Scharfenstein (Ilsenburg)
| Scharfenstein | |
|---|---|
View from the ranger station of
the Scharfenstein and Scharfensteinklippe |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 697.6 m above sea level (NN) (2,289 ft) |
| Coordinates | 51°49′56″N 10°36′03″E / 51.83222°N 10.60083°ECoordinates: 51°49′56″N 10°36′03″E / 51.83222°N 10.60083°E |
| Geography | |
 Scharfenstein
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| Parent range | Harz (Upper Harz, High Harz) |
The Scharfenstein is a mountain, 697.6 m above sea level (NN) high, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, near Ilsenburg in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt. It is part of the Harz National Park.
The Scharfenstein lies southwest of Ilsenburg, southeast of the Lower Saxony town of Bad Harzburg, north of the Kleiner Brocken mountain and east of the Ecker Reservoir, which lies on the Ecker River, straddling the border between the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. The mountain is topped by a tor, the Scharfensteinklippe; which has particularly good views of the Brocken, and in the direction of Torfhaus and the Ecker Reservoir. Below the summit is the Scharfenstein ranger station of the national park with a self-service cafe.
Its name is descriptive and comes from the German scharfer/spitzer ("sharp", "pointed") or schroffer ("rugged", "craggy") and Stein ("rock" or "stone"). The Scharfenstein's appearance as a solid, rocky crag is particularly evident when viewed from the south, for example, from the Ecker Reservoir.
The area around the Scharfenstein was used from 1420 as a cattle pasture by the settlement at Ilsenburg, for which the first herdsman's house was built. The cattle farm was still being managed in 1816 from Stapelburg. Around 1875, Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode has a forester's lodge built that, together with the forest settlement that emerged in the 1920s, developed into a popular stop for hikers en route to the Brocken as well as a restaurant and place to stay.
On 11/12 April 1945 US troops occupied the Scharfenstein without a fight. They were replaced in July that year by the Red Army.
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Wikipedia