[[Reichspost|Deutsche Reichspost]]'' made the first [[television]] broadcast from the Brocken using a mobile transmitter and, in the following year, the first television tower in the world was built on the mountain; carrying the first [[live television]] broadcast of the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in [[Berlin]]. The tower continued functioning until September 1939, when the authorities suspended broadcasting on the outbreak of [[World War II]].

In 1937 the Brocken, together with the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]], [[Achtermannshöhe|Achtermann]] and [[Bruchberg|Acker-Bruchberg]] were designated as the Upper Harz (''Oberharz'') [[nature reserve]].

During an air attack by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] on 17 April 1945 the Brocken Hotel and the weather station were destroyed by bombing. The television tower, however, survived. From 1945 until April 1947, the Brocken was occupied by [[United States|US]] troops. As part of the exchange of territory (specified at the [[Yalta Conference]]) the mountain was transferred to the [[Soviet occupation zone]]. Before the Americans left the Brocken in 1947, however, they disabled the rebuilt weather station and the television tower.

The ruins of the Brocken Hotel were blown up in 1949. From 1948 to 1959 part of the Brocken was reopened to tourists. Although a pass was required, these were freely issued. From August 1961 the Brocken, which lay in [[East Germany]]'s border zone, immediately adjacent to [[West Germany]], was declared a [[military exclusion zone]] and was therefore no longer open to public access. Extensive military installations were built on and around the summit. The security of the area was the responsibility of the border guards of the ''7th [[Schierke]] Border Company'', which was stationed in platoon strength on the summit. For accommodation, they used the Brocken railway station. The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] also used a large portion of territory. In 1987, the goods traffic on the Brocken Railway ceased due to poor track conditions.

The Brocken was extensively used for surveillance and espionage purposes. On the summit were two large and powerful [[listening station|listening stations]], which could capture radio traffic in almost all of Western Europe. One belonged to Soviet military intelligence, the [[Glawnoje Raswedywatelnoje Uprawlenije|GRU]], and was also the westernmost outpost of the Soviets in Germany; the other was Department III of the [[Stasi|Ministry for State Security]] in the [[East Germany|GDR]]. The listening posts were codenamed "Yenisei" and "Urian".<ref>[http://www.lostplaces.de/cms/content/view/45/33/ Objekt URIAN – Abhörstation Brocken auf lostplaces.de]</ref> Between 1973 and 1976 a new modern television tower was built for the second channel of the GDR's television service, the ''[[Deutscher Fernsehfunk]]''. Today it is used by the public ''[[ZDF|Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen]]'' (ZDF) television network. The [[Stasi]] (East German secret police) used the old tower until 1985, when they moved to a new building – now a museum. To seal the area, the entire Brocken plateau was then surrounded by a concrete wall, built from 2,318 sections, each one {{convert|2.4|tonne|ST}} in weight and {{convert|3.60|m|ft}} high. The whole area was not publicly accessible until 3 December 1989. The wall has since been dismantled, as have the Russian barracks and the domes of their listening posts. Today the old tower beside the lodge again is home to a weather station of the ''[[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]''.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, beginning on 3 December 1989 the Brocken was again open to the public during a demonstration walk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndr.de/geschichte/grenzenlos/begegnungen/brocken120.html |title=Eine ganz besondere Erstbesteigung | NDR.de - Geschichte - 20 Jahre Mauerfall - begegnungen |access-date=2013-01-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008021853/http://www.ndr.de/geschichte/grenzenlos/begegnungen/brocken120.html |archive-date=2012-10-08 }}</ref> With [[German reunification]] there was a gradual reduction in border security facilities and military installations from 1990. The last Russian soldier left the Brocken on 30 March 1994. The Brocken summit was renaturalised at a cost of millions of euros. It is now a popular tourist destination for visitors to the Harz.

As a [[protected area]] since 1939 and due to the decades of restricted access the unique climate of the Brocken provided outstanding conditions. The massif is partly still covered with [[primary forest]] extremely rare in Germany. It provides perfect conditions for endangered and nearly extinct species like the [[Eurasian lynx]], [[wildcat]]s and [[capercaillie]]s. The Brocken was therefore declared part of a [[national park]] in 1990.

=== Name and significance ===
[[File:Brocken Büchenberg.jpg|thumb|The [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]], [[Hohnekamm]] and Brocken (from left) from the Büchenberg near [[Elbingerode (Harz)|Elbingerode]]]]
The widespread use of the name "Brocken" did not occur until towards the end of the [[Middle Ages]]. Hitherto the region had just been described as the Harz. This was primarily because, until then, the focus had been mining.<ref name="eckert">Gerhard Eckert: ''Der Brocken, Berg in Deutschlands Mitte. gestern und heute''. Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Husum 1994, {{ISBN|3-88042-485-3}}</ref> The first record of a placename that resembles the present name of the mountain goes back, however, to the year 1176 when it is referred to as ''broke'' in the [[Saxon World Chronicle]] (''Sächsische Weltchronik'').<ref name="gynz-rekowski">Georg von Gynz-Rekowski, Hermann D. Oemler: ''Brocken. Historie, Heimat, Humor''. Gerig Verlag, Königstein/Taunus 1991, {{ISBN|3-928275-05-4}}</ref> Another early written reference to the mountain, this time as the ''Brackenberg'', appears in 1490 in a letter from Count Henry of Stolberg.<ref name="schmidt">[[Thorsten Schmidt (Verleger)|Thorsten Schmidt]], Jürgen Korsch: ''Der Brocken, Berg zwischen Natur und Technik.'' Schmidt-Buch-Verlag, Wernigerode 1998, {{ISBN|3-928977-59-8}}</ref> Other early documented names of the Brocken were, in 1401, the ''Brockenberg'', in 1424 the ''Brocberg'', in 1495 ''mons ruptus'' (Latin), in 1511 the ''Brogken'' and ''Brockin'', in 1531 the ''Brogken'', in 1540 the ''Brokenberg'' and, in 1589, the ''Brackenberg''.<ref>[[Walther Grosse]]: ''Geschichte der Stadt und Grafschaft Wernigerode in ihren Forst-, Flur- und Straßennamen, Wernigerode [1929], p. 49</ref>
In Old Saxon-Germanic times, a large portrait of Wodin is supposed to have been found on the Brocken. In addition, animal and human sacrifices were offered by the Saxons to their supreme god, Odin, on the [[blockfield]]s of the summit until they renounced them as part of their baptismal vows when Christianity spread to the region under Charles the Great.<ref>[[Gabriel Gottfried Bredow|G.G.Bredow]]: ''Umständlichere Erzählung der merkwürdigen Begebenheiten aus der allgemeinen Weltgeschichte.'' Sechste Auflage, Hammerich-Verlag, Altona 1817, p. 526–528</ref>

As far as the origin of the name is concerned, there are several interpretations:
In the town records (''Stadtbuch'') of [[Osterwieck]] an entry for the Brocken was found in the year 1495 under the [[Latin]] name of ''mons ruptus'', which means "broken hill".<ref name = "gynz-rekowski"/> Its [[Low German]] name, ''broken'', as the mountain had become named in 1176 in the Saxon World Chronicle and also in [[English language|English]], means "broken". On the one hand, this explanation of its meaning can be attributed to the fact that the two mountains, "Kleiner Brocken" and "Großer Brocken", were formed by the breakup of a single massif.<ref name="eckert"/> On the other hand, its meaning may refer to the serious [[erosion (geology)|erosion]] of the mountain. In other words, it refers to the fact that the Brocken was eroded or "broken down" to its present size.<ref name="nehse">C. E. Nehse: ''Der Brocken und seine Merkwürdigkeiten''. 1840</ref>

But the most likely derivation of the name comes from the shape of the mountain as a whole. A ''brocken'' in German is a large, shapeless mass. The size of the Brocken may thus have given it its name. Since the term "block" has a similar meaning, this could also be the derivation of its alternative name, the Blocksberg.<ref name="eckert"/> The true origin of the name Blocksberg, however, should not be seen as "block" in the sense of "mass", but rather the German word ''block'' (as in block of wood) in witchcraft.<ref name="Jacobs">[[Eduard Jacobs]]: ''Der Brocken in Geschichte und Sage''. Pfeffer, Halle 1879</ref>

