Goslar



Goslar is a medieval town in Lower Saxony and serves as a regional hub to the wider Harz area. It lies at the foot of the Harz Mountains (highest elevation 3,744 feet). Goslar is much older than Berlin and worth a visit. If you are interested in history, outdoor pursuits (especially hiking), tranquility and nature, then Goslar is the right spot for you. In 2019, it was home to 51,000 people.

Understand
Goslar was founded in 922 AD, although it is widely assumed that there had been a settlement since pre-Roman times. The town is famed for its magnificent gates and ramparts, the medieval Imperial Palace, Romanesque churches, its half timbered guild houses, the ancient Rammelsberg ore mine... and its witches, the last of which was burned at the stake in 1657 AD. In medieval times the city was a major producer of armouries and coins—the raw ores for their manufacture came from the Rammelsberg mine just outside the city's walls.

History
What, Ram + Goat = Goslar? Not quite...! According to legend, Ramm, a knight to Henry's son Otto the Great, tied his horse to a tree, halfway up the Rammelsberg, to continue hunting in the undergrowth. In anticipation of the return of its owner, the horse scraped with its hoof in the ground laying open a ledge of silver so rich that it took over a millennium to mine. Hence the mountain and mine were called the Rammelsberg, after Otto's knight Ramm. As the wife of knight Ramm was called Gosa, they named the town Goslar in her honor.

Emperors, Dukes, and Townsfolk Essentially Goslar was a Free Imperial City, which was under direct control of the Emperor and there were no regional feudal overlords, who were in charge of the city until the end of the Thirty's Year War. Thus the citizens were largely left to their own devices, since the emperors had mostly better things to do than to sit in their Imperial Palace at Goslar. There were several other imperial palaces throughout the Holy Roman Empire, where the emperors held court. The only problem for the city's craftsmen was that their Free Imperial City ended right behind the city's walls. Unfortunately for them, the mine they depended upon, for the delivery of the ores, was immediately outside these very city walls. So they had to lease the rights to the mine from even such regional feudal overlords, the Dukes of Brunswick, who would have fancied it, if the city was theirs. This inevitably let to regular skirmishes between the Dukes and their men on the one side, and the burghers on the other side, which were not resolved until the end of the Thirty's Year War in 1642 AD with the Goslar Accord.

Goethe's Goslar Gothic Ghosts. With the onset of the Reformation in 1517 AD Goslar has escaped the interest of the emperor, and its riches declined so that Goethe, Germany's national polymath, writes in 1777 during his visit to Goslar: "Imperial City, which rots 'inside' and 'with' its privileges!"

UNESCO World Heritage Status
This might be a reason why the Rammelsberg Mine and Town have been so uniquely preserved that they hold UNESCO World Heritage Status.

Goslar is the Harz region's festival town, culminating in the annual award of the "Imperial Ring" .

Get in
Goslar is 250 km west of Berlin. The nearest cities are Brunswick, Hanover, and Magdeburg.

By plane
If you own a plane, a helicopter or even a flying saucer then you might wish to land at the club airport Salzgitter-Drütte in the immediate vicinity (24 miles) of Goslar or the Brunswick-Wolfsburg Airport. Maybe try the disused military airfield at Goslar itself, but don't get yourselves into troubles over this.

However, as a lesser mortal you need to take a plane into either and make your way to Goslar by car or by train. Both airports are connected to the S-Bahn network of their respective cities from where you can take a train to Goslar. A further option is flying into Frankfurt Airport and taking the train from there
 * Hanover International Airport (65 miles)
 * Leipzig/Halle Airport (103 miles)

By train
Goslar can be accessed by regional trains from Hanover, Brunswick, Göttingen, Halle and Magdeburg. In Hanover, Halle and Göttingen there is access to Germany's ICE (Inter City Express) network. Connections from other cities might require a change along the way, often in Hildesheim, Salzgitter or Kreiensen.

By car
From Paris/London/Brussels/Cologne take the Autobahn A44/E331 to Kassel and take the A7/E45 in the direction Hamburg at the Kassel intersection. For further directions see below.

From Madrid/Rome/Vienna/Zurich/Munich/Frankfurt take the A7/E45 and leave it at either the intersection Seesen. Take the Bundesstraße B248 and then the Bundesstraße B82 to Goslar. If you wish to take the route via the Harz mountains, exit the A7/E45 at Northeim and take the Bundesstraße B241 via Osterode, Clausthal-Zellerfeld to Goslar.

