Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Clausthal-Zellerfeld consists of two towns: Clausthal and Zellerfeld. The towns were merged in 1924, and had about 16,000 residents in 2019. Buntenbock, about 3 km south of Clausthal, was added to the town in 1972. It has about 700 residents. Wildemann and its 800 residents were added in 2015.

The university was opened in 1775 and used to be a school for children and a centre for mining apprentices. In 1864 it was established as a mining academy, and also taught physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering. Today the university has about 3000 students.

Clausthal's focus is on university life and the business world, where as Zellerfeld is the tourist centre of the town. The "culture mile" is worth a visit: St. Salvatoris church with a famous altarpiece by Werner Tübke, the Upper Harz Mining Museum, and the former mint (Kunsthandwerkerhof). Every Thursday evening from May to October there is the Zellerfeld popular farmers' market. The town offers free parking on Adolph-Roemer-Straße in Clausthal. The picturesque houses in the town are built in the style of the typical Upper Harz.

In the town you can buy various local specialities, such as meat and sausages. Why not try the Harzer witch bread (from the Meier confectionery), which is produced only in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, or the Clausthal Elixir.

Both parts of the town have some beautiful historic buildings. In Clausthal is the Market Church "To the Holy Spirit". The original church was destroyed by fire in 1634. It was replaced with a wooden church, which was completed in 1642. It is now the largest wooden church in Germany and can seat up to 2200 people and boasts a massive organ and a great altar. In the south-western corner you can find an alabaster carving of the story of Christ. In Zellerfeld, you can find many craftsmen's houses, which were rebuilt after the fire in 1672. One of the main industries was the production of silver and gold coins. In 1978 the former mint was converted into a glass-blower. Today you can watch the traditional craftsmen close up and discover how glass is blown.

Clausthall-Zellerfeld is situated just off the B242.

Clausthall Zellerfeld is surrounded by wonderful countryside and provides many local mountain activities.

• 🌍 The Upper Harz Mining Museum (Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum), Bornhardtstr. 16, ☏ +49 53 23-98 950, fax: +49 53 23-98 95 69. Daily 10:00-17:00. The Upper Harz Mining Museum in the Zellerfeld district is one of the oldest museums in Germany dedicated to the history of engineering. You can go back in time and discover the development of ore mining in the Harz, the hard working conditions and the ingenuity of the miners in various exhibitions and you can look at the original mining installations outdoors. One of the highlights is the famous man engine, an adventurous but effective method to get quickly into great depths. 
• 🌍 Geo Museum (Geosammlung der Technischen Universität Clausthal), Adolph-Römer-Str. 2 A (housed in the main building of the Technical University). The collections of the Technical University are among the largest in Germany. 
• 🌍 The Upper Harz Water Regale (Oberharzer Wasserregal). This is a system of dams, reservoirs, ditches and other structures, much of which was built from the 16th to 19th centuries to divert and store the water that drove the water wheels of the mines in the Upper Harz. The word Regale stands for the granting of royal privileges or rights in this case to permit the use of water for mining operations in the Harz Mountains. The Upper Harz Water Regale is one of the largest and most important historic mining water management systems in the world. In the system of the Upper Harz Water Regale there are over 35 such tunnels with a total length of about 30 km. It has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage since 1992. 
• 🌍 Market Church To the Holy Spirit (Marktkirche zum Heiligen Geist), Marktkirche 9 (in the centre of Clausthal), ☏ +49 5323-72-3201, +49 5323-72-3203, fax: +49 5323 72-3573. The original church was destroyed in the great fire in 1634. It was decided to replace it with a wooden church, which was completed in 1642. It is now the largest wooden church in Germany and can seat up to 2200 people. Inside there's a massive organ and a great altar. 
• 🌍 St. Salvatoris, Bornhardtstr. 4, ☏ +4953 23 8 18 34, fax: +4953 23 96 20 17, kg.zellerfeld@evlka.de. Lutheran church with an altar painting by Werner Tübke. 