Another theory holds that the name "Brocken" is derived from ''bruch'', a word used in northern Germany for [[bog]] or [[moorland|moor]], which commonly used to be spelt as ''bruoch'' or ''brok''.<ref name="schmidt"/> It is however doubtful that this fact was primarily responsible for its name.<ref name="eckert"/> Another possibility is that its name is derived from the fields of boulders strewn over the summit and the slopes of the mountain. This derivation for the name "Brocken" is, however, unlikely<ref name="nehse"/> because such blockfields are also found on other mountains in the Harz. Moreover, the regions concerned were hardly known at the time when the term was used.<ref name="eckert"/> Another presumption is based on the reference in a letter written in 1490 by Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode, where he uses the term ''Brackenberg''. However the suggestion that this referred to old, unusable timber, which was called ''bracken'', is disputed.<ref name="schmidt"/>

== Tourism ==
[[File:Brockenbahn.jpg|thumb|View of the Brocken from the Heinrich Heine Way. In the foreground the [[Brocken Railway]] (2008)]]
[[File:Brockenbahnhof.jpg|thumb|Brocken station (2004)]]
Today a narrow gauge railway, the [[Brocken Railway]], once more shuttles between [[Wernigerode]], [[Drei Annen Hohne]], [[Schierke]] and the Brocken. The trains are regularly hauled by [[steam locomotive]]s.

At the summit is the Brockenhaus with a museum on the history of the mountain and the Brocken Garden (a botanical garden), which is managed by the [[Harz National Park]]. In addition there are restaurants and the Brocken Hotel, which is run by the Brocken publican (''Brockenwirt''), Hans Steinhoff. Important publicans in the past included Johann Friedrich Gerlach from 1801 to 1834, Carl Eduard Nehse between 1834 and 1850, who brought out a map of the Brocken in 1849 and the Brocken Register (''Brockenstammbuch'') in 1850, as well as Rudolf Schade from 1908 to 1927, who considerably increased the repute and the size of guest facilities on the Brocken.<ref name="schmidt"/>
[[File:Harz Brockenstrasse Schilder.jpg|thumb|left|[[Signpost]] on the Brocken Road (''Brockenstraße'')]]
The area around the Brocken is especially popular with hikers. The [[Goethe Way]] (''Goetheweg'') is a well known trail that leads to the summit of the Brocken. It is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who more-or-less followed this route in 1777. Many paths lead to the local towns of Schierke, [[Braunlage]] and [[Sankt Andreasberg]]. The {{convert|100|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} [[Harz Witches' Path]] also runs from the Brocken eastwards to [[Thale]] and westwards via Torfhaus and [[Altenau]] to [[Osterode am Harz|Osterode]]. The "Bad Harzburg Devil's Path" runs from the Brocken to [[Bad Harzburg]]. [[Mountain bike]]rs also use the trails.

From Schierke a metalled road leads to the summit,<ref>[http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/altimetria/381/Germania/salita_Brocken+-+Elend.aspx Höhenprofil der Brockenstraße (mit Anschluss bis Elend)]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> which is used by horse-drawn wagons, as well as [[bicycle touring|touring]] and [[racing bike|racing]] cyclists. Because of the situation in the national park, vehicles with internal combustion engines are only allowed with special permission.

Worthy of special mention is the bearer of the Badge of Honour of Saxony-Anhalt, Benno Schmidt (born 1932) – also known as Brocken Benno – of Wernigerode, who has climbed the mountain since 1989, almost daily, with more than 8,888 ascents (as of September 2020) and whose feat has been registered in the [[Guinness Book of World Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/the-harz-region-all-around-the-brocken/a-18323025|title=The Harz Region – All around the Brocken {{!}} On Tour {{!}} DW {{!}} 23.03.2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|language=en|access-date=2017-11-02}}</ref>

== Sports ==
[[File:Blick auf die Wurmbergschanze vom Brocken.JPG|thumb|View of the [[Wurmberg Ski Jump]]]]
Two well-known running events pass over the Brocken: the [[Ilsenburg (Harz)|Ilsenburg]] Brocken Run (beginning of September, {{convert|26|km|mi|disp=or}}, of which {{convert|12|km|mi|disp=or}} uphill, has taken place since the 1920s) and the [[Brocken Marathon]] which is part of the [[Harz Mountain Run]] with its start and finish south of Wernigerode. Both start in the valley, climb the Brocken and return. The most challenging part in each case is the last four kilometres to the Brocken summit, for which in both races, a separate [[mountains classification]] is given. This section is a concrete slab track with a steady incline of about 20% and the runners are exposed above the tree line, often to a sharp, icy wind. Of the just under 1,000 people who usually achieve it, only 50 negotiate this section without stopping to walk.

Since 2004, the Brocken Challenge, an [[ultra marathon]] {{convert|84|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} from [[Göttingen]] to the Brocken summit, has been staged in February each year. The proceeds from this event go to charity. The runs are conducted in accordance with the rules of the national park.

The {{convert|87|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} "Brocken Climb" from Göttingen to the Brocken has taken place annually since 2003. More than 300 people take part in these two-day hikes in June.

In early May each year the Braunschweig-Brocken Ultra Run takes place with 2 × {{convert|75|km|mi|round=0.5|abbr=on}} legs spread over two days. The participants run from [[Braunschweig]] to Schierke, cross the Brocken, overnight in Schierke and run back again the next day. Overall, it is therefore a {{convert|150|km|mi|adj=on}} race.

== Buildings ==
[[File:Brockengipfel.JPG|thumb|The Brocken: buildings and installations (as at: 2006)]]

=== Transmission site ===
Since the 1930s various radio and television transmitters have been erected on the Brocken, see [[Brocken Transmitter]].

=== Brocken House ===
Brocken House (''Brockenhaus''), the modern information centre for the Harz National Park, is located in the converted "[[Stasi]] Mosque" (''Stasi-Moschee''), a former surveillance installation for the [[Stasi|Ministry for State Security]]. The historic antenna equipment in the dome may be visited. Behind the building is checkpoint {{abbr|No.|number}} 9 on the ''[[Harzer Wandernadel]]'' hiking trail network.

=== Weather station ===
The extreme weather conditions of the Brocken are of special [[meteorology|meteorological]] interest. From 1836 the ''Brockenwirt'', who also ran the guest house and restaurant, kept meteorological records. The first [[weather station]] on the Brocken was built in 1895. Technically poor and too small, it was partially demolished in 1912 and replaced with a large stone construction, the ''Hellman Observatory'', that was not completed until the [[First World War]]. In 1917 the academic and nature lover George Grobe took over running the observation post, his daughter supporting him until his death in 1935.<ref>Kurt Glaß: ''Geschichte der Wetterwarte Brocken von den Anfängen bis 1950'' in: Unser Harz, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Heft 07/1990</ref> Today's weather station started life in 1939. Measurements were interrupted at the end of the Second World War as a result of military bombardment, but began again in 1947. On 16 March 2010 the Brocken Weather Station became a climate reference station to provide uninterrupted, long-term climatic observations.<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_result_page&portletMasterPortlet_i1gsbDocumentPath=Content%2FPresse%2FPressekonferenzen%2F2010%2FPK__16__03__10%2FPressekonferenz.html Press conference of the DWD at the opening of the Brocken Weather Station as a climate reference station] accessed on 8 October 2010.</ref>