Coming from Moscow/Warsaw/Prague/Berlin, take the A2/E39 to the intersection Braunschweig and head via the A395 in the direction of Bad Harzburg. At Vienenburg you leave the A395 and take the Bundesstraße B241 to Goslar.

Arriving from Amsterdam/Düsseldorf/Ruhr Basin take the A2/E39 to Hannover and at the Intersection Hannover leave the A2/E39 and take the A7/E45. For further directions, see below.

Coming from Copenhagen/Stockholm/Oslo/Hamburg/Bremen/Hanover you take the A7/E45 in the direction Frankfurt. You exit the autobahn at Derneburg-Salzgitter (63) and take the Bundesstraße B6 (mostly two-lane) to Goslar or you exit at Rhüden (66) and take the Bundesstraße B82 to Goslar.

Goslar is a popular destination for bikers who enjoy riding their bikes through the Harz mountains.

By bus
Bus services to and from Goslar are relatively frequent and efficient. The regional bus operator Brunswick Regional Transport RBB runs a website, which assists you with finding the relevant connection. In Goslar, their hub is in front of the central railway station. Here you also find a small travel centre, where staff can provide you with further advise. Essentially, the most frequent routes are between Goslar, Seesen, Harzburg-Spa, Salzgitter and Clausthal-Zellerfeld, with less frequent services to other destinations in the Upper Harz (lines 440, 450, 462, 831, 838, 841, 842, 850, 861, 879). The RegioBus lines are the express ones—the others are slow. The handy thing is that the RBB forms a partnership with other regional public transport operators, so that you only have to buy a single transferable ticket. Thus, there is no need to purchase a new one every time you change your train or bus.


 * Regionalbus Braunschweig GmbH - Office Goslar, Hildesheimer St. 53. T: +49 5321 34310, F: +49 5321 343160, E: rbb.goslar@rbb-bus.de.

Get around
The town's centre is relatively small and can easily be navigated by foot. If you, however choose otherwise, then:
 * The Goslar Tank Engine is the leisurely way to get around the town. It offers guided sight-seeing tours (in German only) through the town.
 * Bicycle - the environmentally most friendly way to get around Goslar is by bike. Either you bring your own, or you hire one at:
 * Zweirad-Linkhorst, Bäcker St. 17.
 * Fahrradverleih in der Touristinformation Hahnenklee, Kurhaus Way 7, Hahnenklee.
 * Sporttreffpunkt Hahnenklee, Rathaus St. 6–7, Hahnenklee.
 * Bus - The Goslar town council operates bus services within the municipal boundaries (lines 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806) which run between the town centre and the borough of Oker, as well as Jürgenohl and Hahnenklee.

Castles and buildings of interest



 * Kaiserworth – The main building of the Town Hall had not long been completed when the cloth merchants built their guildhall in its immediate proximity in 1494. For nearly 200 years the Hotel Kaiserworth has been at home here.

Buy
Goslar is not only the perfect location for meetings but also provides various shopping facilities to let a convention day wind down with a pleasant shopping spree. Short distances and a centrally located pedestrian zone invite sauntering and shopping. A wide range of small exclusive stores provide the opportunity to find something unique. Combine your convention stay with a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.



Budget

 *  Asia Bistro, Fischemäker St. 14, T: +49 5321 3949300. Chinese food at budget prices.
 * Aigner , Erkelenzdamm 110, T: +49 5321 6759, German dishes. Open M-Sa 11:00 - 23:00,
 * Bistro Tomate, Stapelner St. 8, T: +49 5321 683886. Currywurst (curried sausage), salads, beer.
 * Döner-King, Höhlenweg 2, in Goslar Oker, T: +49 5321 65003. 4.5 km to the east of the town's centre. Typical Turkish next door kebab shop.
 * La Piazza, Schlesische St. 50, T: +49 5321 1452, Italian dishes, weekdays lunch time is half price. Open Daily 12:00 - 23:00.
 * Lil-Café, Markt St. 15, T: +49 5321 42178. Chips, cappuccino, salads.
 * Petit , Reinhardtstraße 57, T: +49 5321 9016, French cuisine, weekdays lunch time is half price. Open M-Sa 11:00 - 23:00.
 * Pubblico , Frankfurter St. 105, T: +49 5321 26180, Italian dishes. Open daily from 12:00 - 24:00.
 * Shiva, Kant St. 96, T: +49 5321 765, Indian restaurant, family friendly, children's meal for €4.95. Daily 12:00 - 23:00.
 * Kasimir's Döner Ecke, Danziger St. 8. in Goslar Jürgenohl, 1 mile north of the town's centre. Nice and clean Turkish kebab shop.

