Hexentanzplatz - a second hike coming from Thale
- Written by Portal Editor
Everyone has probably heard of it before: The so-called Hexentanzplatz on a high plateau in the Harz near Thale, about 454 m above sea level. NN, high above the Bodetal opposite the Roßtrappe in Saxony-Anhalt.
Several climbs lead from Thale to the Hexentanzplatz, which is also said to be an Old Saxon place of worship and where festivals were held on the night of May 1st to worship the so-called Hagedisen (forest and mountain goddesses).
We parked our vehicle near the ascent to the Hexentanzplatz at a restaurant that, astonishingly (Corona is still acute), had already opened, had set up some tables outside, which caused some motorcyclists to stop over.
If you are not that good on foot, you can alternatively take the Thale Erlebniswelt cable car ride up. The Bodetal cable car leads from Thale to the Hexentanzplatz. There is also the Harzer Bergtheater Thale, one of the oldest natural theaters in Germany, with 1,350 seats, which was founded in 1903 by Ernst Wachler.
When the weather is good, you can experience wonderful views of the often mystical Bodetal, not a single moment in the color scheme of the forests is the same ... Particularly exciting in the light green cable cars is the view down - through the glass floor into the depths of the Bodetal!
In the museum in the Walpurgishalle, which was built at the suggestion of the painter Hermann Hendrich, the saga of the Harz Mountains and scenes from Goethe's Faust come to life. There is also a sacrificial stone on display, which is reminiscent of ancient fertility rites.
Remains of the Sachsenwall stretch across the Hexentanzplatz. This is a 150 m long dry stone wall made of granite stones that were once 2 m high. It was made around 750 to 450 BC. The wall shielded parts of the elevated area of the Hexentanzplatz and probably served as a refuge.
The sculptures on the Hexentanzplatz come from Jochen Müller, a qualified metal designer from Quedlinburg. They were unveiled on April 21, 1996. The main character in the middle of the chain of boulders is the devil.
A homunculus sits on a stone at his feet. The witch grandmother Wadelinde tries to close the circle of evil with a stone. Another figure, Jochen Müller's signpost to the square, dates from 2003.
There is also the Hexentanzplatz animal park, which represents the biodiversity of the Harz region with many different animal species; the Alpine-Coaster Harzbob; as well as the Homburgswarte below the mountain theater.
The mountain hotel of the same name has existed on Hexentanzplatz since the middle of the 19th century.
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