== Literary mentions ==
[[Image:Walpurgisnacht.jpg|thumb|Walpurgis' Night, engraving after an illustration by [[Johann Heinrich Ramberg]], 1829]]
* Goethe described the Brocken in his ''[[Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy|Faust]]'', first published in 1808, as the center of revelry for [[witch]]es on ''[[Walpurgisnacht]]'' (30 April; the eve of [[Saint Walpurga|St Walpurga]]'s Day).
::''Now, to the Brocken, the witches ride;''
::''The stubble is gold and the corn is green;''
::''There is the carnival crew to be seen,''
::''And Squire Urianus will come to preside.''
::''So over the valleys, our company floats,''
::''With witches a-farting on stinking old goats.''
: Goethe may have gained inspiration from two rock formations on the mountain's summit, the ''Teufelskanzel'' (Devil's Pulpit) and the ''Hexenaltar'' (Witches' Altar).
* The Brocken is similarly mentioned in many other literary and musical [[works based on Faust]]
* Another famous visitor on the Brocken, author [[Heinrich Heine]], wrote his book ''[[Die Harzreise]]'' ("The Harz Journey") published in 1826. He says:
::''The mountain somehow appears so Germanically stoical, so understanding, so tolerant, just because it affords a view so high and wide and clear. And should such mountain open its giant eyes, it may well see more than we, who like dwarfs just trample on it, staring from stupid eyes.''
* The summit register entry ''Many stones, tired bones, views: none, Heinrich Heine'' (''"Viele Steine, müde Beine, Aussicht keine, Heinrich Heine"'') is a popular, though unsourced phrase related to the weary ascent and the mostly foggy conditions.
* The teacher [[Heinrich Pröhle]] collected the ''Brockensagen'' [[wikt:tale|tale]]s and [[legend]]s as well as the [[etymology]] of the geographic names in the [[Harz]]. He carefully examined the ''Teufelskanzel'' and the ''Hexenaltar'', mentioned above.
*[[Henry James]] has his character Basil Ransom ask: "What kind of meetings do you refer to? You speak as if it were a rendezvous of witches on the Brocken" in the first chapter of his novel ''[[The Bostonians]]'' (1886).
* Slothrop and Geli Tripping experience the famous Brocken Spectre in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s novel ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]'', as the [[Mittelbau-Dora]] labour camp in the Harz mountains north of Nordhausen from 1943 was the home of the [[V-2]] rocket production. In [[David Foster Wallace]]'s Pynchon-influenced [[Infinite Jest]] the characters Remy Marathe and Hugh Steeply also experience the Brocken spectre on a ridge in the desert outside Tucson.

== In popular culture ==
* "Black Sabbath", the first track of the debut album of the early occult rock band [[Coven (band)|Coven]], starts with the line "They journeyed far to Brocken Mountain pinnacle".
* The [[progressive metal]] band [[Fates Warning]] titled their debut album ''[[Night on Bröcken]]'' (note the "[[Heavy metal umlaut]]"). The title track refers to [[Sabbath (witchcraft)|Witches Sabbath]] on Walpurgis Night.
* The song "Born in a Burial Gown" by [[Cradle of Filth]] (from the album ''[[Bitter Suites to Succubi]]'') contains an allusion to the Brocken's history as a witches' gathering-place.
* The [[indie rock]] band [[Liars (band)|Liars]]' album ''[[They Were Wrong, So We Drowned]]'' is a concept album loosely based on tales of the gatherings of witches on the Brocken as well as [[witch trials]].
* The novel ''Cloud Castles'' by [[Michael Scott Rohan]] features the Brocken as the home and body of [[Chernobog]]
* ''[[Bibi Blocksberg]]'', a German audio drama for children about a witch, refers to an alternate name for the Brocken (''Blocksberg'').
* The Brocken is mentioned in the novel ''Bald Mountain'' by Sergej Golovachov.
* The Brocken is mentioned in episode 546 of the TV anime series ''Detective Conan''.
* There are two German fictional characters in the anime/manga Kinnikuman who are called Brockenman and Brocken Jr.
* There is a German black metal band named Brocken Moon.
* Brocken spectres is the topic of Polish poetic folk band "Na Bani" titled "Brocken" from the album "20 lat z górą".
* German heavy metal band [[Edguy]] mentions Brocken and [[Walpurgisnacht]] in their song "Angel Rebellion" from the album ''[[Kingdom of Madness (Edguy album)|Kingdom of Madness]]''.
*[[Caleb Carr]] published "The Legend of Broken" in 2012. The fictional kingdom of Broken occupies the Harz Mountains, and in particular Brocken, which for centuries had been considered the seat of supernatural doings, because, Carr demonstrates, of the ignorance and superstition of humans.

== See also ==
{{portal|Harz}}
* [[List of the highest points of the German states]]
* [[Brocken spectre]]
* [[Lysa Hora (folklore)]] ("Bald Mountain")

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Brocken}}
* {{Official website|https://en.harzinfo.de/pure-nature/mount-brocken}} {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.harztourist.de/brockencam/8_1_0.html Website with live-webcams] {{in lang|de}}

{{Highest points of the German states}}
{{German Central Uplands}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brocken}}
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Witchcraft in Germany]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Harz]]
[[Category:Forests and woodlands of Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Wernigerode]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of Germany]]

Brocken

2023-11-24T18:07:11Z

172.92.125.14: /* In popular culture */ Added a relevant reference.

{{Short description|Highest peak of the Harz mountain range in Northern Germany}}
{{Other uses|Brocken (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Brocken
| photo = Brocken vom Torfhaus.jpg
| photo_caption = The summit of the Brocken, showing the transmitters
| photo_size = 280
| elevation_m = 1142
| elevation_ref =
| prominence_m = 856
| prominence_ref =
| map = Germany
| map_caption = Location within Germany
| map_size = 250
| label_position = right
| pronunciation = {{IPA-de|ˈbʁɔkən|lang}}
| location = [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Germany]]
| range = [[Harz]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|48|02|N|10|37|02|E|type:mountain_region:DE_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = drive, hike and train
}}

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 River|Weser]] and [[Elbe]]. Although its elevation of {{convert|1141|m|ft}} is below [[Alps|alpine]] dimensions, its [[microclimate]] resembles that of mountains of about {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The peak above the [[tree line]] tends to have a snow cover from September to May, and mists and [[fog]]s shroud it up to 300 days of the year. The mean annual temperature is only {{convert|2.9|°C|°F|1|lk=on}}. It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; travelling east in a straight line, the next prominent elevation would be in the [[Ural Mountains]] in Russia.

The Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with [[witch]]es and [[devil]]s; [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] took up the legends in his play ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]''. The [[Brocken spectre]] is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.

Today the Brocken is part of the [[Harz National Park]] and hosts a historic [[Brocken Garden|botanical garden]] of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. A [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] steam railway, the [[Brocken Railway]], takes visitors to the railway station at the top on {{convert|1125|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of the Brocken. The old television tower, the ''[[Sender Brocken]]'', is now used as hotel and restaurant. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists.

== Geography ==
[[File:LuftbildBrocken.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of the summit (2009)]]
[[File:Brockenkuppe wp.png|thumb|Overview plan of the Brocken summit]]
[[File:Brocken Gipfelstein.jpg|thumb|Summit stone]]
[[File:Brocken Granit.JPG|thumb|Granite on the Brocken]]

=== Location ===
The Brocken rises over the [[Harz National Park]] in the district of [[Harz (district)|Harz]], whose main town of [[Wernigerode]] lies about {{convert|12|km|mi}} east-northeast of the mountain. The state boundary with [[Lower Saxony]] runs past the Brocken some {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the west. At the southeastern foot of the Brocken lies the spa resort of [[Schierke]].

Somewhat to the north below the summit of the Brocken is a reservoir, the [[Brockenteich]], constructed in 1744. On or near the mountain are the source areas of the rivers [[Bode (river)|Bode]], [[Ecker]], [[Ilse (Oker)|Ilse]] and [[Oder (Harz)|Oder]]. The rounded summit of the Brocken is treeless, but vegetated with [[dwarf shrub]]s.

=== Summit and subpeaks ===
The highest point on the Brocken reaches an elevation of {{Höhe|1141.1|DE-NN|link=true}} ({{convert|1141.1|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). Its subpeaks include the [[Heinrichshöhe]] ({{convert|1040|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}), [[Königsberg (Brocken)|Königsberg]] ({{convert|1034|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and Kleiner Brocken ("Little Brocken") ({{convert|1018|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}).

