Oder (Harz)

The Oder is a 56 km long river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhume. Its source is in the Harz mountains, near Sankt Andreasberg. It flows southwest through Bad Lauterberg, Pöhlde and Hattorf am Harz. The Oder flows into the Rhume in Katlenburg-Lindau.

History

The Oder rises in the district of Goslar in the heart of the Harz Mountains. Its source is located in the southern part of the Brockenfeld about 1.3 km north of the Achtermannshöhe. The river's source is called the Odersprung or "Oder Leap."

On the Brockenfeld, which is close to the Odersprung, the rivers Abbe, Große Bode, Ecker and Kalte Bode also have their respective origins. On its perimeter is the ancient Dreieckiger Pfahl boundary stone.

After the Oder has passed under the B 4 federal highway in Oderbrück in an east-west direction, it is impounded for the first time west of the village in the Oderteich, where it bends to the south. A few kilometres further downstream, the river is impounded for the second time not far southwest of Oder Valley Sawmill (Odertaler Sägemühle) by the barrage of the Oder Dam. Thereafter the river flows through Bad Lauterberg and leaves the Harz.

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: