Harz National Park

Bogs are wet habitats that form in areas where the amount of rainfall is greater than the water loss through evaporation and drainage. The resulting lack of oxygen leads to an incomplete decomposition of plant remains and to the formation of peat, which is so typical of bogs. In the Harz National Park, these bog areas are mainly found to the west of the Brocken, above 700 metres above sea level. Here, on the rain side of the Harz mountains, about 1,500 millimetres of precipitation fall each year. To the untrained eye, bogs, especially in summer when the vegetation is lush and green, do not seem very different from a meadow. However, already in spring and early summer, the variety of blossoms shows that the plants living in the bog are very different from those in other habitats.

But why doesn’t a forest grow here, when it’s well known that the entire Harz region is naturally a large forested area? 

Abundance of water, lack of oxygen and poor nutrients are the key factors for the development of bogs. High rainfall leads to plenty of water in the soil. In certain places, such as hollows, water gathers even more. Only plants that can cope with high water levels can thrive here. Besides some tree species like the bog birch or alder, these are mainly various grasses and, most importantly, peat mosses, which can store large amounts of water in their moss cushions. The high water content in these landscapes causes a lack of oxygen in the root area of the plants. The dead plant material is only partially decomposed and peat is formed. The resulting organic, nutrient-poor soil provides a habitat only for specialists, which explains the unique vegetation of the raised bogs. The round-leaved sundew is one of the more hidden treasures of nature. This tiny plant is quite special – it’s one of the few carnivorous plants in the Harz. These inconspicuous plants, only a few centimetres tall, are perfectly adapted to their environment. They have found an additional source of nutrients: small insects that get stuck on the sticky droplets on the leaf hairs can be digested by the plant within one to two days.

The moors are among the oldest habitats in the Harz National Park. With the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, the development of moorland in our low mountain range began. From about 3,000 BC onwards, there was a marked spread of moors, and around 3,000 years ago, they had already reached roughly their current extent. Some of the plants that are considered special features of the Harz moors are referred to as Ice Age relicts. Experts assume that these species were more widespread in Central Europe during the Ice Age and were only able to survive later in small refuges – such as the moors. One example is the dwarf birch (Betula nana), which forms small but very vigorous populations in several moors of the national park. Anyone who has visited the wide landscapes of Scandinavia will know this species, which is so rare here, as a constant companion on their hikes. While the forests only gradually emerged during the post-glacial landscape development and underwent many changes in structure over the millennia, the moors probably changed comparatively little in their character – here, around 10,000 years of landscape history lie open before us!

• Anyone hiking from Torfhaus to the Brocken along the Goetheweg will soon, after leaving the settlement, enter a narrow wooden boardwalk on the left, leave the forest behind and find themselves on a small plain with completely different vegetation. On a walk through the Großes Torfhaus Moor, also called Radauer Born Moor, there are many typical moorland plants to discover along the boardwalk: marsh rosemary and cranberry, cotton grass and tufted hairgrass, and you’ll also regularly spot heather. The hidden round-leaved sundew is also waiting to be found here. The benches along the boardwalk invite you to pause, take in the silence of nature, and enjoy the view all the way to the Brocken.
• At the Oderteich, located between Sonnenberg and the B4, a moor walk is also worth taking. Looking from the southwest shore of the Oderteich towards the northeast, you’ll spot an open, largely treeless area between the wooded banks that stands out from the rest of the surroundings – a moor. The Oderteich Water Hiking Trail takes you all the way around the Oderteich.
• More moors can be found near the Dreieckiger Pfahl and on the Hohnekamm, where you can also walk safely on wooden paths. To protect the sensitive vegetation – and your own footwear – it’s a good idea, just this once, to really “stay on the wooden path”. You’ll be rewarded with a wonderful nature experience!