Königsberg (Brocken)

The Königsberg is a neighbouring peak of the Brocken and, at 1033.5 m above sea level[1] the third highest elevation in the Harz mountains. It lies on a long ridge that runs from southeast to northwest about 1.5 km south of the Brocken's summit. Near its summit on the northwest side is the rock formation of Hirschhörner (max. 1,023.2 m).[1] To the east the land descends to the Schwarze Schluftwasser, a small tributary of the Kalte Bode which flows south of the mountain. To the east on the far side of the Schwarzer Schluftwasser is the Heinrichshöhe (1,039.5 m), another subpeak of the Brocken.

Königsberg
Highest point
Elevation1,034 m above sea level (NN) (3,392 ft)[1]
Prominence39 m → Brocken
Isolation1.1 km → Brocken
Coordinates51°47′20″N 10°35′58″E
Geography
Parent rangeHarz Mountains

Geography and former access

The mountain is located in the heart of the national park and is out-of-bounds to walkers. Formerly two paths ran to the top:

  • The Old Königsberg Way (alte Königsbergweg) began near Eckerloch and ran uphill, alongside the old Königsberg Quarry, and up to the Kanzelklippen crags. From there it ran over the Rabenklippe, the old Eckerloch ski jump, towards the Kesselklippe and then through the Goethe Moor to the station at Goetheweg. It ran along the entire ridge to the Hirschhornklippen.
  • The Old Goethe Way (alte Goetheweg) began at Goetheweg station and crossed the Königsberg between Hirschhornklippen and Gipfelklippe. It then ran downhill alongside the Goethe Moor to the railway line at Neuen Goetheweg.
Map of the Königsberg ridge

Crags

There are several prominent granite crags on the ridge. From east to west they are the:

  • Stangenklippe,
  • Schluftkopf,
  • Kanzelklippen,
  • several small unnamed crags,
  • Rabenklippe,
  • Kesselklippe,
  • Summit of the Königsberg and the
  • Hirschhornklippen (Hirschhörner).

The Stangenklippe and the pillar-shaped Schluftkopf used to be popular destinations and lie between the Brocken road and Brocken Railway (Brockenbahn). The Kanzelklippen consists of a group of several granite crags, some of which are over 20 m high. On the Rabenklippe is a fireplace about 70 cm in diameter, that has been hewn out of the granite. Its age is unknown. The Gipfelklippe is only about 1.5 m high.

  • Old path to the Stangenklippe crag
    Old path to the Stangenklippe crag
  • The Stangenklippe
    The Stangenklippe
  • Old path by the Schluftkopf
    Old path by the Schluftkopf
  • The Schluftkopf
    The Schluftkopf
  • The Kanzelklippen
    The Kanzelklippen
  • Small unnamed crag
    Small unnamed crag
  • The Rabenklippe from the west
    The Rabenklippe from the west
  • The Rabenklippe from the north
    The Rabenklippe from the north
  • Fireplace on the Rabenklippe
    Fireplace on the Rabenklippe
  • Königsberg, Gipfelklippe
    Königsberg, Gipfelklippe

References
  1. Saxony-Anhalt viewer of the State Office for Survey and Geoinformation (Landesamt für Vermessung und Geoinformation)
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