(Rte. 74). About 7 m. S. of Gernrode, | By a trifling digression, the Meiseberg and about 2 to the W. of the post-station (fine view) may be taken on the way. of Harzgerode, lies the watering-place 2 m. from Mägdesprung (see of Alexisbad (see below), which may Rte. 74A) is Alexisbad. be adopted as night-quarters, if the traveller be going S. A good road leads from Gernrode to 4 m. Ballenstedt Stat. (Inn: Stadt Bernburg, good). A town of 4800 Inhab. The Ducal Schloss Falkenstein (Inn close by), on a height, contains a collection of ancient weapons, archives, &c. Fine view from tower. [Rly. through Frose Junct. Stat. to Halberstadt or Aschersleben, thence direct to Berlin.] If the traveller be bent on making the entire tour of the Harz, he may proceed from Blankenburg, by Elbingerode, to St. Andreasberg (Inn, Rathskeller), at the S. foot of the Brocken, a town of 4100 Inhab., at an elevation of 1900 Eng. ft. above the sea, and interesting only to miners and mineralogists. The silver-mines are situated in rocks of clay-slate. The shaft of the Samson mine is 2333 ft. deep; the tilt-hammers, forges, and water-engines of Andreasberg are all put in motion by the supply of water from the great reservoir under the Brocken, called Oderteich. The dam which retains the water is a construction of granite masonry. The distance hence to Clausthal is 14 m. Diligence daily in 3 hrs. Rly. from S. Andreasberg to (10 m.) Scharzfeld Junct. Stat, for Herzberg or Nordhausen. From Ballenstedt a very bad road, through charming scenery, comparable with that of the Trosachs, leads to Alexisbad. "A pedestrian should go by the Selkethal, to see the fine old Castle of Falkenstein (see above). The footpath shortens the distance; but, by going round to Meisdorf, a road practicable for light carriages may be followed up the Selkethal."-G. The footpath from Ballenstedt, indicated by signposts in doubtful places, leads to Schloss Falkenstein in 1 hr. Thence, having returned to the valley, a road leads through the *Selkethal to the Selkemühle (good Inn), and (5 m. further) Mägdesprung. Alexisbad (Inns: Goldne Rose; Klostermühle) consists of a small group of buildings for the accommodation of visitors, erected in the romantic valley of the Selke (at an elevation of 1166 Eng. ft. above the sea), by the Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg, after whom it is named. He has a small hunting-box, like a Swiss cottage. Wooded hills rise on each side, and completely hem in the little cluster of houses; and paths are cut through the woods in all directions. Besides the buildings enumerated above, there is a bath-house, and a salon, in which the table-d'hôte takes place every day; also used as a ball-room. Two mineral springs supply a very strong chalybeate water for the baths, and for drinking. Most of the resources of a German watering-place (§ 38) are to be found here: but Alexisbad owes its great attraction to its agreeable situation, and the excursions in its neighbourhood, of which the finest is the ascent of the *Victorshöhe (1 hr. 1960 ft.). On the summit is an open Tower of woodwork, from which a view is gained surpassing that from the Brocken. ROUTE 73A. MAGDEBURG TO THALE. Rly. in 24 to 3 hrs., 54 m., 5 trains daily. Passing Buckau, a manufacturing suburb of Magdeburg, and some unimportant stations, the train reaches 13 m. Blumenberg Junct. Stat. Rly. N.W. to (16 m.) Eilsleben; S.E. to (21 m.) Stassfurt. 24 m. Ochsersleben Junct. Stat. Rly. to (41 m.) Brunswick, viâ Jerxheim. 37 m. Halberstadt Junct. Stat. (Rte. 74). Rly. to (12 m.) Blankenburg. 41 m. Wegeleben Junct. Stat. (Rte. 73B). 48 m. Quedlinburg Junct. Stat. Rly to (18 m.) Frose. 52 m. Neinstedt Stat. (Inn: Land- | Stat., is described in Rte. 67. Thence the line turns northward to haus). 54 m. Thale Stat. (Rte. 74). ROUTE 73B. HALLE TO GOSLAR. Rly. in 44 hrs., 90 m., 3 trains daily. At (29 m.) Sandersleben Stat. the direct line is crossed between Berlin and Cassel. 37 m. Aschersleben Junct. Stat. Rly. to (8 m.) Güsten Stat. for Magdeburg. 