north west Germany and Harz Mountains

[scud24]

Hi all

I have a two week holiday coming up at the end of June and was thinking about going to visit the Harz Mountains and parts of North west Germany.Looking at the guide books i have there doesnt see to be a hugh amount of info on the best places to visit in that area.Places that i have on my list to visit are Munster,Hamelin,Goslar but thats really about it so is there any places that People on this forum could recommend.If possible any quaint vilages or towns that have decent stellplatz and good for cycling and are worth a visit for a day or two in the Harz mountains and Lower saxony area.Iam getting the ferry to the Hoek in the Netherlands so looking for places between Munster and Luneburg Heath and south as far as the Harz Mountains.Any suggestions/advise would be appreiciated.

[AlanS]

I have worked in the Harz mountain area a few times in the 80's and stayed in Osterode am Harz which is worth a look. When I was there last there was still the iron curtain and the fences between West Germany and the DDR (East Germany) and a short drive from Osterode you could get to the 'curtain' and there was a museum which showed how the iron curtain operated. It was strange watching the guards in the watch towers watching us on the edge of their demarcation line. almost eerie. Lovely lakes and moutains and good walking.

Alan

[mgnbuk]

Stayed at the stellplatz in Hameln last autumn - nothing fancy, hard standing about 10 mins walk from the centre on the edge of an industrial estate near the old habour complex. Water & waste dumping, electricity on coin meter. 8 Euros a night (coins in a meter) & it filled up quickly - about 15 places IIRC. Nearest reasturant is a theatre cafe on the way into town - good food at good price, but be aware that service is very slow if there is a performance on !

 

We have also stayed in Wernigerode in the East a couple of times - two stellplatze, of which the one just out of town was preferable to the one by the bus station to us. 5 Euro in coins to open the barrier, electric on meter, water & dumping. Pay the tourist tax at the Tourist Info office in town (2.5 Euro pp per day) & get a pass to use the local busses & other discount vouchers. Narrow gauge steam railway goes to the top of the highest local mountain (the Brocken) - great day out if the weather co-operates. Railway operates a full timetable service on over 150km of tracks. Indoor aircraft museum about 1/2 a mile from the stellplatze if the weather doesn't co-operate ! Half-timbered town centre has been nicely restored, good selection of restaurants & cafes.

 

Also stayed in Quedlingburg in the East - 1500 half-timbered buildings & a Unesco World Heritage site. Two stellplatze - we stayed in the one not at the bus station, which was free, but had no facilities (area adjacent to a car park - level tarmac & 10 minutes walk in to centre). Not as extensively restored (yet - appears to be a "work in progress") as Wernigerode.

 

Do you mean Munster or Muenster (one has an umlaut over the "u" and the other doesn't - not too far apart !) ? There is a small stellplatze in Munster (no umlaut) near a swimming baths on the edge of town - IIRC it has three or four places, level tamac at the end of a car park. Free but no facilities. Munster is the base of the German Army Tank training regiments & home to the German Panzer Museum (worth a visit if you are interested). Nearest restaurant heading back into town gives a discount if you have retained your Panzer Museum ticket !

 

Good stellplatze at Luneburg, but it was full when we were there so didn't get to stay ( and hence stopping at Munster). Stayed on a commercial site in the area (in a village called Heber) to explore the area - be aware that you can't drive to the centre of the Heide - walk, cycle or horse drawn wagons down several miles of unmade roads only. The site had a stellplatze area near the road - level on gravel, pay at a meter - or an extensive "full service" site with pitches of various sizes, very nice ablutions facilities, a fresh water swimming lake, basic shop & good restaurant serving local specialities at reasonable prices. Nothing much else in the village of Heber though !

 

HTH