Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a walker’s delight. Sitting up in the Harz mountains, you can wander around and through the twinned towns on endless trails that offer challenges and surprises. You never know if you will find old mine markings, a sudden view, or the region’s very special goats.
The goats are something of an insider’s joke. The Buntenböcker goat herd is used for making cheese, and they are loosely attached to the town’s Buntenbock resort area. Loosely attached… they wander free throughout the mountains, and some of them are quite tame and friendly.
Talking about the goats may make you think this is a backwater village, which really isn’t the case. To prove my point, all you need to do is walk Clausthal-Zellerfeld’s Cultural Mile. This stretch of road runs by all of the major modern and historic attractions.
You will see the Market Church, which is the largest wooden church in Germany, the Upper Harz Mining Museum, and the Dietzel House, which now serves as the main tourist information office. There, you can get advice on which of the technology exhibits to explore.
Clausthal-Zellerfeld invented wire cording in its mines, and the material, now used in suspension bridges, is not the only technological innovation born here.
Naturally, your children won’t appreciate the engineering marvels. They will cherish Robinson’s Adventure Playground, which has ice skating and sledding in the winter months, and volleyball and swimming in the summers. The activities are for all ages, although families enjoy them particularly.
If you want your own activities, just head back to the hills. There are more than 60 ponds around the community, and many of them are open for water sports and fishing. You can also choose to simply picnic by a pond and see if you can entice some of the goats to share a meal with you while you enjoy the natural beauty of Clausthal-Zellerfeld.
