A lovely lake in the centre of Hahnenklee is part of the Upper Harz Water Management System. Some 149 lakes and ponds were constructed over time, of which 107 are still preserved.

Hahnenklee: A Stave Church, Stunning Nature and Water Management

Hahnenklee is worth a visit for several reasons: the Stave church, stunning nature, and the innovative water management practices. Besides the multiple physical activities in this healthy climate, the beautiful town offers cultural treasures.

In Hahnenklee, visitors find a “Norwegian” Stave church from 1907 with astonishing wood architecture and concerts played on its own carillon (a mechanical and electronic glockenspiel).

The Stabkirche, which is built in a Norwegian style, is one of Hahnenklee's landmarks. – © Stefan Schiefer / GOSLAR marketing gmbh

Another cultural heritage is the Upper Harz Water Management System. What nowadays appears to be a calm and romantic lake-and-pond landscape with historic architecture, was one of the most significant and greatest pre-industrial structures in the world. For already 800 years, the water of the Upper Harz region functioned as an engine moving the water cycles of mines and huts, above and below ground. Some 149 lakes and ponds were constructed over time, of which 107 are still preserved. Also 31 kilometres of water ditches run like tunnels through the mountains. They are also still preserved and accessible to visitors.

The Liebesbank Trail was the first trail in Lower Saxony awarded as a premium trail. It belongs to the Upper Harz Water Management. Pictured: the waterweel at Liebesbankweg. – © Stefan Schiefer / GOSLAR marketing gmbh

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