12 – (GER 12) – Hasselfelde – Nordhausen

Hasselfelde, a town of less than 3000 souls, at 488 m above the sea level, in the municipality of Oberharz am Brocken, which is regarded as a health resort. We now have before us a rather long stage, with a downhill trek, taking us very gradually from 540 m of altitude to less than 200 m. Half way along this stage we shall cross the border between Saxony Anhalt and Turingia. We start our walk along the Breite Strasse up to the crossroad with the Steile Strasse, with a field lane on the left which in 1,7 km will take us across the L95; we shall now go on across beautiful woodland on the Kreuzewege which takes us on road 242. We continue in the middle of a nice wood on the Kreuzwege near Lake Stiege, a village and a former municipality in the Harz district, with 1000 inhabitants; from the 1st January 2010 this is part of the city of Oberharz am Brocken. We turn right, along the lake and pass through the entire village on the Lange Strasse, which we leave to cross the railway, after which we turn left, then right on a field lane. We then walk almost in a straight line fields, meadows, then in a gradual ascent, through a forest, a railway line, and we will come to the regional border and to the highest point of this stage; from here on we will remain at 500 m of altitude for a long while. Past the regional border, we turn gradually right, continuing along the same road for 1 km, disregarding all roads left or right, up to meeting an electricity line, a crossroad and a farm (Birkenmoor). We pass by the farmland turn left to get to the ALTE POSTRASSE (Old Postal Road); we cross the Hagen-Heidelberg park ignoring all the footpaths on both left and right we cross a first forestry road, then a second one and arrive by Lake Neustadt below us on our left; 900 m past the dam on the River Krebsach, we turn right and we go to Neustadt Harz, which we reach after a 1300 m walk through the forest, here we are at an altitude of 300 m above sea level. We enter the town passing a pond on the right; we take the Burgstrasse which we leave after 300 m to turning right and to take the Plankenstrasse. At the end of the road we turn left and on the right we follow the Rudigsdenfer Weg which will take us to out of the town. We enter briefly a woodland, turning left we cross a field the on the left we follow the lane that leads to Rudigsdorf, a hamlet, which we may cross or skirt from the right. After the hamlet we take the Winkelberg which we leave after 250 m turning left on the path which in 2,4 km will take us to the outskirts of Nordhausen. We enter the city, walk along the Gumperstrasse, turn left on the Parkallee, continuing on the Am Alten Tor, then Altendorf, Barfusserstrasse, on the left Krainchstrasse, on the right Rautenstrasse, sharp to the right again and we are in front of the Town Hall. We are finally out of the hills, at 180 m above sea level.

G.Caselli e Th.Dahms   Via Romea Stade-Mittenwald Pilgerfuher Duetschland  Ostfalia