Enjoy Bike Paradise I Round Trip 08 I Mining History around Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Our tour starts in the mining and university town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld at Thomas-Merten-Platz near the Upper Harz Mining Museum. We go straight ahead on Bornhardtstraße past St. Salvatoris Church and then turn right into Zellweg. From there, we head towards Telemannstraße/B241 and then turn into Zellbach. Our motor helps us on the climb towards the town center. We cycle past the Market Church "Zum Heiligen Geist." It is Germany's largest wooden church and impresses with its bright blue facade. Behind the church, we turn left into Rollstraße and follow it to the town exit. Shortly after the Shell gas station, a trail branches off to the left from the federal road, which we follow, leaving the busy road. We follow the path eastwards and cycle past the Dorothea mine, where lead and zinc were once extracted. Here we are already in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Harz Water Management. We cycle along the dam between the Middle and Upper Pfauenteich, then turn right twice and pass by the Hirschler pond. After the Hirschler pond, we cross the B242 and turn onto the right-hand parking lot. From there, we follow the Kehrzug and cycle south along the western side of the Entensumpf. At the following junction, we keep right and immediately reach the Bärenbruch pond. We turn right into Bärenbruchweg and head to the shelter at the dam. Here too, we experience the living history of Harz mining and marvel at the precision of the pond cascades and mining facilities. Several information boards along the way provide information about history and traditions from the mining era. Before the shelter, we turn left into Ziegenbergweg and pass the Ziegenberger pond, a popular spot for swimming and relaxing in summer, continuing to Buntenbock. There, we keep right and follow the streets Am Ziegenberg and An der Trift towards the town center. At the intersection, we turn left into Alte Fuhrherrenstraße. We follow this and cross the B241 at the end, then slightly turn right following the path towards Prinzenteich. We then continue along the course of the Innerste and the eponymous cycle path towards Wildemann. Optional: Shortly after entering Wildemann, we turn left into Bärenhöhlental and cycle to Bad Grund. Here, we can visit the Cave Experience Center Iberger Dripstone Cave and then return the same way. The dripstone cave takes visitors on a journey to an ancient coral reef from the South Seas and shows in the adjacent museum everything about the oldest proven large family in the world, which lived almost 3000 years ago and whose remains were found in the Liechtenstein Cave 15 kilometers away. After this trip into the past, we cycle along Clausthaler Straße across Wildemann and pass the visitor mine 19-Lachter Mine. The mine was one of the most important facilities of the Upper Harz silver mining. In the left curve, we turn right into Spiegeltal and follow the path until we reach wooded area again after the Wildemann outdoor pool. After the Spiegeltaler Mining House, we turn sharply right and cycle up the forest path towards Clausthal-Zellerfeld. At the intersection at the end of the path, we keep left and cycle past the Waldweben campsite, the Ringerhalde Mining House, and the mining Robinson playground. Via Spiegeltaler Straße and Treuerstraße, we arrive back at Bornhardtstraße and reach the Upper Harz Mining Museum, the starting point of our tour.