Harzungen

Local History and Activities with a Sense of Time

In 1259, Harzungen belonged to the lands of Count Heinrich von Hohnstein; in the 13th century, the Knights of Harzungen were based at a manor in the village. These details highlight different aspects of history: the first places Harzungen among the count’s lands, while the second locates the knights’ seat in the village. This makes the local history tangible through both a year and a specific place.

More recent activities are also associated with specific years. The “Harztor Wanderkinder” booklets included Harzungen in the 2025 edition’s stamp hunt: stamps could be collected in the participating districts. In the 2025 Südharz Rally, a 10-kilometre orienteering drive ran from Harzungen to Osterode and back to Harzungen along a circular route; an additional loop went around Hasenwinkel. The booklets feature a stamp hunt, while the rally report describes a specific route with a stated length.

The Adjacent Hiking Landscape

Harzungen borders the “Rüdigsdorfer Schweiz” nature reserve. Its gypsum karst landscape is a hiking area. This gives you a specific connection to nature when choosing where to stay: the landscape adjoins Harzungen, while the medieval references relate directly to the village’s history. If you would like to consider both nature and local history when planning your trip, you can take these different focal points into account when choosing where to stay.

Landscapes and Culture in the Broader Destination of Harztor

Within the broader destination of Harztor, the Bere Valley adds another natural landscape to explore. It is a nature reserve with numerous rock formations and woodland areas, and it extends as far as the village of Netzkater. In Neustadt/Harz, numerous half-timbered houses and St. George’s Church shape the townscape. Well-marked cycling and hiking trails, as well as terrain trails, run around Neustadt. So, the broader Harztor area offers not only nature reserves but also townscapes and trails; these themes are associated with their respective places and areas.

The Ilfeld Local History Museum has dedicated exhibition areas for artefacts relating to industry, crafts and schools. The museum also includes a small-scale model of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways; the museum gallery presents an exhibition on the geology and mineralogy of the region. Ilfeld’s forest swimming pool is nestled between mountains and woodland and has been in operation since 1927. These examples add museums and local history, as well as a leisure destination with a history of its own, to the range of themes in Harztor.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Accommodation

When searching for a holiday apartment, it is worth deciding first what you would like to focus on during your trip. If you are considering Harzungen for its local history and adjacent hiking landscape, focus your search on this village. If you would also like to take the half-timbered houses and trails in Neustadt/Harz or the museum themes in Ilfeld into account, include Harztor as the broader destination in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Nordhausen, Wolkramshausen, Windehausen, Auleben, Neustadt/Harz, Hainleite, Ilfeld, Werther

Return to the broader travel overview: Nordhausen.