Bruchberg

The Bruchberg rises to 927 metres in the Upper Harz, making it the second highest mountain in Lower Saxony and the third in the Harz range. It sits between the villages of Altenau and Torfhaus inside the Harz National Park. The mountain is more of a broad plateau than a pointed peak, with woodland covering part of its top. Bark beetles have killed many trees on the sunny southern slopes, but new mixed forest is now taking root across the plateau. The Wolfswarte, a rocky dome of quartzite at 918 metres, is generally treated as the summit. From its bare top the Brocken can often be seen when the air is clear. The Wolfswarte also appears as a landmark from other nearby hills such as the Glockenberg in Altenau and the Schulenberg. To the southwest the plateau continues as the Acker Ridge, where the Hanskühnenburg mountain hut stands. The Wolfswarte Way starts in Altenau and climbs past Okerstein to the Wolfswarte. A rougher spur called the Butterstieg branches off the Steile Wand road and leads to the summit. From Torfhaus a longer but direct route of about four kilometres also reaches the Wolfswarte. The summit itself is a checkpoint on the Harz Walking Route, though the marker is placed about 200 metres down the hill on the southwest side.