Thale

Thale is a town in the Harz Mountains in central Germany.

Understand
It is believed that Thale emerged at the beginning of the 10th century and was first mentioned in 936 in connection with Wendhausen abbey, however the abbey was later destroyed in 1525 due to the Peasant’s war.

Records have shown that from 1445 there was a working ironworks which was rebuilt in 1648 and it was partially destroyed during the Thirty Years War, it was completely destroyed in 1670. However it was later rebuilt in a small hammer mill due to the close proximity of the ore deposits and availability of wood, this lasted until 1714. Thale has always had a connection with the iron industry which shows in the number of workers it had, it went from 350 in 1872 to 4,400 in 1905. From 1916 Thale produced steel helmets and during the Second World War Thale had the monopoly on the product.

Tourism only started to flourish from the 19th century onwards this was due to the Hubertus spring which opened in 1836.

Plane

 * Leipzig Airport  is east of Thale and is around 120 km (roughly 1½ hours) from Thale. There are a number of international and national flights to/from Leipzig.
 * Hanover Airport  is about 154 km west of Thale (roughly 1 hr 40 min drive). The airport is situated in Langenhagen, 11 km the north of Hanover city centre and has easy access to the autobahn.

Car
Thale is very close to Quedlinburg and Blankenburg and in the north /east of the Harz. Thale is just off the B6, which is a newly built road connecting the East with the West.


 * North A7 direction Kassel, take Exit A2 direction Braunschweig, then continue A391 towards A39, head towards B6 via A395. Follow direction Thale.
 * South/West On the A7 direction Hannover take exit 66 to Goslar B82 and B6, Thale is sign posted.
 * East Take the A14 exit 10 direction Aschersleben, then follow B185 to Aschersleben, take theB6 and then L240, Thale is sign posted

Bus
You can take buses to any major cities and places around Harz. The Busbahnhof (main bus station) is near the Hauptbahnhof. The bus service goes via Q Bus. Check for routes and timings

By train
Thale railway station lies on the Magdeburg–Thale railway which is a single non electrified track that connect Thale to Magdeburg. You can also connect to Berlin and Stendal.

By bike
There are a number of mountain bike paths around Thale to enjoy, it is possible to hire a bike and explore them for yourself. A number of hotels and shops around the area offer bike rental so there is no need to take your own. Prices will vary from different establishments and type of bike.

By taxi
There are a number of taxi companies within the town, you will find more information on the website. Alternatively head towards the train station it will always be possible to get a taxi from there.

Parking
There are car parks just outside the town centre at reasonable prices. For more information check the website.



Buy
There are a number of family run shops within the town with the majority of them staying open until 18:00, all shops will be closed on Sunday. There is a large furniture store from kitchens to bedrooms, this store is open until 19:00 during the week.



Eat
There are a number of different types of food specific to the Harz region. The Harz cheese or known locally as Harzer roller is made from sour milk quark it takes 1638 days to mature. The cheese can be brought from any local markets or shops.

Many of the restaurants in the area will serve game on their menus, this is due to there being a number of woods for the wild animals to live in.

Go next
Rubeland is a small town nearby where you can explore the large ancient caves. The caves were inhabitated by bears and later humans during the stone age.

Blankenburg Is a large town just north of Thale. There are a number of shops and different cultural sites.

Quedlinburg Is close to Thale with some of the buildings in the style of Romanesque architecture and are part of the holiday route Romanesque Road.

Nordhausen - with its famous distillery