Before 1989 the height of the Brocken was recorded in almost all the relevant maps and books as {{Höhe|1142|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1142|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). A survey of the summit at the beginning of the 1990s based on the current reference system, however, gave the height as just {{convert|1141.1|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In order to provide a reference point for the old data, in the mid-1990s granite boulders were set on the highest point of the Brocken, which not only matched the old given height, but exceeded it by about a metre. A bench mark of "1142 m" was recorded on the summit stone. This height on the upper plate refers to the line on the lower plate.<ref>[http://www.harzlife.de/top/brockenhoehe.html www.harzlife.de] accessed on 13 July 2010.</ref>

=== Geology ===
From a geological point of view the Brocken and its surrounding terrain, the Brocken massif, consists mainly of [[granite]] (called Brocken granite), an igneous rock. The [[Pluton|granitic plutons]] of the Harz – the Brocken, Ramberg and Oker plutons – emerged towards the end of the Harz mountain-building phase of the [[Upper Carboniferous]], about 300 million years ago. First, alkaline [[magma]] intruded into the overlying sediments, crystallized out and formed [[gabbro]] and [[diorite]] massifs, such as the Harzburg gabbro. A little later, [[silica]]-rich granitic magma rose, some intruding into voids and gaps in the older rocks, but most being created by the melting of existing sediments. On the boundary between granite and host rock, the so-called contact zone, a great variety of transitions may be seen. For example, the summit of the [[Achtermannshöhe]] consists of contact-metamorphosed [[hornfels]] of the contact zone that, here, lies over the Brocken granite. The subsequent erosion of the Harz mountains that followed the uplifting of the Harz during the [[Upper Cretaceous]] saw the disappearance of the protective hornfels summit, thus exposing the granite that had crystallized underground during the Upper Carboniferous. The alleged hardness of Brocken granite is not the reason for the height of the mountain, but the geological fact that it was well protected by its weather-resistant hornfels crest for a long time before erosion set in.

Only in recent geological times, since the [[tertiary]] period, did the typical, rounded, [[spheroidal weathering]] of granite outcrops and granite boulders of the Brocken take place. Such [[blockfield]]s are very rare in Central Europe outside the Alps and are subject to conservation measures. They originated mainly under periglacial conditions, i.e. during the course of the [[ice age]]s, and their retreat. Today's blockfields of Brocken granite, as well as other rocks in the Harz National Park, particularly in the [[Oker]] valley, are therefore at least 10,000 years old. Physical weathering, such as [[frost shattering]], has played a key role in their formation, resulting in giant piles of loosely stacked rocks. In 2006, the granite blockfields of the Brocken, together with 76 other interesting geotopes, were designated as a "National Geotope".<ref>Friedhart Knolle, Béatrice Oesterreich, Rainer Schulz und Volker Wrede: ''Der Harz. Geologische Exkursionen''. Perthes-Exkursionsführer, Justus Perthes Verlag Gotha, Gotha 1997</ref>

=== Climate ===
[[File:Klimadiagramm-Brocken (Harz)-Deutschland-metrisch-deutsch.png|thumb|left|Climatic diagram for 1961-1990 normals]]
[[File:BrockenTopFromWest.jpg|thumb|Winter landscape (2003)]]
[[File:BrockenWarteFromTopWinter.jpg|thumb|Brocken tower in winter (2001)]]
The Brocken is a place of extreme weather conditions. Due to its exposed location in the north of Germany its peak lies above the natural [[tree line]]. The [[climate]] on the Brocken is like that of the alpine {{convert|1600|-|2200|m|ft|adj=on}} zone or even that of [[Iceland]]. This is due to its short summers and very long winters, with many months of continuous snow cover, strong storms and low temperatures even in summer. The summit, however, does not have an alpine ''climate'', as the average summer temperature is above {{convert|10|C|F}}.

Due to its significant height difference compared with the surrounding terrain the Brocken has the highest precipitation of any point in northern central Europe, with an average annual precipitation (1961–1990) of {{convert|1814|mm|in}}. Its average annual temperature is {{convert|2.9|C|F}}.<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_menu2_leistungen_a-z_freiemetinfos&T115202758871200642573928gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadatenzentren%2FNKDZ%2Fkldaten__akt%2Fausgabe__mittelwerte__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue DWD – Klimadaten Mittelwerte] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref>

The Brocken weather station has recorded the following extreme values:<ref name=DWD110Jahre>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230450/http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2005/200509301__pdf,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/200509301_pdf.pdf ''110 Jahre Wetterbeobachtungen auf dem Brocken''] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref>
* Its highest temperature was {{convert|29.7|C|F}} on [[2019_European_heatwaves#Germany|25 July 2019]].
* Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-28.4|C|F}} on 1 February 1956.
* In 1973 it had 205 days of snow cover.
* Its greatest depth of snow was {{convert|380|cm|in|abbr=on}} on 14 and 15 April 1970.
* Its highest measured wind speed was {{convert|263|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} on 24 November 1984.
* Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|2335|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1981.
* Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|984|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1953.
* The longest annual sunshine was 2004.5 hours in 1921.
* The shortest annual sunshine was 972.2 hours in 1912.
The Brocken also holds the record for the greatest number of days of mist and fog in a single calendar year in Germany, 330 days in 1958,<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_result_page&portletMasterPortlet_i1gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FWetterrekorde%2Fnebel__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue DWD Weltrekorde - Nebel] accessed on 8 October 2010</ref> and has an average of 120 days of snowfall per year.<ref name=harzseite>{{Cite web|url=http://www.harz-seite.de/klima.htm|title = Klima / Harz}}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Brocken, (elevation {{convert|1135|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1896–present)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 14.0
|Feb record high C = 14.6
|Mar record high C = 17.5
|Apr record high C = 21.4
|May record high C = 24.1
|Jun record high C = 26.7
|Jul record high C = 29.7
|Aug record high C = 29.0
|Sep record high C = 25.9
|Oct record high C = 21.9
|Nov record high C = 19.8
|Dec record high C = 12.5
|year record high C = 29.7
|Jan high C = -1.1
|Feb high C = -1.0
|Mar high C = 1.4
|Apr high C = 6.0
|May high C = 10.1
|Jun high C = 13.2
|Jul high C = 15.4
|Aug high C = 15.3
|Sep high C = 11.1
|Oct high C = 6.8
|Nov high C = 2.9
|Dec high C = 0.0
|year high C = 6.7
|Jan mean C = -3.3
|Feb mean C = -3.3
|Mar mean C = -1.2
|Apr mean C = 2.9
|May mean C = 6.8
|Jun mean C = 9.8
|Jul mean C = 12.1
|Aug mean C = 12.0
|Sep mean C = 8.3
|Oct mean C = 4.4
|Nov mean C = 0.6
|Dec mean C = -2.2
|year mean C = 3.9
|Jan low C = -5.4
|Feb low C = -5.4
|Mar low C = -3.6
|Apr low C = 0.1
|May low C = 3.9
|Jun low C = 6.7
|Jul low C = 9.1
|Aug low C = 9.2
|Sep low C = 6.0
|Oct low C = 2.3
|Nov low C = -1.4
|Dec low C = -4.2
|year low C = 1.4
|Jan record low C = -27.5
|Feb record low C = -28.4
|Mar record low C = -19.6
|Apr record low C = -12.6
|May record low C = -8.7
|Jun record low C = -3.0
|Jul record low C = -0.1
|Aug record low C = 0.0
|Sep record low C = -2.6
|Oct record low C = -10.3
|Nov record low C = -16.1
|Dec record low C = -25.0
|year record low C = -28.4
| precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 202.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 145.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 147.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 86.9
|May precipitation mm = 120.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 117.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 159.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 131.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 152.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 171.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 163.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 204.0
|year precipitation mm = 1799.1
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 25.7
|Feb precipitation days = 23.5
|Mar precipitation days = 23.6
|Apr precipitation days = 18.8
|May precipitation days = 19.6
|Jun precipitation days = 19.6
|Jul precipitation days = 20.9
|Aug precipitation days = 20.1
|Sep precipitation days = 22.3
|Oct precipitation days = 25.1
|Nov precipitation days = 25.6
|Dec precipitation days = 26.4
|year precipitation days = 271.1
|Jan sun = 61.8
|Feb sun = 72.0
|Mar sun = 107.8
|Apr sun = 162.7
|May sun = 187.0
|Jun sun = 181.4
|Jul sun = 184.6
|Aug sun = 177.0
|Sep sun = 131.0
|Oct sun = 93.5
|Nov sun = 55.2
|Dec sun = 49.0
|year sun = 1462.9
|Jan humidity = 89.6
|Feb humidity = 88.8
|Mar humidity = 89.2
|Apr humidity = 82.6
|May humidity = 82.3
|Jun humidity = 84.2
|Jul humidity = 83.0
|Aug humidity = 83.2
|Sep humidity = 88.9
|Oct humidity = 91.1
|Nov humidity = 90.5
|Dec humidity = 89.5
|year humidity = 86.9
|unit snow days = 1.0 cm
|Jan snow days = 30.2
|Feb snow days = 27.8
|Mar snow days = 30.0
|Apr snow days = 19.2
|May snow days = 3.1
|Jun snow days = 0.1
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0.2
|Oct snow days = 5.1
|Nov snow days = 15.3
|Dec snow days = 26.5
|year snow days = 159.0
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA>{{cite web
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916125025/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Brocken_10453.csv
|archive-date = 16 September 2023
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Brocken_10453.csv
|title = Brocken Climate Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = 16 September 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = DWD (extremes)<ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=722&maand=1&country=1&order=1&extreem=X_TX
|title = Extremwertanalyse der DWD-Stationen, Tagesmaxima, Dekadenrekorde, usw.
|publisher = DWD
|language = de
|access-date = 24 November 2023}}</ref>
}}

