Day 19 Wernigerode to Nordhausen

Today we had a different day - a non-walking day. This afternoon we went on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway which runs, among other routes, from Wernigerode to Nordhausen, crossing the Harz Mountain Range.

We spent most of the day looking around in Wernigerode as the train didn't leave until nearly 3 pm and the journey took nearly 4 hours. 

We spent some quiet time at St Marien Kirche, St Mary's Church which is the main church of the Katholische Pfarrei St Bonifatius - the Parish of St Boniface. 

St Marien Kirche 

St Marien Kirche 

We then went next door to the parish office of the St Bonifatius, St Boniface, where the secretary very kindly stamped our pilgrim passports. 

Pfarrei St Bonifatius 

Later we had lunch in the Platz - crumbed pork schnitzel, mushrooms in a creamy sauce and potato balls plus alcohol-free beer - before going on to the train station to wait for our train.

Lunch in the Platz.

Then it was time to go to the Westerntor train station: 

Waiting on Gleis 1,  Platform 1.

A father and son duo caught an earlier train, going to another place, they didn't tell us where, but they did say that they hoped our train will run as German trains can cancel without notice or reason! The father couldn't speak English but the son was able to speak with us quite well as he said he studies English at school. 

Several other people arrived so we felt that the train must have been going ahead which was very reassuring. When it was just about due a woman from the station house came running out shouting Gleis 2, Platform 2. Before our train arrived another one arrived on Platform 1.

Our train arriving.

Then we were aboard and off to Nordhausen. It made several stops along the way. The first was at Drei Annen Hohne where we had about half an hours stop to connect with other trains.

The two conductors. 

Much of the landscape across the Harz Mountains is very desolate. The Harz was a mining area between the 1930s - 50s and trees were felled to make charcoal for the mining industry. When replanting was carried out fast growing spruce trees were planted, but not being native to the area, they were vulnerable to the bark beetle which have thrived and decimated the forests. 

At Eisfelder Talmühle.

We had a second lengthy stop at Eisfelder Talmühle to refill the water and to wait for other interconnecting trains. We got off at the stop and walk around. I spoke with a woman who told me that we were lucky as the wagons we were using today are very old and they hadn't been used for a very long time. 

Eisfelder Talmühle.

The same woman who told me about the wagons also told me that owners of diesel vehicles had to display a green sticker and she was amused to see that the train needed one too.

The toilet amused us as it emptied out on the tracks. 

The toilet.

Do not use when at the station. 

It was prettier as we came out of the mountain towards Nordhausen. 

Nearing urban areas again. 

At the end of our journey, and what an amazing and fun journey it was. 

The train driver. 

Nordhausen Nord Station. 

Inside the engine. 

Below is a little information about the Harz rail system. Although our trip didn't go to the Brocken, it may be of interest. 

The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB, Harz Narrow Gauge Railways) operates a 140 km network of metre-gauge railways around the Harz mountains.

The Harz main line runs 60 km (37 miles) from Nordhausen in the south to Wernigerode in the north, and a side line to the Brocken, the highest point of the Harz range.

The Brocken is shrouded in mist for up to 300 days a year and frequently snow-capped from September to May, hardly surprising it's been the subject of myth and legend for centuries. After WW2 it was off-limits to foreigners, garrisoned by Soviet troops and bristling with Soviet & East German espionage and surveillance equipment.

Most trains including all trains to & from the Brocken are hauled by steam locomotives, usually impressive 2-10-2 tank engines built 1954-1956, the most powerful German narrow-gauge steam locomotives ever built.

Source: The Man in Seat 61

We were far later arriving in Nordhausen than we should have been and had a very quick hike to get to our accommodation as our host was waiting. 

Although this was a non-walking day, we walked at 10 kilometres.

On the hunt for our accommodation. 

Not only have we crossed the Harz Mountain Range, we have also crossed from Saxony-Anhalt into Thuringia, the third Federal State of our walk. 

Nordhausen is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Nordhausen district and the urban centre of northern Thuringia and the southern Harz region; its population is 42,000. Nordhausen is located approximately 60 km north of Erfurt, 80 km west of Halle, 85 km south of Braunschweig and 60 km east of Göttingen.

Population 41,233

Source: Wikipedia