Sophienhof is a village in the municipality of Ilfeld in the district of Nordhausen in the German federal state of Thuringia.
Sophienhof is a village in the municipality of Ilfeld in the district of Nordhausen in the German federal state of Thuringia.
Sophienhof is situated in the so-called Hohnstein Forest (Hohnsteiner Forst), that once belonged to the counts of Stolberg, in northwest Thuringia only a few kilometres away from the state borders with Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. The village is only accessible by motor vehicles over a secondary road from Rothesütte or from the B 81 federal road between Hasselfelde and Ilfeld. In addition, several walking trails run from surrounding villages to Sophienhof.
Sophienhof has a halt on the Harz Railway, which is located in the forest to the west outside the village. There is also a Harzer Wandernadel hiking checkpoint (no. 97) in the village by the Ziegenalm cafe.
The village was probably established in the 17th century from a collection of foresters' huts and was first mentioned in 1645 (under another name). [1] In 1710, Count Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode inherited the County of Wernigerode and Hohnstein Forest. In 1712, he married Sophie Charlotte Countess zu Leiningen-Westerburg, after whom the village was renamed in 1720, having previously been called Schmerplatz. [2] After a preaching sites had been established in 1734 in Rothesütte and Sophienhof, a small church was built in Sophienhof which, like the church in neighbouring Rothesütte fell into ruins due to its proximity to the Inner German Border and was torn down in the 1960s. Its bell, cast in 1742, has survived and is located in a bell cradle on the cemetery. In 1747, Hans Dietrich von Zanthier was appointed as the comital Master Forester and Master Hunter with his work residence in Sophienhof. He is commemorated by a memorial rock.
Sophienhof was incorporated in 1972 into the municipality of Ilfeld. [3] Since 1 January 2012, Ilfeld has been part of the newly formed Harztor municipality.
Thuringia, officially the Free State of Thuringia, is a state of Germany. In central Germany, it covers 16,171 square kilometres (6,244 sq mi), being the sixth smallest of the sixteen German States. It has a population of about 2.15 million inhabitants.
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012.
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.
Nordhausen is a Kreis (district) in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are : Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in Saxony-Anhalt; Kyffhäuserkreis and Eichsfeld in Thuringia; and Göttingen and Goslar in Lower Saxony.
The Province of Saxony, also known as Prussian Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg.
Ilfeld is a village and a former municipality in the district of Nordhausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the south foot of the Harz, at the entrance to the Bährethal, 8 miles (13 km) north from Nordhausen by the railway to Wernigerode. Since 1 January 2012, it has been part of the municipality of Harztor.
Benneckenstein is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the town of Oberharz am Brocken. Benneckenstein is in the eastern Harz, 14 km southeast of Braunlage, and 24 km south of Wernigerode.
The Harz Railway or Trans-Harz Railway was formerly the main line of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways and runs north to south right across the Harz Mountains from Wernigerode to Nordhausen. However, the tourist attraction of the Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz, is so great that the Brocken Railway is effectively the main line today. The Trans-Harz Railway joins up with the Selke Valley Railway to Quedlinburg at Eisfelder Talmühle where all trains are organised to make good connections.
Elend is a district of the town of Oberharz am Brocken in the Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It lies in the Bode valley in the High Harz in central Germany, at a height of 505 m above NN. This part of the valley is known locally as Elendstal. Elend is located near the former Inner German Border between West and East Germany.
Stapelburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the Nordharz municipality.
The County of Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz mountain range in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg.
The County of Wernigerode was a state of the Holy Roman Empire which arose in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range. The comital residence was at Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The county was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg from 1429 until its mediatization to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1806. Nevertheless, the county remained in existence - with one short interruption - until the dissolution of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1918.
The Poppenberg is a tree-covered hill east of Ilfeld in the Harz mountains of Germany, with a height of 601 metres. Since 1897, there has been a 33-metre-high (108 ft) steel lattice observation tower on the summit. The tower was built by the Nordhausen branch of the Harz Club and was named after Otto, Prince of Stolberg-Wernigerode. In good weather, it has an extensive view over the South Harz, the Goldene Aue and the Kyffhäuser.
Drei Annen Hohne is the name of a small settlement within the municipal area of Wernigerode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Drübeck Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery for nuns in Drübeck on the northern edge of the Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Today it is a conference venue for the Evangelical Church of the Church Province of Saxony with an educational-theological institute and pastoral centre.
Hohnstein Castle is one of the largest and best-preserved castle ruins in Germany and is located near Neustadt in the vicinity of Nordhausen in Thuringia.
Christian Ernest, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode, was a German politician and a member of the House of Stolberg. From 1710 to 1771 he governed County of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains, which in 1714 became a dependency of Brandenburg-Prussia.
Ilsenburg House stands in the town of Ilsenburg (Harz) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and was given its present appearance in the 2nd half of the 19th century. The structure was built from 1860 onwards on the west and north sides of the Romanesque monastery of Ilsenburg Abbey. The stately home, designed in the Neo-Romanesque style, was the seat of the princes of Stolberg-Wernigerode until 1945. Since 2005, it has been owned by the Ilsenburg Abbey Foundation.
The princes and counts of Stolberg are members of a large German dynasty of the former Holy Roman Empire's higher aristocracy. They played a significant role in feudal Germany's history and, as a mediatized dynasty, enjoyed princely privileges until the collapse of the German Empire in 1918. The house has numerous branches.
The Scharfenstein is a mountain, 697.6 m above sea level (NN) high, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, near Ilsenburg in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt. It is part of the Harz National Park.
