Harz

The Harz is the highest mountain range in Northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart (mountain forest), Latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz with a height of 1,141.1 metres (3,744 ft) above sea level. The Wurmberg (971 metres (3,186 ft)) is the highest peak located entirely within Lower Saxony.

Geography

Location and extent

The Harz has a length of 110 kilometres (68 mi), stretching from the town of Seesen in the northwest to Eisleben in the east, and a width of 35 kilometres (22 mi). It occupies an area of 2,226 square kilometres (859 sq mi), and is divided into the Upper Harz (Oberharz) in the northwest, which is up to 800 m high, apart from the 1,100 m high Brocken massif, and the Lower Harz (Unterharz) in the east which is up to around 400 m high and whose plateaus are capable of supporting arable farming.

The following districts (Kreise) fall wholly or partly within the Harz: Goslar and Osterode am Harz in the west, Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in the north and east, and Nordhausen in the south. The districts of the Upper Harz are Goslar and Osterode (both in Lower Saxony), whilst the Lower Harz is on the territory of Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz districts (both in Saxony-Anhalt). The Upper Harz is generally higher and features fir forests, whilst the Lower Harz gradually descends into the surrounding area and has deciduous forests interspersed with meadows.

Harz (district)

Harz is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

History

The district was established by merging the former districts of Halberstadt, Wernigerode and Quedlinburg as well as the city of Falkenstein (from the district of Aschersleben-Staßfurt) as part of the reform of 2007.

Towns and municipalities

The district Harz consists of the following subdivisions:

References

Coordinates: 51°52′N 10°53′E / 51.867°N 10.883°E / 51.867; 10.883

Harz (surname)

Harz is a large mountain range in Germany. People with the surname Harz include:

Harz (Landkreis Osterode am Harz)

The administrative district (Verwaltungsbezirk) of Harz (Landkreis Osterode am Harz) is an unincorporated area in the German district of Osterode am Harz.

Geography

It is the second largest unincorporated area in Germany with an area of 267.35 km² and is entirely uninhabited.

Although it has no recorded population, for administrative reasons it has an official municipality key (Amtlicher Gemeindeschlüssel). The area covers large parts of the district of Osterode am Harz and transitions towards the northeast into the district of Goslar.

Administration

The administration of unincorporated areas in the districts of Osterode am Harz and Goslar, about 98 per cent of which is state forest, is carried out by the Lower Saxon forestry office of Clausthal, which also generates the requisite vital records (birth certificates and death certificates) when required, as well as being responsible as a public authority for safety and law and order. This is a feature that goes back to the mining history of the Harz.