Germany Guide
Saxony-Anhalt and the Harz
Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) divides into two distinct landscapes: to the east sandy plains are scattered with farms, pastures, pine forests and bogs, and a series of gritty, post-industrial cities; while to the west the land suddenly rises into the gentle Harz mountains where sleepy villages nestle in dark forests. Though the range straddles the old border between East and West Germany and is today divided between Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, for convenience the entire range is covered together.
The state of Saxony-Anhalt was first formed after World War II when the occupying Russians cobbled together the former Duchy of Anhalt with the old Prussian province of Saxony. The union only lasted a few years before being divided in other ways, but was resurrected in the wake of German reunification in 1990 to produce a federal state, with Magdeburg its capital.
In the eastern portion of Saxony-Anhalt, the large university towns of Halle and Magdeburg offer the full range of urban distractions and some reasonable nightlife while the lands between them are of interest as the birthplace of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation – centred on Lutherstadt Wittenberg – and as the cradle of the Modernist movement at the Bauhaus school at Dessau.
As northern Germany's premier mountain playground, the main attractions in the Harz are outdoorsy: hiking and cycling in summer and tobogganing and skiing – particularly cross-country – in winter. The villages and regional towns are well equipped for all this, and noteworthy for some excellent spas to help you unwind, while the half-timbered towns of Quedlinburg and Goslar (in Lower Saxony, but a good base for exploring the Harz) are pretty enough to deserve a place on anyone's German itinerary.
Road and rail links are good throughout Saxony-Anhalt, even putting its eastern half within reasonable day-trip territory of Berlin. The Harz needs and rewards more relaxed exploration, ideally on foot, by bike, or on its network of charming old narrow-gauge railways.
Highlights
1 Händel Festival Spoil your ears with the melodious work of George Frideric Handel in his home town, Halle.
2 Lutherhaus Wittenberg Discover the origins of the Protestant Reformation and the people who triggered it.
3 Bauhaus Heighten your aesthetic appreciation of clean lines and creative thinking at this seminal design school.
4 Quedlinburg Germany at its half-timbered best.
5 Bode Valley Hike a deep and verdant valley to see the Harz mountains at their most picturesque.
6 Rübeland Atmospheric limestone caverns that can be explored without the need for risky speleology.
7 Skiing The varied terrain of Braunlage is the Harz's largest resort, with its most dependable conditions.
8 Sauna in Altenau With facilities to rival any of the spas and saunas that dot the Harz, Altenau's saunas and outdoor pools also boast splendid views.