=== Flora ===
[[File:Brocken Baumgrenze.jpg|thumb|Brocken: treeline]]
The harsh climate of the Brocken makes it a habitat for rare species. The mountain's summit is a [[subalpine zone]] with flora and fauna almost comparable to those of north [[Scandinavia]] and the [[Alps]].
The Brocken is the only mountain in Germany's [[Central Uplands]] whose summit lies above the [[treeline]], so that only very small [[spruce]] grow there and much of it is covered by a [[dwarf shrub]] [[heathland]]. In the [[Brocken Garden]], established in 1890, flora are nurtured by national park employees; visitors are allowed to view it as part of regular guided tours. The garden does not just display plants from the Brocken, but also high mountain flora from other regions and countries.

Amongst the typical species of the Brocken that are rarely if ever found elsewhere in North Germany and which occur above about {{Höhe|1050|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1050|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}) are the variant of the [[Pulsatilla alpina|alpine pasqueflower]] known as the ''Brocken flower'' or ''Brocken anemone'' (''Pulsatilla alpina'' subsp. ''alba''), [[hawkweed]]s like the Brocken hawkweed (''Hieracium negrescens'') and the alpine hawkweed (''Hieracium alpinum''), [[vernal grass]]es (''Anthoxanthum''), the [[lady's mantle]] (''Alchemilla''), the [[common tormentil|tormentil]] (''Potentilla tormentilla''), the [[Clubmoss|alpine clubmoss]] (''Diphasiastrum alpinum''), the lichens, [[Iceland moss]] (''Cetraria islandica'') and [[reindeer lichen]] (''Cladonia rangiferina''). The [[crowberry]] is also referred to here as the Brocken myrtle (''Brockenmyrte'').

On the [[raised bog]]s around the summit of the Brocken there are e.g. [[cottongrass]]es, [[sundew]]s and the [[dwarf birch]] (''Betula nana'').

=== Fauna ===
[[File:Boloria.aquilonaris.2689.jpg|thumb|The [[cranberry fritillary]] (''Boloria aquilonaris'')]]
Several animal species have adapted to the conditions of life on the Brocken. For example, the [[water pipit]] (''Anthus aquaticus'') and the [[ring ouzel]] both breed in the area around the summit.

The [[viviparous lizard]] occurs on the Brocken in a unique, dark-colored variant, ''Lacerta vivipara aberr. negra''. The [[common frog]] (''Rana temporaria'') can also be found here. Insects are very numerous. There are many [[beetles]] including [[ground beetle]]s such as ''Amara erratica'', and hundreds of species of [[butterfly]]. The [[large white|cabbage white]] here produces only one generation per year compared with two in the lowlands.

Some mammal and bird species that occur here are relics of the [[ice age]], including the [[northern bat]] (''Eptesicus nils soni''), the [[alpine shrew]] (''Sorex alpinus'') and the [[ring ouzel]].

== History ==
[[Image:Brocken L. S. Bestehorn.jpg|thumb|270px|Map of the Brocken, L.S. Bestehorn, 1732<br/>(note the witches)]]

=== Ascent, construction and use ===
The first documented ascent of the Brocken was in 1572 by the physician and botanist, Johannes Thal from [[Stolberg, Saxony-Anhalt|Stolberg]], who in his book ''Sylva Hercynia'' described the [[flora]] of the mountain area. In 1736 Count Christian Ernst of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]] had the ''Wolkenhäuschen'' ("Clouds Cabin") erected at the summit, a small refuge that is still preserved. He also had a mountain lodge built on the southern slope, named ''Heinrichshöhe'' after his son Henry (''Heinrich'') Ernest. The first inn on the Brocken summit was built around 1800.

Between 1821 and 1825 [[Carl Friedrich Gauss]] used the line of sight to the ''[[Großer Inselsberg]]'' in the [[Thuringian Forest]] and the ''Hoher Hagen'' mountain near [[Göttingen]] for [[triangulation]] in the course of the [[geodesy|geodesic]] [[surveying|survey]] of the [[Kingdom of Hanover]].<ref>A comprehensive account of this famous Gaussian survey may be found, for example, in Charles Kittel et al., ''Berkeley Physik Kurs 1, Mechanik'', 5., verbesserte Auflage, Brunswick/Wiesbaden, 1991, p. 5, ([https://books.google.com/books?id=v-epNSZnhtEC&pg=PA5&dq=gauss+brocken+hoher+hagen+inselberg&lr=&sig=uND87sCuyT3ZYzBwEVqa_55Ynyw Scan] at GoogleBooks)</ref>
A measurement carried out by the [[staff (military)|military staff]] of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in 1850 found the Brocken's height to be at its present level of {{convert|1141.1|m|ft}}. After the first Brocken lodge had been destroyed by a fire, a new hotel opened in 1862. The [[Brocken Garden]], a [[botanical garden]], was laid out in 1890 by Professor Albert Peter of [[University of Göttingen|Göttingen University]] on an area of {{convert|4600|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} granted by Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. It was Germany's first [[Alpine garden]].

[[File:Brocken Sendeanlage und Brockenhaus.jpg|thumb|View from the weather observation platform of the weather station on the Brocken peak (2006)]]
The [[narrow gauge]] [[Brocken Railway]] was opened on 27 March 1899. [[Brocken station]] is one of the highest railway stations in Germany lying at a height of {{Höhe|1125|DE-NN}} ({{convert|1125|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=out}}). Its gauge is {{RailGauge|1000mm}}. In 1935 the ''[[Reichspost|Deutsche Reichspost]]'' made the first [[television]] broadcast from the Brocken using a mobile transmitter and, in the following year, the first television tower in the world was built on the mountain; carrying the first [[live television]] broadcast of the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in [[Berlin]]. The tower continued functioning until September 1939, when the authorities suspended broadcasting on the outbreak of [[World War II]].

In 1937 the Brocken, together with the [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]], [[Achtermannshöhe|Achtermann]] and [[Bruchberg|Acker-Bruchberg]] were designated as the Upper Harz (''Oberharz'') [[nature reserve]].

During an air attack by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] on 17 April 1945 the Brocken Hotel and the weather station were destroyed by bombing. The television tower, however, survived. From 1945 until April 1947, the Brocken was occupied by [[United States|US]] troops. As part of the exchange of territory (specified at the [[Yalta Conference]]) the mountain was transferred to the [[Soviet occupation zone]]. Before the Americans left the Brocken in 1947, however, they disabled the rebuilt weather station and the television tower.

The ruins of the Brocken Hotel were blown up in 1949. From 1948 to 1959 part of the Brocken was reopened to tourists. Although a pass was required, these were freely issued. From August 1961 the Brocken, which lay in [[East Germany]]'s border zone, immediately adjacent to [[West Germany]], was declared a [[military exclusion zone]] and was therefore no longer open to public access. Extensive military installations were built on and around the summit. The security of the area was the responsibility of the border guards of the ''7th [[Schierke]] Border Company'', which was stationed in platoon strength on the summit. For accommodation, they used the Brocken railway station. The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] also used a large portion of territory. In 1987, the goods traffic on the Brocken Railway ceased due to poor track conditions.

