Kaiser Way, Fernwanderweg im Harz
Kaiser Way is a long-distance trail stretching about 110 kilometers through the Harz Mountains, connecting three German states. The route leads through forests, valleys, and small villages while following ancient trade paths and avoiding steep climbs through clever routing across mountain ridges.
The path follows a route used for thousands of years, where goods, especially ore from local mines, were transported across the mountains in wagons. The deep grooves still visible in the stones today testify to this intense trade that shaped the region for centuries.
The route carries the name of Emperor Henry IV, who fled along this path in 1073. Today the trail connects small villages and historic trading places, telling through its landscape of centuries of human movement across the mountains.
The route is well-marked and offers options for different fitness levels, from short sections to multi-day hikes. Good footwear is important, and rest stations with benches are located at several viewpoints along the way.
Until the 1960s, a small railway station called Kaiserweg existed along the trail, used mainly for transporting wood and raw materials from the forests. Today hikers can still discover the remains of this historic station.
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