harz

woOooOoOw Nice Thank YoOou ^_^

very well taken as it gives a sense of the symmetry and architectural details and decorations.

The church in the photo is Marketkirche Goslar. The North Tower (Behind the tree) is 56m high (216 stairs) and is open for panoramic views.

phoenixesrose: Thanks a lot for identifying the church and giving us the other interesting information! I'll add the name of the church to the information in our photo database online. I think this town looks so lovely... /Anna B.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Neue Ansichten von Goslar, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Brocken Mountain is the highest altitude point in northern germany. It has a very narrow gauge steam train that runs to the top and is a popular recreation area. Nearby is the legendary "hexentanzplatz" (Dance place for witches who gather there to celebrate spring rites).

Is that a "street" -- or a canal ... or both?

Should be both: some kind of unpaved street (a carriage is moving round the corner) and some kind of canal. /Anna B

The creek is called the Zillierbach, and the view is not far from the Schöne Ecke (Beautiful Corner); in fact, the houses in the center may be part of that street.

xiphophilos: Thank you so much for the information! According to the map, the narrow street seen on the photo above should be called Schöne Ecke as well - do you agree? /Anna B.

Yes, that's right, the street is called Schöne Ecke too. The area still looks very similar today. At the time the picture was taken the castle was the seat of Otto von Stolberg-Wernigerode, a childhood friend of Bismarck and then the Vice Chancellor of the German Reich. Otto commissioned a huge refashioning of the castle into the mock-medieval dream castle that you see. This remodeling was completed in 1885, so the picture may have been taken shortly thereafter (www.schloss-wernigerode.de/htm/de/html/SchlossGeschichte....).