Right after doing the Romkerhalle hike, we drove straight to the town of Wernigerode, at the foot of Harz mountains,  which was about 36 kilometers. It was an half hour drive, and we arrived in Wernigerode before 5 óçlock  in the afternoon, July 17, 2016. We parked at the parking area specially reserved for mobilhomes at parking Am Katzenteich.  Fee is 5 euro and you can stay there as long as you want. There is place for at least 16 mobile homes; water filling is 1 euro per 40 liters, electricity is 1 euro per 1 kwh. The Altstadt is about 1 kilometer walk. We stayed here for 5 days, from July 17-21, 2016.  The days were warm, with temperature as high as 32 degrees; also the reason we decided to stay here longer and took it easy.

 Campsite :   Parking Am Katzenteich

                   38855 Wernigerode

Coordinates : N;  51.83892     E:  10.7815

 THE ALTSTADT (OLD TOWN) OF WERNIGERODE

Located in the region of Saxony Anhalt in Germany, Wernigerode is named the Bunte Stadt am Harz or the Colorful Town in the Harz Foothills,  and with right! The Altstadt is full of timbered houses and buildings painted in different colors of green, brown, red, gray, light blue and black, adorned with colourful flowers on the terraces and balcons.

 Among the most striking buildings in the Altstad of Wernigerode are :

1. Rathuis (Municipal Hall)

 The Rathuis, located at the market square (Marktplatz)  is a pearl of all the timbered buildings in the middle ages. It is one of the most beautiful architectural design that we have seen, with its colourful front balcon and staircase, the pointed towers, and the small sculptured figures used as designs along the wooden frames. Magnificent. It is possible to tour the municipal hall, but we didn’t do that. The tourist information office is located at the left side of this building, recognized by its extraordinary beautiful carved wooden door.  Infront of the Municipal Hall is most striking fountain we have seen in a market square.  Around the market square are some notable timbered buildings which are ate present served as hotels, restaurants or shops.

2.  Café Wien and  Het Kleinste Huis or The Smallest House

Cafe Wien, which islocated at Breitestrasse 4,  is a historic timber-framed building from 1583. It has an inviting and charming facade.

Located at the Kochstrasse, the house which was built in the 18^th century is the smallest house in town, with width of 2.90 meter, height of 4.20 meter, and the door is 1.70 meter high. The biggest room of the house is less than 10 sq.m.

3. Huis Breite Strasse 95 and Schiefes Haus

The house in Breite Strasse 95  was built in 1678 and noticeable is the head of the horse and horseshoe found above the door. It symbolized that the owner of the house is a smid.

The Schiefes Haus , on the other hand, is found near the Oberpfarrkirchhof.  It is now a museum. There is a nice flower bed infront of it.

 4.  Huis 13 in Oberpfarrkichhof

This is considered one of the most beautiful house in town; it is from the 16^th century and was used as Gadenstedt.

 8. Hinterstrasse

A walk in Hinterstrasse is like a walk back in time. It is a quiet area in town, a small street aligned with colourful old timbered houses. Most of these houses are now offered as vacation houses.

 THE SCHLOSS WERNIGERODE

Schloss Wernigerode is already visible even from a distance, giving the town a romantic impression. The castle is from the Middle Ages and was already mentioned as early as 1213.  It was constructed in baroque  and neo-gothic style. Entrance fee is 6 euro per person. The most impressive room is the Dining Room, the exhibit for the Maharaja or Indian juwelries, and the Knight Room. A fabulous view is to be obtained at the terraces.

 MINIATURENPARK KLEINER HARZ

Situated in the colorful town of Wernigerode, the Miniaturen Park Kleiner Harz is one of the most beautiful miniature parks in Germany. It showcases about 60 interesting cultural and monumental buildings found in the Harz region. Among these small scale buildings are the Imperial Palace and Rammelsberg in Goslar, castles in Quedlinburg and Wernigerode, the municipal building in Wernigerode, the historic Drei Annen Hohne Bahnhof  and the Brocken.

Next to the miniature park is the Burger Park. The park has various themegardens, a panorama viewing point, restaurants, mini-golf course, lakes, and playgrounds.  Visitors can take a tour of the park by following two routes : the Blauer Rundweg-Zaunwiese and the Roter Rundweg-Harzblickgarten.  We followed the Red route and had a relaxed stroll around the parks. Our plan however to do some mini-golfing did’nt push through as we didnt have much time left .  Entrance to the two parks is 6 euros per person. It is possible to buy single ticket for each park.

We went here on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 with the camper as we had to leave the parking area on that day because the municipality had to do some maintenance works there. We returned however later in the afternoon when the work was done. The campers who left early that day could just return without additional cost.

 A SHORT VISIT TO  ILSENBURG

Ilsenburg, a small idyllic village on the northern part of the Harz region,  lies on the valley by the Ilse river which flows up to the foot of Brocken, the highest mountain in Harz. It was Tuesday, July 18, 2016, when Hans and I grabbed our bikes and went to the village. There was a nice biking route from Wernigerode to Ilsenburg.  We passed thouth the smaller village of Dureck and paid a short visit to the historic cloister the Klooster Dureck.

Once in Ilsenburg, we biked around the village, took our needed rest at the park with the most wonderful view of the lakes and the the surroundings, grabbed a quick lunch of sweinehaxe (pig leg) and red cabbage in the village’s local eatery, and even had a chance to buy a new bag for myself.

Afterwards, just to satisfy  our curiosity, we biked to the nearby camperparking in the area. Having done that, we biked our way  back to Wernigerode, but not  without first making a short stop at the Schloss Klooster Ilsenburg (Ilsenburg Abbey) ,a monastery of the Benedictine Order which lies on the high crag above the village.

Our customary pictures together