The Brocken was extensively used for surveillance and espionage purposes. On the summit were two large and powerful [[listening station|listening stations]], which could capture radio traffic in almost all of Western Europe. One belonged to Soviet military intelligence, the [[Glawnoje Raswedywatelnoje Uprawlenije|GRU]], and was also the westernmost outpost of the Soviets in Germany; the other was Department III of the [[Stasi|Ministry for State Security]] in the [[East Germany|GDR]]. The listening posts were codenamed "Yenisei" and "Urian".<ref>[http://www.lostplaces.de/cms/content/view/45/33/ Objekt URIAN – Abhörstation Brocken auf lostplaces.de]</ref> Between 1973 and 1976 a new modern television tower was built for the second channel of the GDR's television service, the ''[[Deutscher Fernsehfunk]]''. Today it is used by the public ''[[ZDF|Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen]]'' (ZDF) television network. The [[Stasi]] (East German secret police) used the old tower until 1985, when they moved to a new building – now a museum. To seal the area, the entire Brocken plateau was then surrounded by a concrete wall, built from 2,318 sections, each one {{convert|2.4|tonne|ST}} in weight and {{convert|3.60|m|ft}} high. The whole area was not publicly accessible until 3 December 1989. The wall has since been dismantled, as have the Russian barracks and the domes of their listening posts. Today the old tower beside the lodge again is home to a weather station of the ''[[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]''.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, beginning on 3 December 1989 the Brocken was again open to the public during a demonstration walk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndr.de/geschichte/grenzenlos/begegnungen/brocken120.html |title=Eine ganz besondere Erstbesteigung | NDR.de - Geschichte - 20 Jahre Mauerfall - begegnungen |access-date=2013-01-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008021853/http://www.ndr.de/geschichte/grenzenlos/begegnungen/brocken120.html |archive-date=2012-10-08 }}</ref> With [[German reunification]] there was a gradual reduction in border security facilities and military installations from 1990. The last Russian soldier left the Brocken on 30 March 1994. The Brocken summit was renaturalised at a cost of millions of euros. It is now a popular tourist destination for visitors to the Harz.

As a [[protected area]] since 1939 and due to the decades of restricted access the unique climate of the Brocken provided outstanding conditions. The massif is partly still covered with [[primary forest]] extremely rare in Germany. It provides perfect conditions for endangered and nearly extinct species like the [[Eurasian lynx]], [[wildcat]]s and [[capercaillie]]s. The Brocken was therefore declared part of a [[national park]] in 1990.

=== Name and significance ===
[[File:Brocken Büchenberg.jpg|thumb|The [[Wurmberg (Harz)|Wurmberg]], [[Hohnekamm]] and Brocken (from left) from the Büchenberg near [[Elbingerode (Harz)|Elbingerode]]]]
The widespread use of the name "Brocken" did not occur until towards the end of the [[Middle Ages]]. Hitherto the region had just been described as the Harz. This was primarily because, until then, the focus had been mining.<ref name="eckert">Gerhard Eckert: ''Der Brocken, Berg in Deutschlands Mitte. gestern und heute''. Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Husum 1994, {{ISBN|3-88042-485-3}}</ref> The first record of a placename that resembles the present name of the mountain goes back, however, to the year 1176 when it is referred to as ''broke'' in the [[Saxon World Chronicle]] (''Sächsische Weltchronik'').<ref name="gynz-rekowski">Georg von Gynz-Rekowski, Hermann D. Oemler: ''Brocken. Historie, Heimat, Humor''. Gerig Verlag, Königstein/Taunus 1991, {{ISBN|3-928275-05-4}}</ref> Another early written reference to the mountain, this time as the ''Brackenberg'', appears in 1490 in a letter from Count Henry of Stolberg.<ref name="schmidt">[[Thorsten Schmidt (Verleger)|Thorsten Schmidt]], Jürgen Korsch: ''Der Brocken, Berg zwischen Natur und Technik.'' Schmidt-Buch-Verlag, Wernigerode 1998, {{ISBN|3-928977-59-8}}</ref> Other early documented names of the Brocken were, in 1401, the ''Brockenberg'', in 1424 the ''Brocberg'', in 1495 ''mons ruptus'' (Latin), in 1511 the ''Brogken'' and ''Brockin'', in 1531 the ''Brogken'', in 1540 the ''Brokenberg'' and, in 1589, the ''Brackenberg''.<ref>[[Walther Grosse]]: ''Geschichte der Stadt und Grafschaft Wernigerode in ihren Forst-, Flur- und Straßennamen, Wernigerode [1929], p. 49</ref>
In Old Saxon-Germanic times, a large portrait of Wodin is supposed to have been found on the Brocken. In addition, animal and human sacrifices were offered by the Saxons to their supreme god, Odin, on the [[blockfield]]s of the summit until they renounced them as part of their baptismal vows when Christianity spread to the region under Charles the Great.<ref>[[Gabriel Gottfried Bredow|G.G.Bredow]]: ''Umständlichere Erzählung der merkwürdigen Begebenheiten aus der allgemeinen Weltgeschichte.'' Sechste Auflage, Hammerich-Verlag, Altona 1817, p. 526–528</ref>

As far as the origin of the name is concerned, there are several interpretations:
In the town records (''Stadtbuch'') of [[Osterwieck]] an entry for the Brocken was found in the year 1495 under the [[Latin]] name of ''mons ruptus'', which means "broken hill".<ref name = "gynz-rekowski"/> Its [[Low German]] name, ''broken'', as the mountain had become named in 1176 in the Saxon World Chronicle and also in [[English language|English]], means "broken". On the one hand, this explanation of its meaning can be attributed to the fact that the two mountains, "Kleiner Brocken" and "Großer Brocken", were formed by the breakup of a single massif.<ref name="eckert"/> On the other hand, its meaning may refer to the serious [[erosion (geology)|erosion]] of the mountain. In other words, it refers to the fact that the Brocken was eroded or "broken down" to its present size.<ref name="nehse">C. E. Nehse: ''Der Brocken und seine Merkwürdigkeiten''. 1840</ref>

But the most likely derivation of the name comes from the shape of the mountain as a whole. A ''brocken'' in German is a large, shapeless mass. The size of the Brocken may thus have given it its name. Since the term "block" has a similar meaning, this could also be the derivation of its alternative name, the Blocksberg.<ref name="eckert"/> The true origin of the name Blocksberg, however, should not be seen as "block" in the sense of "mass", but rather the German word ''block'' (as in block of wood) in witchcraft.<ref name="Jacobs">[[Eduard Jacobs]]: ''Der Brocken in Geschichte und Sage''. Pfeffer, Halle 1879</ref>

Another theory holds that the name "Brocken" is derived from ''bruch'', a word used in northern Germany for [[bog]] or [[moorland|moor]], which commonly used to be spelt as ''bruoch'' or ''brok''.<ref name="schmidt"/> It is however doubtful that this fact was primarily responsible for its name.<ref name="eckert"/> Another possibility is that its name is derived from the fields of boulders strewn over the summit and the slopes of the mountain. This derivation for the name "Brocken" is, however, unlikely<ref name="nehse"/> because such blockfields are also found on other mountains in the Harz. Moreover, the regions concerned were hardly known at the time when the term was used.<ref name="eckert"/> Another presumption is based on the reference in a letter written in 1490 by Count Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode, where he uses the term ''Brackenberg''. However the suggestion that this referred to old, unusable timber, which was called ''bracken'', is disputed.<ref name="schmidt"/>

== Tourism ==
[[File:Brockenbahn.jpg|thumb|View of the Brocken from the Heinrich Heine Way. In the foreground the [[Brocken Railway]] (2008)]]
[[File:Brockenbahnhof.jpg|thumb|Brocken station (2004)]]
Today a narrow gauge railway, the [[Brocken Railway]], once more shuttles between [[Wernigerode]], [[Drei Annen Hohne]], [[Schierke]] and the Brocken. The trains are regularly hauled by [[steam locomotive]]s.

