--- title: "Harz narrow-gauge railway" url: "https://www.schierke-am-brocken.de/english-information/harz-region/harzer-schmalspurbahnen" description: "With the Harz narrow-gauge railway to the Brocken. An experience with the Brocken railway to the highest peak in the Harz mountains. Current timetable information." language: "en" breadcrumb: "Root > Schierke am Brocken > Harz region > Harzer Schmalspurbahnen" --- Harz narrow-gauge railway With steam to the Brocken Full steam ahead to the Brocken =============================== Harz narrow-gauge railway To have been to the Brocken once in a lifetime is a dream for many people. ‘With the puffing Brocken railway, that would be it’ - we hear this sentence from guests time and time again. However, the Brocken railway is just one part of the extensive network of the Harz narrow-gauge railway (HSB). With over 140 kilometres, the HSB has the longest narrow-gauge railway network in Germany. On their routes, the steam locomotives cross the Harz Mountains from Wernigerode to Nordhausen (Harzquerbahn) and from Drei Annen Hohne to the Brocken (Brockenbahn), as well as from Quedlinburg through the Selketal valley to Eisfelder Talmühle in the Harz Mountains (Selketalbahn). The steam locomotives run daily through the Harz Mountains according to a timetable. They call at over 40 railway stations and stops in the Harz Mountains and on the Brocken. - How much does a trip to the Brocken cost? A standardised fare applies for the Brocken route, regardless of the station from which the journey to the Brocken starts, the one-way journey for an adult costs €38.00 and the return journey €57.00. Children from 6 to 14 years pay €24.00 for a one-way trip / €35.00 for a return trip on the Brocken route and younger children are exempt from paying. The afternoon fare for an adult costs €47.00 for the return journey. *Prices from March 2025* - And how much do the journeys on the other routes cost? The fares depend on the distance travelled, among other things. An overview of the prices on the main routes can be found on the website. - Are there discounts for families? Yes, there is the HSB Mini GroupCard. This allows 2 adults with up to 3 children aged 6-14 years to travel on the entire narrow-gauge railway network including the Brocken line (excluding special trains and special services) for €135.00. The normal price for a family of 5 for a return journey to the Brocken would be €219.00. 2 adults (2 x € 57.00), 3 children aged between 6-14 years (3 x € 35.00) - Where does the Brocken railway start in Wernigerode? The Brockenbahn starts at the main railway station, right next to the DB ‘big trains’ and the Abellio trains. Other stations in the city area of Wernigerode are: \- ‘Westerntorbahnhof’ (Unter den Zindeln / Ilsenburger Straße) \- ‘Harz University of Applied Sciences’ (Kirchstraße) \- ‘Hasserode’ (Am Floßplatz) \- ‘Steinerne Renne’ (Bielsteinchaussee) - Where can I find the timetables for the narrow-gauge railway? The trains run through the Harz forests at different times in the summer and winter months. An overview of the summer and winter timetable can be found on the HSB website. - Brockenbahn, Selketalbahn, Harzquerbahn - Which is the right one? Everything is correct. The Brocken railway starts in Drei Annen Hohne and travels to the Brocken. The Harzquerbahn covers the route between Wernigerode and Nordhausen and the Selketalbahn runs from Quedlinburg to Eisfelder Talmühle. All lines are combined under the umbrella of Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH. - Can the narrow-gauge railway also take wheelchairs? Transport of wheelchair users is possible during the summer months. 1 to 2 days before the journey, information must be sent to HSB customer service and the journey must be booked (Tel. 03943 - 55 80). Lifting devices as boarding aids are available at the following railway stations: \- Nordhausen-Nord \- Wernigerode main station \- Drei Annen Hohne \- Brocken station Steam locomotive workshop ------------------------- Opening hours & admission **Admission without guided tour:** Opening hours: Tuesday & Saturday 10.30 - 16.00 hrs Admission prices:  Adults: €5.00, Children (6 - 14 years): € 3.00 No pre-booking required **Guided tour of the new steam locomotive workshop**  Tuesday & Saturday: 2.00 pm (except public holidays) Price for guided tours:  Adults: €12.00, Children (6 - 14 years): € 7.00 Max. Number of participants: 25 Pre-registration required at: www.hsb-wr.de or purchase in the locomotive shop on site or order under: Tel. 03943/558 151 - Accessibility ------------- Harz