• 🌍 Dietzelhaus, Bergstraße 31. Imposing building from 1673. 
• 🌍 Altes Postamt. Former post office of the town of Zellerfeld. It has a carillon. 
• 🌍 Amtsgericht. Government building from 1734, used for different purposes throughout history, and now a courthouse. 
• 🌍 "Fratzenapotheke" (Bergapotheke), Bornhardtstraße 12, ☏ +49 53 23 9 89 30, fax: +49 53 23 98 93 17, info@bergapotheke-zellerfeld.de. The house with 64 faces has served as a pharmacy for a long time. Inside you can see historical pharmacy furniture. 
• 🌍 Landesbergamt, An der Marktkirche 9, ☏ +49 5 116 430, fax: +49 5 116 4323 04, poststelle-hannover@lbeg.niedersachsen.de. 
• 🌍 Ottiliaeschacht, Ottiliaeschacht, ☏ +49 53 23 9 89 50. Main mining pit for the Clausthal area. Remarkable headframe that is one of the oldest in Europe. Two scenes from the 2014 movie The Monuments Men were shot here. 
• 🌍 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Schacht, Erzstraße. Mi und Sa: 15:00-17:00. Germany's second oldest preserved iron headframe. The shaft had a depth of 1000 m. 
• 🌍 Aula Academica, Aulastraße 8, ☏ +49 5323 722697, fax: +49 53 23 72-26 24, Schuette@wa.tu-clausthal.de. This buildings was donated by the alumni of the mining academy in the 1920s and has served as an event venue ever since. The "Jugend Forscht" (lit. "Youth is researching" event) takes place here yearly. 
• 🌍 Friedrich-Adolph-Roemer-Denkmal, An der Marktkirche 3. Friedrich-Adolph Roemer was the founder of present-day TU Clausthal. 
• 🌍 Light railway to the Ottiliae pit. runs Apr-Oct Sa 14:30, Su, holidays 11:00, 14:30. 
• 🌍 Runde Radstube der Grube Thurm Rosenhof. open Su and holidays 13:00. In one of the oldest and longest-used mines in the area, you can walk down stairs to the bottom of the mine. 
• 🌍 Schacht Kaiser Wilhelm II. Exhibition is open W and Sa 15:00-17:00. The Kaiser Wilhelm pit is the starting point for exploring the Oberharzer Wasserregal. From here there are guided tours to historical mining facilities above and below ground. 

• 🌍 Clausthal-Zellerfeld/Buntenbock Ski Resort. A tiny ski resort with just one ski lift with only 50 m (164 feet) of vertical descent, and some cross-country skiing tracks. 300 m (1000 ft) of pistes. Adults €15, children €12.50. 
• 🌍 Freizeitbad Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Hallenbad Swimming Pool), Berliner Straße 14, ☏ +49 5323-715 ext 230. Check website for specific opening times. Indoor swimming pool, with sauna, solarium and bikini bar. 
• Hiking Trails, Bergstraße 31 (contact the Tourist Information Office), ☏ +49 5323 81024. There is a large network of hiking trails (Harz Club) which is very well signposted. Nordic walking routes are also well signposted. For the more adventurous you can walk from Clausthal Zellerfeld to Goslar. This is a 16.36-km hike in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. The hike has a total ascent of 198 m and has a maximum elevation of 764 m. 
• The Volksbank Arena Cycle Network, Dietzel house, OT Zellerfeld (ring the tourist information number given here for directions to specific locations), ☏ +49 53 23-8 10 24. M-F 09:00-17:00, Sa 09:00-13:00. The Volksbank Arena sponsors a huge network of signposted routes for mountain bikers in three difficulty levels (62 routes, 1,800-km circuit). Seven MTB circular routes start directly at the tourist information in Zellerfeld (Berger Str. 31). 

In the Zellerfeld district from May to October every Thursday evening the mountain farmers' market offers a variety of local food. There is also a musical performance every week. The craft courtyard is open every day offering hand-made pieces of wood, glass or silk at affordable prices.

• 🌍 Kellerclub, Silberstr. 1, ☏ +49 5323-72-2111. Daily from 21:00. This cellar club is run by students and often has special events taking place. It has a cocktail menu. 

• 🌍 Clausthal University of Technology. 

• Wildemann - Wildemann is a town in the district of Goslar. It is northwest of Clausthal-Zellerfeld. The pretty Resort owes its name to the old legend of the "wild man" who was though to live in a cave in the forest. There is now a bronze statue to commemorate the tale. You can visit its mining nuseum with 19 tunnels or try out one of its many hiking trails set in quiet valleys, brooks and local pools where you can fish or bathe. In the Winter you can try out the 800-m toboggan run.
• Bad Grund - This town is found in a romantic valley, surrounded by forests. It is the oldest of the upper Harz mining towns. You can enjoy the lovely timber buildings in the town or visit the historic iberg dripstone cave which had inhabitants over 3000 years ago. It has a cross mountain trail, and in the winter a cross-country skiing track in two parts which is above bad reason, starting at the Taternplatz. Slopes for tobogganing runs are found above the village.
• Badenhausen - This is a district of Bad Grund. On the edge of the town is ruins of the Pagenberg an old fortress, the Hindenburg, also called giant castle that was built by the Count of Katlenburg in 1080. In the public park there is a playground specially designed to interest everyone across the generations. There is also a large sawmill which entered the Guinness Book of Records for the longest sawn wood sheets in the world!
• Braunlage - another mining town, today a centre of summer and winter sports.
• Goslar - the regional hub and a former Free Imperial City with roots in the Middle Ages, you can explore some quite impressive buildings in Goslar and as the world heritage listed Rammelsberg mine just outside.