Sonnenberg (Harz)

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Großer Sonnenberg
Loipe am Sonnenberg.jpg
Langlauf trail on the Sonnenberg
Highest point
Elevation 853.4 m above  sea level (NN) (2,800 ft)
Prominence 23 m 830 m between Kl. and Gr. Sonnenberg Rehberg
Isolation 1.95 km  Rehberg
Coordinates 51°45′20″N10°30′47″E / 51.75556°N 10.51306°E / 51.75556; 10.51306 Coordinates: 51°45′20″N10°30′47″E / 51.75556°N 10.51306°E / 51.75556; 10.51306
Geography
Lower Saxony relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Großer Sonnenberg
Parent range Harz Mountains

The Sonnenberg is a ski resort in the Upper Harz surrounded by the Harz National Park. The settlement of the same name located there is part of the borough of Sankt Andreasberg.

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Topography

Kleiner Sonnenberg
Lower Saxony relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Kleiner Sonnenberg
Highest point
Elevation 853 m above  sea level (NN) (2,798.6 ft)
Prominence 20 m Rehberg
Isolation 0.9 km Rehberg
Coordinates 51°44′59″N10°31′53″E / 51.74972°N 10.53139°E / 51.74972; 10.53139

About a kilometre southeast of the Großer Sonnenberg is the Kleiner Sonnenberg which is only 40 cm lower. The L 519 state road runs over the 830 m high saddle between the two mountains and between the village of Sonnenberg and the main town of Sankt Andreasberg. Following the line of the crest further to the southeast for a further kilometre and beyond another saddle, 833 m high, one reaches the 892 m high Rehberg.

On the eastern slope of the Großer Sonnenberg is a triangulation station at a height of 838 m; this is the height shown on most topographical maps and is frequently misinterpreted as the actual height of the Großer Sonnenberg.

Winter sports

There are three T-bars and a rope tow on the Sonnenberg for Alpine sports.

For cross-country skiers the Sonnenberg Langlauf Network (Loipennetz Sonnenberg) offers a direct link to the trails around Sankt Andreasberg. In addition there is a connexion to the Ackerloipe and a link trail to Oderbrück, that runs past Oderteich. For tobogganists there is a separate toboggan piste. Medical support is provided by a first aid station operated by the Sankt Andreasberg Mountain Rescue organisation ( Bergwacht Sankt Andreasberg) on the large car park, that is open during winter weekends. Due to its height the Sonnenberg has guaranteed snow until spring.

On the Sonnenberg there is also the state biathlon centre, in which national and international competitions are staged. In 2009, a snowmaking facility was built.

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Harz is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart, Latinized as Hercynia. The Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz with an elevation of 1,141.1 metres (3,744 ft) above sea level. The Wurmberg is the highest peak located entirely within the state of Lower Saxony.

Brocken Harz mountain in Germany

The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak of the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. Although its elevation of 1,141 metres (3,743 ft) is below alpine dimensions, its microclimate resembles that of mountains of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). The peak above the tree line tends to have a snow cover from September to May, and mists and fogs shroud it up to 300 days of the year. The mean annual temperature is only 2.9 °C (37.2 °F). It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; travelling east in a straight line, the next prominent elevation would be in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Braunlage Place in Lower Saxony, Germany

Braunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony in Germany. Situated within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken massif, Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly skiing. Nearby ski resorts include the Sonnenberg and the slopes on the Wurmberg.

Sankt Andreasberg Stadtteil of Braunlage in Lower Saxony, Germany

Sankt Andreasberg is a former town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2011, it is part of the town Braunlage. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage proper, and 20 km east of Osterode am Harz.

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Oder (Harz) River in Germany

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Bruchberg mountain

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Rehberg (Harz) mountain

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Hohnekamm mountain

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Hanskühnenburg mountain hut

The Hanskühnenburg is a mountain hut in the Harz mountains. It is located at a height of 811 m (2,661 ft) above sea level in fields known as Auf dem Acker, or simply Acker, in the middle of the Harz National Park and has its own observation tower. Its name comes from the legendary Hanskühnenburg Crag 300 metres to the northwest, which was visited on 14 August 1784 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Opposite the tower are the Hanskühnenburg Rocks that are relatively small by comparison with the Klippe. A bronze plaque was mounted on these rocks in 1999 to commemorate Goethe's visit. In front of the Hanskühnenburg Rocks, a monument was erected in 1924 to Albert Leo Schlageter. It has since fallen over and is rather weathered.

Upper Harz western and higher part of the Harz mountain range in central Germany

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Großer Knollen mountain in the Harz, Germany

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Sieber (Herzberg am Harz) village in the Harz Mountains, Germany

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Oderteich Dam in Lower Saxony

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Renneckenberg mountain in Germany

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Sudmerberg District of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany

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Silberteich Dam in Goslar, Lower Saxony, Germany

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Unterberg (Lower Austria) mountain in the Gutenstein Alps in Lower Austria

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Großer Winterberg (Harz) mountain and subpeak of the Wurmberg mountain in the High Harz of central Germany

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