Harz

▪ mountains, Germany

      most northerly mountain range in Germany, between the Weser and Elbe rivers, occupying parts of the German Länder (states) of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. At its greatest length it extends southeasterly and northwesterly for 60 miles (100 km), and its maximum breadth is about 20 miles (32 km). The Harz range consists of an irregular series of terraced plateaus (primarily of slates, sandstones, and limestones) that rise in places into rounded summits and are intersected by narrow, deep valleys. The Brocken (3,747 feet [1,142 m]) and Viktorshöhe (1,909 feet [582 m]) are of granite. The northwestern and higher third of the highland is known as the Oberharz; the southeastern and more extensive part is the Unterharz. The Brocken group, dividing the two, is generally considered a part of the Oberharz.

      The Oberharz forms a rolling plateau, 3,300 feet (1,000 m) high in the west and 1,600 feet (500 m) in the centre. Because it is the first range that the northerly winds strike after crossing the North German Plain, its climate is generally raw and damp, even in summer. Above this plateau rises the Brocken (q.v.), a mountain of granite made famous in folklore and literature. The highest summits of the Oberharz are bare, but the lower slopes are laced with rivers and punctuated by dense spruce forests and moors.

      The Unterharz has a milder climate, which supports grain agriculture and cattle herding; its forests are made up predominantly of beech, oak, and walnut. Among the wild-game animals, bear, lynx, and wolf have been hunted to extinction; deer, fox, wildcat, and badger remain, however. The Harz has long been renowned for animal breeding, especially for deer and canaries.

      The Harz owes its early settlement and intensive development in the 10th–16th century to mining and metallurgy (silver, lead, iron, copper, and zinc), which was greatly aided by the availability of water and wood. The abundant mountain waters are controlled by dams that protect against flooding and summer shortages, as well as providing electric power and drinking water to towns as far as 125 miles (200 km) away. The most important local industry is tourism. The chief attractions are water for sports and health spas; the forest scenery, notably in the Harz National Park along the Lower Saxony–Thuringia border; a number of towns with well-preserved historic architecture; and the romantic associations of legends. Stone quarrying (granite, marble, and gypsum) and wood processing (paper and cardboard) are other sources of income.

      The inhabitants are descended from Upper and Lower Saxons, Thuringians, and Franks, whose influence can be traced in the varieties of dialect. The boundary line between the High and Low German languages passes through the mountains. The legends and fanciful names connected with the mountains are a result of their having been the last stronghold of paganism in Germany.

* * *