At the summit is the Brockenhaus with a museum on the history of the mountain and the Brocken Garden (a botanical garden), which is managed by the [[Harz National Park]]. In addition there are restaurants and the Brocken Hotel, which is run by the Brocken publican (''Brockenwirt''), Hans Steinhoff. Important publicans in the past included Johann Friedrich Gerlach from 1801 to 1834, Carl Eduard Nehse between 1834 and 1850, who brought out a map of the Brocken in 1849 and the Brocken Register (''Brockenstammbuch'') in 1850, as well as Rudolf Schade from 1908 to 1927, who considerably increased the repute and the size of guest facilities on the Brocken.<ref name="schmidt"/>
[[File:Harz Brockenstrasse Schilder.jpg|thumb|left|[[Signpost]] on the Brocken Road (''Brockenstraße'')]]
The area around the Brocken is especially popular with hikers. The [[Goethe Way]] (''Goetheweg'') is a well known trail that leads to the summit of the Brocken. It is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who more-or-less followed this route in 1777. Many paths lead to the local towns of Schierke, [[Braunlage]] and [[Sankt Andreasberg]]. The {{convert|100|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} [[Harz Witches' Path]] also runs from the Brocken eastwards to [[Thale]] and westwards via Torfhaus and [[Altenau]] to [[Osterode am Harz|Osterode]]. The "Bad Harzburg Devil's Path" runs from the Brocken to [[Bad Harzburg]]. [[Mountain bike]]rs also use the trails.

From Schierke a metalled road leads to the summit,<ref>[http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/altimetria/381/Germania/salita_Brocken+-+Elend.aspx Höhenprofil der Brockenstraße (mit Anschluss bis Elend)]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> which is used by horse-drawn wagons, as well as [[bicycle touring|touring]] and [[racing bike|racing]] cyclists. Because of the situation in the national park, vehicles with internal combustion engines are only allowed with special permission.

Worthy of special mention is the bearer of the Badge of Honour of Saxony-Anhalt, Benno Schmidt (born 1932) – also known as Brocken Benno – of Wernigerode, who has climbed the mountain since 1989, almost daily, with more than 8,888 ascents (as of September 2020) and whose feat has been registered in the [[Guinness Book of World Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/the-harz-region-all-around-the-brocken/a-18323025|title=The Harz Region – All around the Brocken {{!}} On Tour {{!}} DW {{!}} 23.03.2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|language=en|access-date=2017-11-02}}</ref>

== Sports ==
[[File:Blick auf die Wurmbergschanze vom Brocken.JPG|thumb|View of the [[Wurmberg Ski Jump]]]]
Two well-known running events pass over the Brocken: the [[Ilsenburg (Harz)|Ilsenburg]] Brocken Run (beginning of September, {{convert|26|km|mi|disp=or}}, of which {{convert|12|km|mi|disp=or}} uphill, has taken place since the 1920s) and the [[Brocken Marathon]] which is part of the [[Harz Mountain Run]] with its start and finish south of Wernigerode. Both start in the valley, climb the Brocken and return. The most challenging part in each case is the last four kilometres to the Brocken summit, for which in both races, a separate [[mountains classification]] is given. This section is a concrete slab track with a steady incline of about 20% and the runners are exposed above the tree line, often to a sharp, icy wind. Of the just under 1,000 people who usually achieve it, only 50 negotiate this section without stopping to walk.

Since 2004, the Brocken Challenge, an [[ultra marathon]] {{convert|84|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} from [[Göttingen]] to the Brocken summit, has been staged in February each year. The proceeds from this event go to charity. The runs are conducted in accordance with the rules of the national park.

The {{convert|87|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} "Brocken Climb" from Göttingen to the Brocken has taken place annually since 2003. More than 300 people take part in these two-day hikes in June.

In early May each year the Braunschweig-Brocken Ultra Run takes place with 2 × {{convert|75|km|mi|round=0.5|abbr=on}} legs spread over two days. The participants run from [[Braunschweig]] to Schierke, cross the Brocken, overnight in Schierke and run back again the next day. Overall, it is therefore a {{convert|150|km|mi|adj=on}} race.

== Buildings ==
[[File:Brockengipfel.JPG|thumb|The Brocken: buildings and installations (as at: 2006)]]

=== Transmission site ===
Since the 1930s various radio and television transmitters have been erected on the Brocken, see [[Brocken Transmitter]].

=== Brocken House ===
Brocken House (''Brockenhaus''), the modern information centre for the Harz National Park, is located in the converted "[[Stasi]] Mosque" (''Stasi-Moschee''), a former surveillance installation for the [[Stasi|Ministry for State Security]]. The historic antenna equipment in the dome may be visited. Behind the building is checkpoint {{abbr|No.|number}} 9 on the ''[[Harzer Wandernadel]]'' hiking trail network.

=== Weather station ===
The extreme weather conditions of the Brocken are of special [[meteorology|meteorological]] interest. From 1836 the ''Brockenwirt'', who also ran the guest house and restaurant, kept meteorological records. The first [[weather station]] on the Brocken was built in 1895. Technically poor and too small, it was partially demolished in 1912 and replaced with a large stone construction, the ''Hellman Observatory'', that was not completed until the [[First World War]]. In 1917 the academic and nature lover George Grobe took over running the observation post, his daughter supporting him until his death in 1935.<ref>Kurt Glaß: ''Geschichte der Wetterwarte Brocken von den Anfängen bis 1950'' in: Unser Harz, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Heft 07/1990</ref> Today's weather station started life in 1939. Measurements were interrupted at the end of the Second World War as a result of military bombardment, but began again in 1947. On 16 March 2010 the Brocken Weather Station became a climate reference station to provide uninterrupted, long-term climatic observations.<ref>[http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=dwdwww_result_page&portletMasterPortlet_i1gsbDocumentPath=Content%2FPresse%2FPressekonferenzen%2F2010%2FPK__16__03__10%2FPressekonferenz.html Press conference of the DWD at the opening of the Brocken Weather Station as a climate reference station] accessed on 8 October 2010.</ref>

== Literary mentions ==
[[Image:Walpurgisnacht.jpg|thumb|Walpurgis' Night, engraving after an illustration by [[Johann Heinrich Ramberg]], 1829]]
* Goethe described the Brocken in his ''[[Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy|Faust]]'', first published in 1808, as the center of revelry for [[witch]]es on ''[[Walpurgisnacht]]'' (30 April; the eve of [[Saint Walpurga|St Walpurga]]'s Day).
::''Now, to the Brocken, the witches ride;''
::''The stubble is gold and the corn is green;''
::''There is the carnival crew to be seen,''
::''And Squire Urianus will come to preside.''
::''So over the valleys, our company floats,''
::''With witches a-farting on stinking old goats.''
: Goethe may have gained inspiration from two rock formations on the mountain's summit, the ''Teufelskanzel'' (Devil's Pulpit) and the ''Hexenaltar'' (Witches' Altar).
* The Brocken is similarly mentioned in many other literary and musical [[works based on Faust]]
* Another famous visitor on the Brocken, author [[Heinrich Heine]], wrote his book ''[[Die Harzreise]]'' ("The Harz Journey") published in 1826. He says:
::''The mountain somehow appears so Germanically stoical, so understanding, so tolerant, just because it affords a view so high and wide and clear. And should such mountain open its giant eyes, it may well see more than we, who like dwarfs just trample on it, staring from stupid eyes.''
* The summit register entry ''Many stones, tired bones, views: none, Heinrich Heine'' (''"Viele Steine, müde Beine, Aussicht keine, Heinrich Heine"'') is a popular, though unsourced phrase related to the weary ascent and the mostly foggy conditions.
* The teacher [[Heinrich Pröhle]] collected the ''Brockensagen'' [[wikt:tale|tale]]s and [[legend]]s as well as the [[etymology]] of the geographic names in the [[Harz]]. He carefully examined the ''Teufelskanzel'' and the ''Hexenaltar'', mentioned above.
*[[Henry James]] has his character Basil Ransom ask: "What kind of meetings do you refer to? You speak as if it were a rendezvous of witches on the Brocken" in the first chapter of his novel ''[[The Bostonians]]'' (1886).
* Slothrop and Geli Tripping experience the famous Brocken Spectre in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s novel ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]'', as the [[Mittelbau-Dora]] labour camp in the Harz mountains north of Nordhausen from 1943 was the home of the [[V-2]] rocket production. In [[David Foster Wallace]]'s Pynchon-influenced [[Infinite Jest]] the characters Remy Marathe and Hugh Steeply also experience the Brocken spectre on a ridge in the desert outside Tucson.

