Geology įrom a geological point of view the Brocken and its surrounding terrain, the Brocken massif, consists mainly of granite (called Brocken granite), an igneous rock. This height on the upper plate refers to the line on the lower plate. A bench mark of '1142 m' was recorded on the summit stone. In order to provide a reference point for the old data, in the mid-1990s granite boulders were set on the highest point of the Brocken, which not only matched the old given height, but exceeded it by about a metre. A survey of the summit at the beginning of the 1990s based on the current reference system, however, gave the height as just 1,141.1 m (3,744 ft). Its subpeaks include the Heinrichshöhe (1,040 m or 3,410 ft), Königsberg (1,034 m or 3,392 ft) and Kleiner Brocken ('Little Brocken') (1,018 m or 3,340 ft).īefore 1989 the height of the Brocken was recorded in almost all the relevant maps and books as 1,142 m above NN (3,747 ft). The highest point on the Brocken reaches an elevation of 1,141.1 m above sea level (NN) (3,744 ft). The rounded summit of the Brocken is treeless, but vegetated with dwarf shrubs. On or near the mountain are the source areas of the rivers Bode, Ecker, Ilse and Oder. Somewhat to the north below the summit of the Brocken is a reservoir, the Brockenteich, constructed in 1744. At the southeastern foot of the Brocken lies the spa resort of Schierke. The state boundary with Lower Saxony runs past the Brocken some 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west. The Brocken rises over the Harz National Park in the district of Harz, whose main town of Wernigerode lies about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east-northeast of the mountain. It also has an observation deck, open to tourists. The old television tower, the Sender Brocken, is now used as hotel and restaurant. A narrow gauge steam railway, the Brocken Railway, takes visitors to the railway station at the top on 1,125 m (3,691 ft).įM-radio and television broadcasting make major use of the Brocken. Today the Brocken is part of the Harz National Park and hosts a historic botanical garden of about 1,600 alpine mountain plants. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.

The Brocken has always played a role in legends and has been connected with witches and devils Johann Wolfgang von Goethe took up the legends in his play Faust. It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany travelling east in a straight line, the next prominent elevation would be in the Ural Mountains in Russia. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 ☌ (37.2 ☏).

The peak above the tree line tends to have a snow cover from September to May, and mists and fogs shroud it up to 300 days of the year. Although its elevation of 1,141 metres (3,743 ft) is below alpine dimensions, its microclimate resembles that of mountains of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe.

Brocken spectre 1990