Location
The ruins of the Großer Harzburg ("Great Harz Castle") are located above the town in the Radau valley on the hill of the Großer Burgberg (482.8 m above sea level). It may be reached by the Burgberg Cable Car and has an outstanding view past the neighbouring summit of Kleiner Burgberg (436.5 m above NN) northwest over the northern Harz Foreland and, southwards, over the densely forested Harz.
The remains of the castle on the Großer Burgberg are open to the public. In addition to a cafe its other points of interest are the 19-metre high Canossa Column of 1877 and the Bismarck Elm in the castle grounds. It has two different keeps; the square one has been partially rebuilt in modern times (see photo). The layout of the castle and the remnants of the walls are explained on information boards at the site. One interesting feature is the wide ditch driven through the rock that separates the castle into an east and a west wings.
To the north on the nearby hill of Kleiner Burgberg are the remains of the so-called Kleiner Harzburg ("Little Harz Castle") and to the east on the nearby Sachsenberg are the traces of a rampart, possibly constructed by the rebellious Saxons to besiege the Großer Harzburg (see below).
The castle drew drinking water from the Sachsenbrunnen, a medieval spring in the woods. The water was piped over several hundred metres in wooden pipes.
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Bismarck on the Canossa Column
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1872 quotation on the Canossa Column
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Krodo-Statue on the Harzburg
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Foundation of the round tower
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