41 m. Frose Junct. Stat. Rly. to Quedlinburg by Ballenstedt. 52 m. Wegeleben Junct. Stat. for Thale (see last Rte.). 56 m. Halberstadt Junct. Stat., crossing the line between Magdeburg and Blankenburg. 65 m. Heudeber Junct. Stat. Rly. to (12 m.) Ilsenburg, passing Wernigerode half-way (Rte. 73). 71 m. Wasserleben Junct. Stat. Rly. to (3 m.) Osterwieck. 79 m. Vienenburg Junct. Stat. for Brunswick 23 m. N., and Harzburg 5 m. S. Branch Rly. direct to (8 m.) Goslar, passing Oker Stat. ; while some trains continue along the main line to 87 m. Grauhof Junct. Stat. Rly. to (31 m.) Hildesheim (Rte. 72), passing (19 m.) Derneburg, with an old Cistercian abbey; to (20 m.) Clausthal; to (15 m.) Seesen, whence a branch line of 20 m. leads to Herzberg; and to 90 m. Goslar (Rte. 73). ROUTE 74. NORDHAUSEN TO MAGDEBURG. Distance, 84 m.; time, 10 to 11 hrs. Nordhausen Junct. Stat. and the Rly. thence to (24 m.) Sangerhausen Junct. 37 m. Mansfeld Stat. (Inn: Stadt Keller), where Luther spent his childhood, from the end of the 1st to the 15th year, at the parish school. On a neighbouring hill is the chief castle of the Counts of Mansfeld, who became extinct in 1780, when the county fell partly to Saxony and partly to Prussia. It is well preserved, and retains its old tilt-yard, chapel, &c. 47 m. Sandersleben Junct. Stat. crossing the line between Halle (29 m. S.E.) and Brunswick (73 m. N.W.). Berlin direct, 96 m. in 3 hrs., crossing 57 m. Güsten Junct. Stat. Rly. to the Magdeburg and Breslau line at (22 m.) Güterglück. 84 m. Magdeburg (Rte. 66). ROUTE 74A. NORDHAUSEN TO HALBERSTADT, Carriage-road to Quedlinburg 37 m., thence Leaving Nordhausen, the circuitous road passes through the villages of Petersdorf, Buchholz, and Stempeda, a mile beyond which it joins the high road from Rossla, and turns N. through the pretty Tyrathal to 13 m. Stolberg (Inn: Freitag). A town and bathing-place of 2000 Inhab., belonging to Count Stolberg, whose Castle, on the height above, contains a library, a small armoury, and the statue of an idol (Krodo), dug up under the walls. Thomas Münzer, the fanatic leader of the rebel peasants in the 16th cent., was born here, in a house still standing near the 2 m. from Stolberg, in a most picturmarket-place. From the Josephshöhe, esque situation, surmounted by a Bel vedere and Inn, a fine view is obtained. | Gero of the Ostmark. In 1541 the From Nordhausen it is a pleasanter abbess turned Protestant, and in 1648 route to Stolberg to take the Rly. as the Abbey was definitely joined to far as Nieder-Sachswerfen Stat., thence Anhalt. See the curious and ancient N. to Ilfeld and E. to Neustadt, and Romanesque Ch., with choirs at both on foot over the Ebersburg, past the E. and W. ends, and crypts; that under Eichenforst hunting-lodge (Inn), to the E. choir dates from 960. A side Stolberg. By a slight detour to the chapel is covered with bas-reliefs right, 2 m. after leaving Stolberg, the of the 12th cent. Above the town pedestrian may take the Josephshöhe rises the Stubenberg (hr.), fine view on his way to from summit (Inn). [About 5 m. from this place is the Rosstrappe (Rte. 73). The road passes Suderode (Inn: Kurhaus), lying close to and N.W. of Gernrode, and now_much frequented as a watering-place.] 25 m. Harzgerode (Inns: Weisses Ross; Schwarzer Bär), a town of 2800 Inhab., belonging to Anhalt. About 2 m. to the W. of Harzgerode lies the watering-place of Alexisbad (Rte. 73), where a traveller, not pressed for time, may spend one or two days very agreeably, in exploring the beauties of its neighbourhood. About 3 m. N. of Harzgerode our road is joined on the 1. by that from Alexisbad, and crosses the river Selke at the iron-works of Mägdesprung (Inn: *Schmelzer's) consisting of a number of iron forges, furnaces, and miners' houses, scattered along the banks of the river, over a distance of nearly 2 m. The situation is very romantic, and the distance from here to Alexisbad is about 3 m. On a neighbouring height a tall obelisk of cast iron has been erected as a monument to Duke Frederick Albert of Anhalt, founder of the iron-works (d. 1796). The hill called Mägdetrappe (Maid's foot-print) receives its name from the legend of a giantess who once haunted this district, and, in one of her wanderings, leapt over the valley from the opposite hill, called Ramberg, leaving the marks of her feet upon the spot where she alighted. The summit commands a fine view. Leaving Mägdesprung, the road passes on the 1. the ruined castle of Heinrichburg, built by the Counts of Stolberg. The Schlosskirche here probably dates from 960. 