narrow-gauge railway - Travelling on the Harz narrow-gauge railways is possible for people with limited mobility. However, it should be noted that due to the historic vehicles and carriages, aids are sometimes required for boarding and alighting. - Lifting devices as boarding aids are available at the following railway stations: \- Nordhausen-North \- Wernigerode main station \- Drei Annen Hohne \- Brocken station - **Registration required** The lifting devices are available in the summer months from May to October. If you would like to use them, please book at least three days in advance. Tel. 03943 - 55 80 - Special trips ------------- Harz narrow-gauge railway Special trips on the narrow-gauge railway are a pleasure. The HSB trains are not only on regular services but also travel through the Harz forests on a wide variety of themes. - ### Faust on the Brocken Rock theatre after Goethe It promises to be an exciting evening. A ride on the narrow-gauge railway to the Brocken and back Performance of ‘Faust’ in the Brocken Hall on the Brocken A ‘Mephisto meal’ at the Brockenwirt during the interval - ### Some facts about HSB A little bit of history. The Brocken railway line has been in operation in the summer months since 1898. Due to destruction during the Second World War and the division of Germany, operation of the Brocken railway was repeatedly discontinued in whole or in part. Since 1991, the steam locomotive has once again regularly travelled to the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, the Brocken. The Harz narrow-gauge railway maintains a scheduled train service that runs daily between over 40 stations and stops. The narrow-gauge railway has 25 steam locomotives at its disposal for train services on the tourist routes through the Harz Mountains and up the Brocken. The oldest, a Mallet locomotive from 1897, is used for special public train journeys, which are also offered by the company. Special trips with the steam locomotives are also available for groups on request. Drone flight From Wernigerode to the Brocken With the video drone from Wernigerode & Schierke to the Brocken. Experience a flight that starts in the mayor's office of the town of Wernigerode and accompanies the Harz narrow-gauge railway on its journey to the Brocken. Along the way, you will gain insights into otherwise hidden places such as the backyard of Jüttner's bookshop. Get up close to the rehearsals of the Wernigerode Radio Youth Choir or a rapid descent on the ski jump in the Zwölfmorgental valley. Just past Wernigerode Castle and the Stone Race in the ‘Kleiner Harz’ miniature park and you are already on the Brocken plateau in the centre of the Harz National Park. A warm invitation to a 17-minute flight that will inspire you with our Harz region. - ### Westerntor railway station Bauhaus sets a precedent here **100 years of Bauhaus** In 2019, Germany celebrated 100 years of Bauhaus. The artists at the School of Design, which was founded in Weimar in 1919 and moved to Dessau in 1925, also had an influence on architecture in Wernigerode. Various institutions dedicated special events to the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus. The Wernigerode Westerntor station of Harzer Schmalspurbahnen GmbH was opened on 1 July 1936. Since the opening of the railway in 1899, the station was originally located at the Westerntorkreuzung crossing in front of the Eselskrug restaurant. The plans for the new station building were drawn up by the Hamburg architect and master builder Fritz Höger (1877 - 1949), who is regarded as one of the leading representatives of North German brick expressionism (for example the Chilehaus in Hamburg or the Anzeige - Hochhaus in Hanover). The reception building is a single-storey solid plastered building with a flat clinker brick base. The attic storey is extended and has a flat dormer with a pitched roof. The boarded gable ends protrude widely and are each supported by 4 angular wooden columns. Gable windows are framed by deep niches created by a row of planks. Above the entrance is a wide plank with the inscription ‘May trade and traffic flourish to Germany's glory, to Germany's honour Harzquer- und Brockenbahn’. The interior of the station concourse is characterised by board cladding with coloured trim and galleries on the gable ends. The striking vehicle workshop in the immediate neighbourhood was completed as early as 1926. Today, Wernigerode Westerntor station is a highly frequented tourist boarding and alighting point for the Harz narrow-gauge railway right on the edge of the historic half-timbered old town. -