Trips to Goslar

The ancient imperial city boasts over 1,000 half-timbered houses. One of the most admired is the former guild house of the tailors from 1495 at the square, now a hotel. The small sculpture of a man on one corner of the house is Goslar's symbol of luck and fortune. Most tourists at the square turn their backs on the town hall, which is a shame, as it is quite beautiful. They do so to watch the clock chimes on the building opposite, which plays four times a day.

Goslar offers a variety of museums, ranging from doll and tin soldier collections to African art and music history. The newest and simultaneously the oldest is the Rammelsberg Mining Museum. The city's old mine, closed in 1988, has been reopened as a "demonstration mine" and museum. It is the only mine in the world that has been continuously in operation for over a thousand years. The travel-hungry H.C. Andersen visited the Rammelsberg mine in 1831 and writes about it in his book "Shadow Pictures of a Journey to the Harz." It's an entertaining read, before or after a trip to the Harz.

The Harz is a mountain range in northern Germany and essentially begins in Goslar. The village of Hahnenklee, part of Goslar, is an Alpine-like village in the western Harz. Harz offers excellent accommodations, with recommended stays in the picturesque villages such as Bad Lauterberg and Friedrichsbrunn. Wernigerode, slightly east of Harz, is also a must-visit town.