32 m. Gernrode (Inn: Deutsches Haus); Pop. 3000. This town owes its birth and name to an abbey founded here for nuns in 960 by Margrave 37 m. Quedlinburg Stat. (Inns: *Bär; Ring; Lamm), a dull country town, of 18,600 Inhab., on the Bode. Various emperors resided here in the middle ages, and several councils of the Church were held in the town. A portion of its walls, flanked by towers with pointed slate roof, still remains, and its streets yet contain some picturesque old houses. The Castle on a rocky eminence above the town, was the residence of the Abbesses of Quedlinburg, who were Princesses of the Empire. They were generally members of royal or noble families. At the Reformation the Abbesses adopted the Lutheran faith, while the number of these so-called nuns was reduced to 5. The right of presentation belonged to the King of Prussia from 1697 to 1803, when the convent was sequestrated. The *Schlosskirche is a very curious basilica, partly of the 10th cent., for, although the upper church dates from 1129, the choir from 1320, the lower or crypt is perhaps the original one founded by Henry the Fowler. The arabesques on the outside are considered the oldest works of sculpture in N. Germany, Aurora, Countess of Königsmark, who was prioress of the nunnery, although mistress of the Saxon Elector, Augustus II., King of Poland, and mother of Marshal Saxe, is buried in a vault beneath. King Henry the Fowler, founder of the A nunnery, his widow Matilda, mother of | S.E. to Aschersleben Junct. Stat. Otho I., and first Abbess of Quedlin- (Inn: Lowe) and Halle (through burg, and many succeeding Abbesses, Connern), and N.W. to are also buried in front of the high altar in the lower church or "Old Minster." The Sacristy (Zitter) is a wonderful treasury of medieval art, well worth notice. It contains MSS. of the Gospels, relic-shrines adorned with bas-reliefs in ivory, silver, niello, and precious stones, tapestries worked by the nuns, and other curiosities. Outside the town, in a farm-yard, are the ruins of the convent of St. Wipertus; the crypt of the Romanesque church, now a barn, may date from the 10th cent. The architect should examine this relic; the arches of the main aisle are not circular, but straightsided, like those of the pre-Norman churches in England, and the chapel at Lorsch. The poet Klopstock was born 1724 in a small house at the foot of the castle hill, in the Schlossplatz, recognisable by the 2 antique pillars which support its porch. A monument has been erected to him in the garden called Brühl, W. of the town. Here is also one to Karl Ritter, the geographer, also born here. In the Rathhaus is preserved, among other musty curiosities, arms, and MSS., the oaken cage in which the citizens of Quedlinburg imprisoned a Count of Reinstein in 1336, for nearly 2 years, on account of numerous acts of tyranny and oppressive exactions which he had committed against them. Not satisfied with this barbarous punishment, they were on the point of executing him, when the Emperor demanded that his life should be spared, on condition of his paying a fine of 3000 dollars, and adding seven new towers to the town walls. It is said that more vegetable seeds are produced in the gardens of this town than in any other place in Germany, Erfurt only excepted. Rly.S.W.8 m. to Thale (Rte. 73); N. 4 m. to Wegeleben Junct. Stat. ; thence 12 m. Halberstadt Junct. Stat. (Inns: Prinz Eugen; Goldenes Ross). very ancient city of 25,340 Inhab., on an arm of the Holzemme. The *Dom, on a height approached