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Another really big athlete has left the stage
Sir Michael Hayböck has made his last jump in Planica
😍 this is definitely the best place to follow the competitions of the #lahtiskifestival #lahti #skijumpingfamily💕 #skijumping
the interest is huge for todays competitions in #trondheim #trondheim2025 #skijumping #skijumpingfamily
It was fun seeing you win again after nearly one year.#skijumping #skijumpingfamily #sapporo
he's back: #eetunousiainen from Finland
And he's also jumping at an extremely high level 👏
When time simply stands still and someone never gets older...This picture was taken on Feb
Ski Jumping legend from Japan competing this w..
Wieviele Punkte werden für einen Sieg vergeben
weiter
Willingen und all die anderen europäischen Weltcuporte befinden
spielen
Laden Sie sich die besten Skispringen Bilder als Hintergrund auf ihren Rechner
staunen
Schauen Sie Mal rein in die Berkutschi Video Ecke
Neben Sportlichem und Witzigem wartet die eine oder andere echte Kuriosität
scratched their heads and dug out their maps to find out where it ran
the infamous symbol of the cold war that separated West Berlin from East
the much longer border that ran through the heart of Germany
are well aware of the scar left by the iron curtain
once one of the world's most heavily fortified borders
For four decades up to the end of the cold war in 1989
around 600 threatened species of animal and plant life were given a free rein in a no man's land overshadowed by minefields
The legacy is a unique and extraordinarily rich chain of ad hoc nature reserves running for nearly 1,400km in a gentle zigzag from the Vogtland region
It is an impressive living monument to recent European history that is accessible to walkers and bikers
a ranger and former East German from the Harz national park
summed it up over a bowl of pea and sausage soup atop the Brocken peak
one of the highlights of the route: "The division of Germany was a travesty that robbed people of their freedom
but a positive side effect was the way the sealed border allowed nature to flourish."
It has created a treasure trove of wildlife
which has been successfully reintroduced to the region since the border came down
In four days we hiked around 100km of the green belt
starting at the Torfhaus visitor centre in the Harz national park
just outside the picturesque former mining town of Goslar
It was organised for us by the Harz tourist board and the Green Belt initiative
allowing you the freedom to concentrate on the surroundings
The paths are well marked and the local tourist offices on the route are stocked with plenty of maps and information about activities
offered everything from reflexology foot massages in the park's cool mountain streams to tours that trace the past journeys of Hans-Christian Andersen and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to reconstructing the lives of the 18th- and 19th-century charcoal burners who lived in the forest and served the steel industry
In Goslar - home to the delicious Gose beer that is brewed with a high concentration of malt and the region's soft and mineral-rich water - we stayed at the Kaiserworth Hotel
once a 15th-century cloth traders' guild house
The following day our rucksacks were picked up by a luggage taxi for delivery to our next destination while we set off on foot to the charming town of Hornburg
A room in the local museum details the West German town's precarious proximity to the iron curtain
including a model of the automatic spring guns that the East German authorities installed at the border
they sprayed would-be escapees with bullets
"It was like living at the edge of the world," said Hinrich Schüler
who worked as a forester on the border and recalls the day in November 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down
cutting paths through the forest and laying temporary roads for the thousands of Trabants and pedestrians rushing from East to West
Now the towering 69-year-old was accompanying us on a brisk walk through a forest in Lower Saxony into the 1,030-year-old village of Osterwieck in the former East
Osterwieck has received millions of euros in grants over the last 20 years to help restore its stunning collection of 400 half-timbered houses
But much of the former East is revealed in the many abandoned homes of the thousands who have been forced to leave because of lack of work
In Ilsenburg we spent the night in a former East German army barracks
from where we trekked in drizzle through the pine and rock landscape of the Brocken along the distinct border patrol path
constructed out of perforated slab concrete
that runs like a seam for practically the entire length of the former border
"The Brocken is to the Germans what Ben Nevis is to the Scots," explained Friedhart Knolle
The 1,141m mount was also a favourite haunt for British tourists as far back as the 1830s
when they were lured by the promise of the Brockengespenst - the Brocken spectre - an illusion formed
by the thick fog and the shadows of climbers cast upon it
The seminal role it played in the history of broadcasting
when the 1936 Olympics were transmitted from the world's first television tower here
The GDR authorities turned it into a military zone
so today it is one of the most potent symbols of German partition and reunification
took us downhill to the pretty town of Schiercke (in the former East)
slalom skiers were once instructed to concentrate on curbing the end of their runs lest they ended up cruising into the forbidden East
a former customs officer on the West German border who now gives tours of the area around Braunlage
pointed out the gaps in the heavily-fortified fences where foxes
rabbits and badgers were able to tunnel their way through
that was pedantically split down the middle by the international border
a house in the forest where secret agents once met and a former East German army barracks turned asylum seekers' home
Dorge gave me a piece of the metal mesh border fence as a souvenir before handing us over in the pretty town of Hohegeiss to our next guide
He led us on a steep path through a spectacular pine forest that was so thick and dark it would have been the ideal setting for a Grimm fairytale
In a clearing near the East German village of Sorge
he pointed out how the tilling of the earth in search of landmines inadvertently churned up seeds and helped a wealth of birch and pine saplings to take root all along the former border
where industrial weed-killer sprayed by GDR authorities to ensure unbroken views of their borders
Gille recalled a bizarre encounter he had with a Westerner who fled to the East
saying he was sick of the capitalist system: "He clung to the fence
rattling on it and crying 'Let me in!' while ignoring our suggestions that he should think twice about what he was doing."
