Schalke, Mountain summit in Lower Saxony, Germany
Schalke is a summit at 762 meters above sea level (about 2,500 ft) in the Upper Harz, north of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and west of Schulenberg. A paved forest path leads through the terrain up to a steel observation tower standing on the plateau at the top.
The observation tower was built in 1892 by the Harzklub, making it one of the oldest of its kind in the area. Between 1959 and 2002, France operated a military listening post on the summit, which was fully demolished after it closed.
The name Schalke describes the shape and position of the summit within the Harz. The tower and the shelter hut make it a regular meeting point for walkers from across the region.
The forest path to the summit includes sections with a grade of up to 12 percent before reaching the plateau near the top. A shelter hut close to the tower offers a place to rest and marks checkpoint 125 on the regional hiking trail network.
The tower on Schalke is the oldest among four similar towers in the surrounding area. From its platform, the view opens to the east and south across the Harz mountain landscape.
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