by flights of steps, is a very remarkable Gothic edifice, erected between 1235 and 1491, except the lower part of the west front, which is older (restored 1850). The interior is lofty, and marked by elegant proportions. The bishop's throne, rich in pointed ornaments, a fine window over the altar the monument of Margrave Frederick of Brandenburg (1558), the carved work of the Bishop's throne and roodloft (1508), a store-house of late Gothic ornament, the stalls in the choir, old tapestries, and an altarpiece by John Raphon, of Einbeck, all deserve notice. house above the cloisters are a carved altarpiece and bronze font. The Treasury is richer in Gothic art than almost any other in North Germany. Here is an ivory Consular Diptych (4th cent.), a MS. of the Gospels-a gift of Charlemagne. The collection of episcopal and priestly vestments, from 12th to 16th cent., is perhaps the finest in N. Europe. The Bishopric of Halberstadt was founded in 804 by Charlemagne. In the Chapter The Ch. of Unsere Liebe Frau, in the Romanesque style (date 10051147), restored and painted 1850, has a series of reliefs, monuments of bronze, brasses, &c., and some wallpaintings which are curious. There are some richly ornamented old timberframed houses on the Markt PlatzRathskeller (1440) and Schuhhof (1580). Near the *Rathhaus (Gothic, and Renaissance) is a Rolandsäule (see Bremen), and opposite is the Bischofshof, now turned into a custom-house. The best view of the town is from the Spiegelsberg, 590 Eng. ft. above the sea. Rly. S. 12 m. to Blankenburg, in Rte. 73; W. to Wernigerode, and Vienenburg for Goslar, Harzburg, or Brunswick; S.E. to Halle, and N.E. to Magdeburg. ROUTE 75. BERLIN TO DANZIG, viâ STETTIN Distance, 314 m.; time, 11 hrs. One train connects through daily (8.30 A.M.). Berlin is described in Rte. 61. From the Stettiner Bahnhof (outside the Oranienburg-Thor), the line makes a bend at first, passing the village of Louisenbrunnen, Pankow, &c., to 14 m. Bernau Stat., a town (Pop. 5100) whose inhab. defended themselves stoutly against the Hussites 1432, and captured some of their armour, still preserved in the Rathhaus. 28 m. Eberswalde Junct. Stat. (Inns: H. de Prusse; Deutsches Haus). A manufacturing town, of 11,600 Inhab., on the Finow canal, which connects the Oder with the Havel. There are very extensive paper-mills near this. [Branch Rly. S.E., 19 m., to Wriezen Stat., a small town of 6400 Inhab., on a branch of the Oder. The line passes through, 12 m., Freyenwalde Stat. (Inns: Drei Kronen, Kurhaus), Pop. 4600. A bathing-place pleasantly situated on the same branch of the Oder, with a castle and pretty excursions. Hence rly. to Frankfurt on the Oder, 35 m. from Wriezen.] The Finow canal is crossed Cistercian Abbey Chorin is a good specimen of N. German Gothic, in tolerable preservation. Several small lakes (Paarsteiner See) are passed. 44 m. Angermünde Junct. Stat., a very old town, with a lofty church; 5600 Inhab. [Branch Rly. N., 39 m., to Pasewalk Junct. Stat. (see Rte. 76), passing, 24 m., Prenzlau Stat. (Inns: H. Kotelmann; Deutsches Haus), on the N. end of the Lake called Ucker See, a town of 17,000 Inhab., formerly capital of the Uckermark. The Marienkirche (1325-40) is one of the most remarkable brick buildings of N. Germany. The E. gable has open tracery formed of clay baked and glazed. The organ is said to rival that of Haarlem. At Prenzlau 16,000 Prussians, in retreat from Jena, were captured by the French under Murat, 1806. Branch Rly. from Angermünde to 19 m., S., Freienwalde, and E., 14 m., Schwedt Stat. (Inn: Deutsches Haus), a town on the Oder; Pop. 8360: many of them are descendants of French emigrants, and a portion are Jews. The Palace, built 1580, was until 1759 the residence of a branch of the family of Margraves of Brandenburg, now extinct. Their summer palace Montplaisir, built 1778, lies at the termination of an avenue 2 m. from the town. One of the Margraves and his wife are buried in granite coffins in the French Ch.] 36 m. Chorin Stat. The sequestered 60 pf. [N. G.] Р |