Brocken

The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak of the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. 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 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. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). 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 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. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on this misty mountain, where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.

Brocken (disambiguation)

The Brocken is the highest peak in northern Germany. It also may refer to:

Brocken (South Georgia)

Brocken (54°29′S 36°4′W / 54.483°S 36.067°W / -54.483; -36.067Coordinates: 54°29′S 36°4′W / 54.483°S 36.067°W / -54.483; -36.067) is a mountain rising over 610 metres (2,000 ft) close southwest of Calf Head on the north side of South Georgia. It was named by the German group of the International Polar Year Investigations, 1882–83, after the Brocken, the highest mountain in central Germany.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Brocken" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).