The Brockenspectre

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It is the easternmost mountain in northern Germany; travelling east in a straight line, the next prominent elevation would be in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

A scene of significance in his book The Investigation (1975) depicts a detective who, within the confines of a snowy, dead-end alley, confronts a man who turns out to be the detective's own reflection, "The stranger. The Brocken Garden, a botanical garden, was laid out in 1890 by Professor Albert Peter of Göttingen University on an area of 4,600m 2 (50,000sqft) granted by Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode. In addition, animal and human sacrifices were offered by the Saxons to their supreme god, Odin, on the blockfields of the summit until they renounced them as part of their baptismal vows when Christianity spread to the region under Charles the Great. Above all, Tomas fears the Brockenspectre - a huge, shadowy creature that lives alone in the heights, waiting for unwary climbers.The 87-kilometre-long (54mi) "Brocken Climb" from Göttingen to the Brocken has taken place annually since 2003. He also had a mountain lodge built on the southern slope, named Heinrichshöhe after his son Henry ( Heinrich) Ernest.

The ghost can appear to move (sometimes suddenly) because of the movement of the cloud layer and variations in density within the cloud.From Schierke a metalled road leads to the summit, [19] which is used by horse-drawn wagons, as well as touring and racing cyclists.

The Brocken Spectre got its name because of early sightings on the Brocken, the highest peak of Germany's Harz Mountains. This section is a concrete slab track with a steady incline of about 20% and the runners are exposed above the tree line, often to a sharp, icy wind. For example, the water pipit ( Anthus aquaticus) and the ring ouzel both breed in the area around the summit.Among mountain climbers, there is a superstition that whoever sees a Brocken Spectre will die in the mountains the very next day. The progressive metal band Fates Warning titled their debut album Night on Bröcken (note the " Heavy metal umlaut"). The summit register entry Many stones, tired bones, views: none, Heinrich Heine ( "Viele Steine, müde Beine, Aussicht keine, Heinrich Heine") is a popular, though unsourced phrase related to the weary ascent and the mostly foggy conditions. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. In 1736 Count Christian Ernst of Stolberg-Wernigerode had the Wolkenhäuschen ("Clouds Cabin") erected at the summit, a small refuge that is still preserved.

Since 2004, the Brocken Challenge, an ultra marathon 84-kilometre-long (52mi) from Göttingen to the Brocken summit, has been staged in February each year. She published her first novel Run with the Hare in 1988, while still working as an English teacher in a comprehensive school. The illusion is that this person or 'spectre' is gigantic and at a considerable distance away from them.On 16 March 2010 the Brocken Weather Station became a climate reference station to provide uninterrupted, long-term climatic observations. The climate on the Brocken is like that of the alpine 1,600–2,200-metre (5,200–7,200ft) zone or even that of Iceland. Since the shadow of one's own head appears only in the anti-solar direction, it makes sense that the glory ring will always be in the vicinity of the head's shadow.