| Heinrichshöhe | |
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The Brockentor on the Heinrichshöhe |
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| Height | 1,040 m above sea level (3,410 ft) |
| Location | Saxony-Anhalt, Germany |
| Range | Harz Mountains |
| Isolation | 0.45 km → Brocken |
| Prominence | 9 m → Brocken |
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| Rock | Granite |
| Access | 1744: Peat works established near summit |
| Remarks | Until 1799 there was a Brocken inn here |
The Heinrichshöhe is a subsidiary peak of the Brocken and, at 1,040 m above NN[1], the second highest elevation in the Harz Mountains. The summit lies about 1.4 km southeast of the top of the Brocken near the Brocken Road (Brockenstraße) in the Harz National Park.[2]
The mountain was named after Count Henry Ernest (Heinrich Ernst) of Stolberg-Wernigerode, who had a peatworks established on the Heinrichshöhe in 1747. The buildings of the peatworks, including visitors’ accommodation, burnt down in 1799.
The Heinrichshöhe Way (German: Heinrichshöhenweg) is the oldest documented track to the Brocken. It was first mentioned in the records in 1591 and ran roughly parallel to the present day Brocken Road. From the top of the Heinrichshöhe it runs straight to the summit of the Brocken. In the First World War a Ski monument was built alongside the track.
At the highest point of the mountain there is a roughly 5 m high granite tor. In 1936 an inscription was carved in the rock by the Brockenschutz ("Brocken Guard").
The name Brockentor stems from the 18th century when the first Brocken inn was built immediately next to the tor.
The Heinrichshöhe was a popular destination in the Harz until the 1960s. After the wall was built it ended up in the out-of-bounds area. Following the reunification of Germany the Heinrichshöhe Way was closed and may now only be used with the permission of the National Park authorities for research purposes and for monitoring the wild animals of the area.
See also: List of rock formations in the Harz