Herzberg am Harz is a town in southern Niedersachsen, Germany, on the southwestern rim of the Harz mountain range and the Harz National Park. Its 16th-century castle houses a small cultural centre with a restaurant, a museum and the great hall, which is used for various cultural events. Natural monuments in the surrounding area include the Unicorn Cave, the Karst Trail, and the Rhume Spring.

Understand

Herzberg am Harz lies next to the Harz, Germany's northernmost mountain range. Herzberg markets itself as an "Esperanto-Stadt" (Herzberg – la Esperanto-urbo) on account of the Esperantist activity in the area. In 2017 a square was named after Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto, on occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his death.

In 2023, it population was about 13,000.

History

Herzberg castle was first mentioned in 1154. The town was part of the state of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, and the castle was for some time used as a residence by the dukes. Herzberg became a city in 1929.

Get in

The town centre sits beside the Sieber river, about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Göttingen and 90 km (56 mi) southeast of the state capital Hanover.

By train

The town has a 1 train station. with regular regional trains to Göttingen, Nordhausen and Braunschweig.  

By car

• Coming from the south you leave the A 7 at Göttingen-Nord (72) to drive the B 27 to Braunlage. Herzberg will be reached after 38 km.
• From the north you leave the A 7 at Seesen (67) and follow the B 243 to Osterode, after another 10 km from Osterode you will arrive in Herzberg.
• Coming from the east you leave the A 38 at Großwechsungen (9) and follow the B 243 for 35 km to Herzberg.

By bus

See also: Intercity buses in Germany

By plane

About a 70 km drive away you find Kassel-Calden airport, which receives a very limited number of flights and is thus probably not your best bet in arriving here. Another airport with limited connections (though not as limited as Kassel) can be found near Erfurt. The closest somewhat major international airports are in Hanover (HAJ ^IATA) and the one serving Halle and Leipzig (LEJ ^IATA). When arriving from further away, flying into Frankfurt Airport (FRA ^IATA) and taking the train (change in Göttingen) might work out cheaper or even faster. See air rail alliances.

See

• 1 Herzberg Castle, Museum Schloss Herzberg, Schloss 2, 37412, ☏ +49 55 21 47 99, mail@museum-schloss-herzberg.de. museum portrays the history of the forestry industry in the Harz, the castle's history and that of the Welfs. Other exhibition areas present the history of Herzberg arms manufacture as well as the work of Herzberg organ maker Johann Andreas Engelhardt. In part of the permanent exhibition there is a facsimile of the Gospels of Henry the Lion, a masterpiece of Romanesque book illumination of the 12th century containing the four Gospel accounts. 

Eat

Budget

• Ihlas Döner, Am Sieberdamm 3, ☏ +49 55 21 52 25. €3.50 to €8. (updated Jul 2015)
• China-Restaurant Nanjing, Am Sieberdamm 3, ☏ +49 55 21 61 44. mains €10 to €15. (updated Jul 2015)

Mid-range

• Wirtshaus Harzklause, Fabrikstraße 4, ☏ +49 55 21 89 94 0, fax: +49 55 21 89 94. (updated Jul 2015)

Splurge

• Landhaus Schulze, Osteroder Straße 7, ☏ +49 55 21 99 62 12, info@landhaus-schulze.de. Hotel and restaurant. (updated Jul 2015)

Sleep

• Hotel Englischer Hof, Vorstadt 8-10, ☏ +49 55 21 89 69, info@englischerhof.de. single from €49 double from €70. (updated Jul 2015)
• 1 Hotel Zum Pass. Well priced, owned by a family of Esperanto speakers. (updated Oct 2017)

Learn

As could be expected by a town calling itself "Esperanto-City", all public schools and a few non-school institutions offer Esparanto classes. If you want to take a course as a visitor, you can go to

• Deutsches Esperanto Zentrum Herzberg am Harz. It offering class, information and all other things Esperanto. 

Go next

• Nordhausen
• Göttingen
• Clausthal-Zellerfeld