Osterode Tourism

Osterode

Centuries-old half-timbered houses characterise the town on the edge of the Harz Mountains. Where donkey drivers and women carrying goods in baskets once transported supplies from the Harz grain store to the miners in the Upper Harz, you can still feel history at every turn today. Osterode combines living tradition with outdoor recreation.

The Harz National Park begins right on your doorstep, whilst to the south lies the lovely karst landscape with sinkholes, caves and sweeping views. Whether hiking, cycling, mountain biking or enjoying a leisurely e-bike ride – the nature experience begins right here.

Many kilometres of hiking trails, as well as four renowned long-distance hiking trails in the Harz, begin in Osterode: the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg, the Karstwanderweg, the Harzer Baudensteig and the Försterstieg lead through varied landscapes and to special places in the Harz. The Harz Mountain Bike Arena also offers over 2,000 km of signposted routes of varying difficulty.

After an active day, cosy restaurants and cafés invite you to linger and enjoy the historic old town.

Highlights

Daniel Li

Town walls

Construction of the town walls in Osterode am Harz began in the 1230s. From the outset, they enclosed both the Old Town and the New Town. Much of the wall’s course, featuring several semicircular towers, is still preserved today and can be explored via footpaths and green spaces. The former gates mark the main medieval thoroughfares: the Marientor, the Jakobitor, the Neustädter Tor and the Johannistor.