place

Hubertus Spring

HarzThale

The Hubertus Spring (German: Hubertusquelle) is a "healing spring" (Heilquelle) in the Harz Mountains of central Germany whose waters contain radon. It rises on Hubertus Island (Hubertusinsel or Große Salzstrominsel), which is about 2 hectares in area, near Thale, immediately at the exit of the River Bode from the Harz Mountains. It has been well known for about 500 years and, according to oral tradition, was first noticed by foresters and hunters, because roe deer satisfied their hunger for salt here. The first recorded mention of the spring was in 1584. That year the local landlord, Count Martin of Regenstein, granted the right to Augsburg citizens and a Sudmeister ("brine master"), Balthasar Becker, to establish a saltworks on the site of the former Hubertus Baths. However, a combination of annual flooding and ice on the River Bode periodically damaged the works. As a result, salt production in the old parish (Gemarkung) of Behrensdorf (the territory between the present-day Wolfsburgstrasse and Roßtrappenstrasse) was moved and the brine was transported to the new site over wooden pipes. This saltworks initially prospered, but deteriorated after the death of Sudmeister Becker (he was sentenced to death in Blankenburg, because he had killed a smelter in the course of a dispute) and the brine remained untapped.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Hubertus Spring (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Hubertus Spring
Hubertusbrücke,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Hubertus SpringContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.742222222222 ° E 11.027777777778 °
placeShow on map

Address

Spaßinsel

Hubertusbrücke
06502 (Thale)
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
mapOpen on Google Maps

Share experience

Nearby Places

Roßtrappe
Roßtrappe

The Roßtrappe is a 403-metre-high (1,322 ft) granite crag in the Harz mountains of central Germany. The Roßtrappe rises over the Bode Gorge in the Harz. It may be reached from Thale by road, on foot or on via the Rosstrappe Chair Lift. On the rocks is a mountain hotel with an observation terrace as well as the upper station for the chair lift. Nearby is the Winzenburg, a refuge castle 25 hectares (62 acres) in area with a 500-metre-long (1,600 ft) rampart made of stone blocks and earth, which has been used since the New Stone Age as a refuge for up to 100 people. In 1860 the Winzenburg Tower was built there; an observation tower which is now closed. From the Rosstrappe there is a view of the rocks on the Hexentanzplatz, ("Witches Dance Floor") the Steinerne Kirche ("Stone Church"), the Bode Gorge, the Harz Foreland, the town of Thale and the highest peak in the Harz, the Brocken. According to legend, a giant by the name of Bodo once followed the king’s beautiful daughter, Brunhilde, whom he wanted to marry against her will. Brunhilde escaped on a white stallion (German: Ross), but was suddenly confronted by a deep ravine. Her horse leapt in one bound to the rocks on the other side, but her pursuer fell into the depths below. The impression of the horse’s hoof may still be seen today. The giant Bodo gave his name to the small river, the Bode. Scientists suspect that this imprint in the rock is the weathered remains of a Germanic altar basin. From the Roßtrappe visitors can climb down into the Bode Gorge on the Schurre, a path laid in zigzags. The President’s Way (Präsidentenweg), about 4 km, is the recommended path to climb from the gorge to the rock outcrop. The Roßtrappe is no. 71 in the system of check points on the Harzer Wandernadel walking trail network. Since the middle of the 19th century there has been a mountain hotel with the same name at the entrance to the Roßtrappe.