Güntersberge ( German pronunciation: [ˌɡʏntɐsˈbɛʁɡə] ) is a village and a former town in Harz District , in Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . It has held the status of an officially recognized resort town since 2001. Güntersberge, together with the other municipalities of the former Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality") Unterharz , merged into the town of Harzgerode as of 1 August 2009.
17-650: The settlement is located in the upper Selke Valley, in the lower eastern part of the Harz mountain range close to the border with Thuringia . In the northwest, down the scenic Selke Valley Trail , is the abandoned village of Selkenfelde . In the southwest is the Katzsohlteich reservoir of the Katzsohlbach , a right tributary of the Selke river. The Steinfurtbach and other numerous mountain brooks run through
34-561: A height of about 320 m (1,050 ft) above the Selke valley near the village of Meisdorf in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt . It is located within extended forests, today a protected area ( Naturschutzgebiet ). Also nearby are the ruined medieval castles of Ackeburg and Old Falkenstein Castle . Falkenstein was built between 1120 and 1150 by the lords of
51-631: The Harz Mountains before breaking out onto the northeastern Harz Foreland. It has a length of 64 kilometres (40 mi), of which 30 kilometres (19 mi) lie in the forested mountains of the Harz and the rest on the agricultural lowlands of the Harz Foreland. The Selke rises near the village of Friedrichshöhe in the borough of Güntersberge at a height of about 520 metres (1,710 ft) above NN . From Friedrichshöhe to Mägdesprung in
68-656: The Harzer Wandernadel hiking network. Falkenstein Castle (Harz) Falkenstein Castle ( German : Burg Falkenstein ), also formerly called New Falkenstein Castle ( Burg Neuer Falkenstein ) to distinguish it from Old Falkenstein Castle , is a German hill castle in the Harz Mittelgebirge , dating to the High Middle Ages . It is located in the town of Falkenstein between Aschersleben and Harzgerode . The castle lies at
85-543: The Konradsburg who henceforth styled themselves as Grafen von Falkenstein (Counts). According to legend, Falkenstein Castle has its origins in a murder: around 1080, the Saxon nobleman Egeno II of Konradsburg slew Count Adalbert II of Ballenstedt in a fight, whereupon the murderer was allegedly made to give up his family seat to be converted into a monastery . As a result, Egeno's son, Burchard of Konradsburg, had
102-468: The palas located in the northwest corner. Later ( Gothic ) alterations connected the buildings. Today the castle houses a museum and is used as a venue for events. It is part of the Romanesque Road , a tourist route . The castle has a falconry and a restaurant that offers traditional 'knightly' food ( Ritteressen ). The castle is No. 200 in the network of hiking checkpoints known as
119-574: The Selke Valley is a striking and largely preserved medieval castle, Falkenstein , which is open to the public. On the other side of the valley, on a prominent spur, is a lofty viewing point, the Selkesicht , 330 metres (1,080 ft) above sea level, and at the site of another castle, the Ackeburg , with good views of Falkenstein Castle and the Selke valley. Both locations are checkpoints in
136-556: The area. Güntersberge station is a stop on the Selke Valley Railway , part of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways network, running from Quedlinburg up the Harz range to Hasselfelde . The Bundesstraße 242 highway runs through the area. Nearby Güntersburg Castle was first mentioned in 1326, then located on important trade routes through the Harz mountains. The settlement of Güntersberge itself
153-621: The borough of Harzgerode , it is accompanied by the Selke Valley Railway for a distance of 17 kilometres (11 mi). The Selke has cut deeply into the Harz Mountains in some places whilst in others it runs in a broad valley, depending on the bedrock. In Meisdorf on the northeastern edge of the Lower Harz, the Selke leaves the forested mountain region and winds across a cultivated plain, continuing to flow in an easterly or northeasterly direction as far as Ermsleben . Beyond Ermsleben
170-596: The castle remained until its confiscation after the Second World War . The castle was one of several backdrops in the seven-part children's series shot by GDR television, Spuk unterm Riesenrad , and one of the locations for the DEFA fairy tale film Schneeweißchen and Rosenrot ("Snow White and Rose Red"), as well as featuring in the Polizeiruf 110 episode Die Entdeckung . The original Falkenstein Castle
187-674: The eastern Harz region was located in the Soviet occupation zone and became part of East Germany in 1949. From 1952 to 1990, it was part of the Bezirk Halle of East Germany. Güntersberge was the site of a large summer camp run by the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation . Selke (river) The Selke is a river of Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . It is a right-hand tributary of the Bode that starts in
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#1732797806939204-506: The expansion of existing floodwater retention basins and the creation of a new one. Particularly controversial is a medium-term 3.7-to-5.5-metre (12 to 18 ft) high embankment for the Selke Valley at Meisdorf. The citizens' initiative "Save the Selke Valley in the East Harz" is fighting this plan because they argue that it will destroy a scenically beautiful section of the Selke Valley that is important for nature conservation. High above
221-412: The gate and zwinger together with three outer baileys cover about 40 x 40 metres. In the centre of the inner bailey is the 31-metre-high bergfried whose walls have a thickness of 8.5 metres at a height of 2 metres. It is used today as an observation tower and is open to the public. Originally, a wooden bridge used to connect the bergfried about 9 metres above the ground to
238-637: The new Falkenstein Castle built. In 1220, during the reign of Prince Henry of Anhalt the Anhalt ministerialis , Eike of Repgow , from what is now Reppichau , drew up the Sachsenspiegel the first German law book here. The book is dedicated to its commissioner, Hoyer of Falkenstein. In 1437 the castle was given as a fief by the Bishopric of Halberstadt to the House of Asseburg , in whose hands
255-463: The river swings through 90° to the northwest and runs from here in an almost straight line to its mouth on the Bode near Rodersdorf [ de ; nl ] , a village in the borough of Wegeleben . The Selke empties into the Bode at an elevation of 118 metres (387 ft). In the past Selke burst its banks on several occasions causing significant damage. This led to plans by the state government for
272-502: Was built between 1120 and 1150 in Romanesque style. Although it has been modified frequently since then, notably in the mid-16th century, it still retains the character of a medieval castle. The castle was protected by seven gates and five zwingers . The side at which the main attacks were anticipated had a 17 metre high shield wall . The castle site covers an area of about 310 x 90 metres. Its inner bailey ,
289-641: Was documented as a town in 1437. Temporarily given in pawn to the Landgraves of Thuringia and the comital House of Stolberg , it was purchased by the Ascanian prince George III of Anhalt-Dessau in 1546. From 1603 the area belonged the Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg , from 1635 to 1709 to Anhalt-Harzgerode . Güntersberge remained part of the Free State of Anhalt until 1945. After World War II
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