Harz Monastery Hiking Trail - 1st Stage - Goslar to Vienenburg

The varied 14 km section of the Monastery Hiking Trail starts at the Neuwerk Church, a former monastery church with purely Romanesque architecture from the 12th century and wall paintings from the 13th century. The path then continues out of the gate turning left initially towards the station, then behind the Hotel Zum Achtermann over a footbridge to the other side of the street, passing the St. George’s collegiate ruins. The former collegiate foundation shows remains from the 10th century but was burned down in the Goslar unrest of 1527; only fragments of the foundations remain. The route continues through the extensive districts of Goslar, then through forest and fields with views of the Brocken mountain. On the hiking trail in Grauhof, a district of Goslar, lies the baroque monastery church of St. George. It dates from shortly after 1700, and its significant Treutmann organ was first played in 1737. The final part of this stage runs on an old railway embankment and changes into an avenue with fruit trees before reaching Wöltingerode. The spacious former nunnery of Wöltingerode, founded in the 12th century and rebuilt in the Baroque style, today houses a comfortable monastery hotel in impressive historic rooms and a monastery distillery that has been producing high-quality liqueurs since 1682. In summer, in good weather, the Klosterkrug beer garden is open.

Stamp stations: Neuwerk Church, Grauhof Monastery, Wöltingerode Monastery.

Angel benches: Neuwerk Church, Grauhof Monastery, before Wöltingerode.