== In popular culture ==
* "Black Sabbath", the first track of the debut album of the early occult rock band [[Coven (band)|Coven]], starts with the line "They journeyed far to Brocken Mountain pinnacle".
* The [[progressive metal]] band [[Fates Warning]] titled their debut album ''[[Night on Bröcken]]'' (note the "[[Heavy metal umlaut]]"). The title track refers to [[Sabbath (witchcraft)|Witches Sabbath]] on Walpurgis Night.
* The song "Born in a Burial Gown" by [[Cradle of Filth]] (from the album ''[[Bitter Suites to Succubi]]'') contains an allusion to the Brocken's history as a witches' gathering-place.
* The [[indie rock]] band [[Liars (band)|Liars]]' album ''[[They Were Wrong, So We Drowned]]'' is a concept album loosely based on tales of the gatherings of witches on the Brocken as well as [[witch trials]].
* The novel ''Cloud Castles'' by [[Michael Scott Rohan]] features the Brocken as the home and body of [[Chernobog]]
* ''[[Bibi Blocksberg]]'', a German audio drama for children about a witch, refers to an alternate name for the Brocken (''Blocksberg'').
* The Brocken is mentioned in the novel ''Bald Mountain'' by Sergej Golovachov.
* The Brocken is mentioned in episode 546 of the TV anime series ''Detective Conan''.
* There are two German fictional characters in the anime/manga Kinnikuman who are called Brockenman and Brocken Jr.
* There is a German black metal band named Brocken Moon.
* Brocken spectres is the topic of Polish poetic folk band "Na Bani" titled "Brocken" from the album "20 lat z górą".
* German heavy metal band [[Edguy]] mentions Brocken and [[Walpurgisnacht]] in their song "Angel Rebellion" from the album ''[[Kingdom of Madness (Edguy album)|Kingdom of Madness]]''.
*Caleb Carr published "The Legend of Broken" in 2012. The fictional kingdom of Broken occupies the Harz Mountains, and in particular Brocken, which for centuries had been considered the seat of supernatural doings, because, Carr demonstrates, of the ignorance and superstition of humans.

== See also ==
{{portal|Harz}}
* [[List of the highest points of the German states]]
* [[Brocken spectre]]
* [[Lysa Hora (folklore)]] ("Bald Mountain")

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Brocken}}
* {{Official website|https://en.harzinfo.de/pure-nature/mount-brocken}} {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.harztourist.de/brockencam/8_1_0.html Website with live-webcams] {{in lang|de}}

{{Highest points of the German states}}
{{German Central Uplands}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brocken}}
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Witchcraft in Germany]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Harz]]
[[Category:Forests and woodlands of Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Wernigerode]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of Germany]]

Nate Lee

2023-07-28T15:48:26Z

172.92.125.14: /* top */Added links

{{for|the Guamanian footballer|Nate Lee (footballer)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{COI|date=April 2022}}
{{Notability|1=Biographies|date=April 2022}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Nate Lee
|image =
|alt =
|caption =
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}
|birth_place =
|death_date = 
|death_place =
|death_cause =
|resting_place_coordinates = 
|nationality = American
|citizenship =
|other_names =
|known_for =
|education = [[Phillips Academy|Andover]]
|alma_mater = [[Tulane University|Tulane]]
|employer =
|occupation = writer
|years_active =
|awards =
|signature =
|website =
|footnotes =
}}

'''Nate Lee''' is an American author<ref name=twsOctI22 /> and former [[senior editor]] at [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago's]] ''[[Newcity]]'' weekly magazine<ref name=twsOctI14>{{cite news
|author= Staff writer
|title= Performance Advertising: Theater, Dance, Comedy, Opera
|publisher= NewCity Network
|date= October 2009
|url= http://newcitynetwork.com/advertising-marketing/performance-advertising-theater-dance-comedy-opera/
|access-date= October 31, 2010
}}</ref><ref name=twsOctI13>{{cite news
|title = Bibliography
|publisher = Rainer Spangl
|date = June 2009
|url = http://rainerspangl.com/about/cv/
|access-date = October 31, 2010
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110715151026/http://rainerspangl.com/about/cv/
|archive-date = July 15, 2011
|df = mdy-all
}}</ref> who advocated passionately for [[live theater]].<ref name=twsOctI15>{{cite news
|author= Brian Hieggelke
|title= Back through the Lookingglass
|publisher= NewCity Stage
|date= June 5, 2009
|url= http://newcitystage.com/2009/06/05/back-through-the-lookingglass/
|access-date= October 31, 2010
}}</ref><ref name=twsOctI21>{{cite news
|author= Nate Lee
|title= Romper Room: Back flips, harem girls and the secret of life from the Lookingglass Theatre Company
|publisher= NewCity Stage
|date= November 12, 2009
|url= http://newcitystage.com/1992/11/12/romper-room-back-flips-harem-girls-and-the-secret-of-life-from-the-lookingglass-theatre-company/
|access-date= October 31, 2010
}}</ref> At Newcity, Lee wrote features, a weekly column called ''Urbanitie'', theatre and film reviews as well as stories on architecture and [[historic preservation]], and at one point wrote a book which turned into a [[musical comedy]] revue entitled ''Speak of the Twenties''.<ref name=twsNovC14>{{cite web
|title= CHORAL-VOCAL WORKS AND STAGE WORKS
|publisher= anything sung
|year= 1989
|url= http://web.me.com/brian.wilson/Site/Choral,_Vocal_and_Stage_Works.html
|access-date= November 3, 2010
}}</ref> Working with publishers Brian and Jan Hieggelke, he attracted top writers to write for Newcity including top theater critics who became prominent at other publications later, including Chris Jones of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' and Rohan Preston of the ''[[Minneapolis Star-Tribune]]''.<ref name=twsOctI14/> He wrote numerous books published by Abingdon Press<ref name=twsOctI22/> and reviews for websites.<ref name=twsOctI998>{{cite web
|author= Nate Lee
|title= Stanley Kubrick
|publisher= MovieDirectors.com
|date= November 4, 2010
|url= http://topmoviedirectors.com/stanley_kubrick.htm
|access-date= November 4, 2010
}}</ref> Lee attended [[Phillips Academy]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts|Andover]] and graduated in the school's first co–educational class in 1974.{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbot_Academy}

==Publications==
* Words From the Cross and 5 Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee (Paperback) 2010<ref name=twsOctI22>{{cite news
|title= List of Books by Nate Lee
|publisher= Paperback Swap
|date= October 31, 2010
|url= http://www.paperbackswap.com/Nate-Lee/author/
|access-date= October 31, 2010
}}</ref>
* What a Story!: And Five Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee (Paperback) 2007
* Don't Miss the Bus and five Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee, published by Abingdon Press (2006) {{ISBN|978-0-687-33098-0}}<ref name=twsOctI25>{{cite news
|author= Nate Lee
|title= Don't Miss the Bus: And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens (Hardcover)
|quote= # Reading level: Ages 9–12 Hardcover: 48 pages Publisher: Abingdon Press (June 2006) Language: English {{ISBN|0-687-33098-X}} {{ISBN|978-0-687-33098-0}}
|date= June 2006
|isbn= 068733098X
}}</ref>
* I'll Be Right Back And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee<ref name=twsOctI22/>
* What's The Score: And 5 Other Drams For Teens (Paperback)<ref name=twsOctI22/>
* Trouble in the Temple And Five Other Dramas for Tweens (Paperback)<ref name=twsOctI22/>
* Sleep On It!: And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee (Hardcover), Abingdon Press, (2007) {{ISBN|978-0-687-49178-0}}<ref name=twsOctI31>{{cite news
|author= Nate Lee
|title= Sleep on It!: And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens (Hardcover)
|quote= # Publisher: Abingdon Press (December 2007) Language: English {{ISBN|0-687-49178-9}} {{ISBN|978-0-687-49178-0}}
|date= December 2007
|isbn= 978-0687491780
}}</ref>
* Joy in the Morning: Easy Dramas, Speeches, and Recitations for Children (Paperback)<ref name=twsOctI22/>
* Gift of Christmas Presence (Paperback)<ref name=twsOctI22/>
* The Invitation: And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens, by Nate Lee<ref name=twsOctI23>{{cite news
|author= Nate Lee
|title= The Invitation: And 5 Other Dramas for Tweens
|publisher= Family Christian Stores
|date= October 31, 2010
|url= http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product.asp?prodID=87237&name=-
|access-date= October 31, 2010
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Demand Media}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Nate}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American theater critics]]
[[Category:American Christian writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Chicago]]
[[Category:Phillips Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Tulane University alumni]]
[[Category:1956 births]]