At the Ring of Memory near the village of Sorge (which
landscape artist Hermann Prigann's sculpture of naked concrete pillars encircled with charred wood piles celebrates how the forest has enveloped the former border area
who admitted she still stuck to the border patrol path for fear of stepping on an undiscovered landmine if she strayed into the forest
She stood at the fence marking the first of the two metal fortifications that once separated Sorge from the West and dwelt on a detail that has haunted her for years
especially chosen by a regime that needed to keep its citizens locked in
otherwise they'd have run away," she said
We ended our four-day journey in Eichsfeld
a Catholic enclave that is famous for successfully defying the regime
and rested our weary limbs on a bench at the former border - a gift to the green belt initiative from none other than the man who had initiated the monumental changes
Air Berlin (0871 5000 737, airberlin.com) flies Stansted-Hanover and Stansted-Berlin from £48 rtn inc tax
German tour operator Wandern im Harz (0049 5322 559603, wandern-im-harz.de) arranges hikes along the border trail from April to November
Hikes last four to six nights; the four-night tour costs €230pp
transfers to and from the nearest railway station
Harz Mountains Tourist Board: +5321 34040, harzinfo.de. For details of the wider route across Europe: greenbelteurope.eu.
Pani Garmyder / Shutterstock Goslar Tours The medieval mining town of Goslar was founded back in 922 AD and has a fascinating history involving knights
its adorable cobbled streets endlessly lined with half-timbered guild houses are a meanderer’s dream come true
The huge Zwinger Tower and the Imperial Palace of Goslar dominate the skyline of Goslar
while the beautiful Gustav Adolf Stave Church never fails to stop travelers in their tracks
and boasts of the rare history of being ruled by women for 800 long years
It houses steep-roofed half-timbered buildings from at least five centuries and a medieval Old Town
all still preserved in their original condition as the town was lucky enough to escape destruction during the war
If there was ever a contest for the most quaint town
the UNESCO World Heritage town of Quedlinburg would be an unrivaled contender
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as it has incredible routes waiting with the promise of adventure and discovery
A romantic narrow-gauge steam railway passes through Wernigerode on its way to Brocken
Photo by Max Payload on Unsplash From a tiny mining village around year 1250 to a much-loved spot for winter sports lovers, Braunlage has come a long way. This picturesque town offers incredible opportunities for skiing and tobogganing and offers breathtaking views over its panorama from its 400m-high Wurmbergseilbahn
Braunlage is also a popular health resort housing several spa gardens
The picture-postcard town of Blankenburg sits shyly by the Goldbach stream
it is hard to imagine that it was hit hard by a devastating fire in 1836 and once housed a hard labor camp
The 12th-century Schloss Blankenburg nestled in a lush baroque garden tells the story of medieval times
while the ruins of Schloss Regenstein still stand witness to almost eight centuries of history
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Markus Muller / Unsplash A walk around the Old Town of Duderstadt is like a stroll through the pages of history
The cityscape of this town dating from 929 AD is adorned by St
and the gorgeous Town Hall protected by ancient towers
An aerial view of Duderstadt would reveal a sea of red roofs crowning half-timbered houses
wrapped tightly by lush green fortifications
Deny Hill / Unsplash The town of Eisleben was christened Lutherstadt Eisleben in honor of Martin Luther
who was born here and also breathed his last in this town
Various monuments dedicated to Martin Luther are still today immaculately maintained and proudly shown off
Andrew’s Church (where he held his last sermons)
Eisleben also has rows of adorable half-timbered houses that are so typical of Harz towns
German Trips and Tours Want to continue your germanic adventure
Germany has plenty to offer from their iconic Christmas markets
fairy tale-esque Black Forest and mystical castles to the urban cities of Berlin and beyond
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All recommendations have been independently sourced by Culture Trip
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