attraction
Walpurgis Night attracts witches and devils to the Harz Mountains
A witch figure adorns the welcome sign at the entrance to the Harz town of Schierke. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
Goethe already wrote about the hustle and bustle on the Blocksberg during Walpurgis Night. The custom attracts numerous curious tourists to the Harz Mountains every year.
The Walpurgis Night is expected to attract numerous disguised people to the Harz Mountains again on Sunday. In the Lower Saxony part of the Harz mountains, the towns of Braunlage, St. Andreasberg, Bad Grund and Hahnenklee are among the strongholds. Among other things, plays, parades and witch fires are planned there. Afterwards there are often village festivals. Events are also planned in Saxony-Anhalt, for example in Schierke.
The Walpurgis Night is said to be named after St. Walburga. Goethe laid the literary foundation for the wild festivals – after climbing the Brocken in 1777, he recorded the devilish goings-on in “Faust”.
According to old folk belief, witches meet on the Brocken, also called Blocksberg, on the night of May 1st to dance and celebrate with the devil. In addition, the winter is driven out with a lot of shouting and the spring is welcomed. The Walpurgis Night is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Harz Mountains.