Wolfswarte summit

The Bruchberg, at 927 metres high, is the third tallest mountain in the Harz. The Wolfswarte summit, with its steep quartzite cliffs rising 918 metres high, is not the highest point on the range, but, nevertheless, is one of the most spectacular viewing points in the national park. An old Harz narrative provides some hints as to its name. Listen to this old blood-curdling tale: At the Bruchberg and especially within a certain part of it, there once lived so many wolves, that anyone who was to spend the night there, would climb upon the cliff, which, for this reason, was called the Wolfswarte ("wolf lookout") and would light a fire to scare them off. One day, a wood collier was charring nearby the Wolfswarte crag, waiting for his wife from Saturday evening to Sunday morning, who was to bring him food. As she even didn't come on Sunday morning, he went to meet her on her way. And so he met a wolf, who had his mouth full of red threads. These came from the red dress of the collier's wife, who he had torn apart and killed a little further away. In the end, the woods around the Bruchberg were burnt down because of the rapacious beasts, and particularly the wolves. And this is the reason why it is still bare in many places. Medieval narratives, such as this one, established and, over the centuries, furthered the wolf's negative reputation. Wars, epidemics and famines dominated that age, and the wolf was to serve as a threat to human beings. At that time, wolves were also regarded as competitors for large game that was reserved for the king. The Harz was home to bears, wolves and lynx until into the 18th century. Wolves, in particular, were despised, because they came to farms and pastures to take livestock. Wolves became a nuisance to people in the lower and middle Harz regions, where sheep, cattle and brown Harz goats had their pastures. The Selke valley in the lower Harz was particularly affected. So, the farmers developed a strategy to get rid of at least some of the wolves. A firm building was erected on high ground and trapping pits were dug all around. This was called ""Wolfskuhle" ("wolf pit") or "Wolfswarte" ("wolf lookout"). Each "Wolfskuhle", or trapping pit, was baited, which means that they were furnished with the carcass of a dead animal to attract the predators. The wolves would then fall into the pit to be clubbed to death. In moon-lit nights, the hunters would lay out bait in open spots to lure wolves into an ambush and shoot them from their lookout, the "Wolfswarte". At that time, bounties were offered for each wolf killed. The same was done to bears and lynx. In the end, all large predators were exterminated in the Harz. The last wolf was killed on the Brocken in 1798. The last lynx fell victim to hunters in the Lauenthal hunting district in 1818. The last bear had already died in 1705. Today, the wolf, along with lynx and bear, is strictly protected and meanwhile re-colonizing central Europe. First wolf packs are living in the states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It seems to be a question of time, until the howling of wolves will also be heard again at the Wolfswarte. The return of wolves is also stirring up mixed emotions, to be sure. The old and deeply rooted fear is still too strong and sound knowledge about the wolf's life and behaviour will only improve their bad reputation over time. Shy and secretive, wolves will hardly pose a danger to humans. In the last 50 years, there were nine documented fatal wolf attacks in Europe. In contrast, about 20 people die each year from insect stings in Germany alone. Even livestock owners do not need to worry these days, since possible losses of grazing livestock such as sheep or goats will be compensated for by the authorities.