Brocken

The Brocken, or Blocksberg, is the highest peak (1142 meters) in the Harz Mountains in Germany (located between the rivers Weser and Elbe) and also the highest peak of northern Germany.

The Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with witches and devils; Goethe took up the legends in his Faust, in which he also referred to the mountain.

Today the Brocken is part of a national park and hosts a historic botanical garden of mountain plants, founded in 1890. A narrow gauge steam train takes visitors from Wernigerode to the railway station at the top. The mountain features numerous hiking trails.

FM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of the Brocken. The old TV tower has an observation deck, open to tourists.