Karst Trail – Circular Route 11 around Liebenrode

The oldest part of the village, first mentioned in 1178, was the upper village with the fortified St. Petri church, the parish and school, the manor house, and the ancestral seat of the von Liebenroth family. In the Middle Ages, the upper and lower villages were protected by a ditch with a thorn hedge in front. The little rooster house in front of the St. Petri church was built in 1798; it is a peculiarity in the South Harz. Overnight stays are possible here upon registration. Numerous buildings in Liebenrode, such as the church, the cemetery wall, the manor house, and farmhouses, were built with natural stone made of gypsum and anhydrite. In 1935, molar and cheek teeth of a mammoth from the Ice Age were found in a brick pit. A film crew from Berlin was even involved in the retrieval. The teeth are lost, but the diligent local heritage association has preserved photos. The circular trail leads briefly north out of the village, crosses the regional road, and follows a field path with beautiful views on both sides to the east into a lovely deciduous forest. Then it goes south, passing three shelters, to the hamlet of Steinsee. The tour continues on field paths briefly to the south and then northwest to the sinkholes of the Seelöcher. Their pond shores are partly silted up. The Opfersee and Grubenloch are circled on a narrow path (caution), and from above the Milchsee is reached by a short spur path. Sulfate rocks encountered at a depth of 60 meters were subject to leaching. Probably rock salt was also dissolved. Large caves were created, which collapsed. The Buntsandstein (colored sandstone) covering these rocks also collapsed. Thus, these sinkholes were formed on the earth's surface.

This is reflected in a South Harz typical legend: "He lived wild and godless, and when once the pastor preached about the evil spirits who rode the sow, Creissius mocked the preacher and said: his spirit should ride into the sinkhole. On the same night, he died, and since then, the inhabitants saw him every evening wandering around the sinkhole with a snow-white face and wrung hands. Therefore, it was called Creissius's hole or the Creissloch."
After circling the Seelöcher, the remaining tour leads again towards Steinsee, turning left onto the narrow road towards Liebenrode.