Mid-range

 * Altdeutsche Stuben/Teutonic Lodge Goslar's most traditional restaurant in the Old Watchtower of Achtermann Hotel. Local and international cuisine. Rosentor St. 20. T: +49 5321 70000-V. Opening hours: 12:00-15:00 and 18:00 - late.
 * Restaurant Sahara, Markt St. 16, T: +49 5321 381955. Maghrebinian, Arab and Moroccan Dishes. Excellent barbecues. Try the delicious couscous.
 * Zum Lindenhof/Limetree Yard, Schützenallee 1, T: +49 5321 1777. Local and regional cuisine. Ideal venue for groups and parties. With 12 lane bowling alley and meeting rooms attached.
 * Zum Lindenhof/Limetree Yard, Schützenallee 1, T: +49 5321 1777. Local and regional cuisine. Ideal venue for groups and parties. With 12 lane bowling alley and meeting rooms attached.
 * Zum Lindenhof/Limetree Yard, Schützenallee 1, T: +49 5321 1777. Local and regional cuisine. Ideal venue for groups and parties. With 12 lane bowling alley and meeting rooms attached.

Drink
There is plenty of night-life in the town, equally divided between the traditional German Kneipe Pubs and theme bars. Some clubs take fun-photos of their visitors. So if you do not wish to be photographed, tell them.



Mid-range
There are more than 20 private pensions and room rentals as well as almost 100 holiday apartments catering to this price range in Goslar. It is best to contact the Tourist Information or see the official website for details.



Go next

 * Bad Gandersheim - a town in South Lower Saxony. It is a town is full of character and is made up of many half-timbered houses. (40 minutes from Goslar)
 * Bad Harzburg - a small spa town nestled in the foothills on the northern edge of the Harz. It is named after a former imperial castle, the Harzburg, which used to stand proud on the heights above the town, but is now a ruin with just a few walls and ramparts remaining. The town itself caters largely for residents taking the "cure" as well as tourists - especially ramblers and cyclists - visiting the Harz. As a result, the centre is a pedestrian zone with small shops and timber-framed houses, surrounded by sprawling suburbs - a mix of impressive timber-framed residences and functional modern buildings. Bad Harzburg is a great base for exploring the northern Harz. There is an 80-year old cable car to the Harzburg above the town called the Harzbergbahn. Once on the top, there is a network of easy walking trails and numerous sights within striking distance including the Lynx Enclosure near the Rabenklippe crags and several outstanding viewing points over the surrounding area. (Only 12 minutes from Goslar).
 * Wernigerode
 * Clausthal-Zellerfeld - in the Oberharz. It is the largest town of the Oberharz community with an altitude of 535m. It is great for winter activities as well as walking and mountain biking during the rest of the year. Clausthal has a well known University "Aula Academica". It has a picturesque low mountain range landscape with crystal clear waters in more than 60 ponds and flowering meadows. (20 minutes from Goslar).
 * Brunswick - (German: Braunschweig) is a city of around 250,000 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser. (40 minutes from Goslar).
 * Hildesheim - the historical centre of Hildesheim consisted of over 1900 half-timbered buildings and was often called "Nuremberg of the north" up to the Second World War. During the war, 90% of the centre was destroyed; only a few lanes in the southern centre remained unchanged. Today the centre consists mainly of postwar buildings, 1950 to 1970. However, many historical monuments have been reconstructed. In this process, some of the changes of the last few centuries were removed and the original form of the buildings restored. Two church buildings were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1985. (50 minutes from Goslar).
 * Hanover - capital of Lower Saxony. Visit the Herrenhausen Gardens, the Old Town Hall or Hanover Zoo. Follow the "red line" tourist trail and visit many of the historic sights. (1½ hours from Goslar).
 *  Göttingen - a city in the southernmost part of the state of Lower Saxony, bordering Hesse and Thuringia. (1 hour from Goslar).