Discover Sorge: Border history and hiking trails

Sorge combines visible traces of the division of Germany with hiking trails and nature. The “Harzer Bachtäler” nature reserve includes areas in Sorge. The village is also home to the Open-Air Border Museum, the Small Border Museum and the artwork “The Ring of Remembrance”, each offering a different perspective on border history. When planning your trip, you can choose between exhibitions, exploring on foot and rides on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway.

Border history in exhibitions and art

The Sorge Open-Air Border Museum displays original fragments of the GDR border security system and documents the history of the division of Germany. The Small Border Museum displays an original model of the border installations, as well as various exhibits from the everyday lives of GDR border troops and residents of the border area. The fragments, model and everyday objects focus on different aspects: border security and life in the border area. Visitors with mobility impairments can visit the Open-Air Border Museum only by prior arrangement.

The artwork “The Ring of Remembrance” is part of the Sorge border landscape and is located right inside the Open-Air Border Museum, on the Green Belt and at the former inner-German border. The Sorger Heimatfest offers an annual occasion to visit the village: it takes place at the former small gondola pond in Sorge. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the date in advance.

Plan circular walks and train rides

The easy circular walk to the Sorge Open-Air and Small Border Museums (HWN 46) is 6.9 km long and starts at the Border Museum car park in Sorge. The stated walking time is 1 hour 50 minutes. The “In the Footsteps of Inner-German Border History 1” circular walk is 8.8 km long, rated moderate and starts at the car park on Ebersbachstraße in Sorge. The museum walk is shorter and rated easy, while the second walk is longer and rated moderate; they therefore differ in both length and difficulty. Check the current trail conditions before setting out.

You can take rides on the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway and a steam locomotive from Sorge station; from there, you can reach the Brocken, Wernigerode or Nordhausen. Check the current timetable if you would like to include a ride in your plans. There is also a playground for children near Sorge station; check its current condition before your visit. When planning, you can weigh up a hike, a train ride and a stop at the playground without treating the options as equivalent.

More experiences in Oberharz am Brocken

In the wider destination of Oberharz am Brocken, a 2.8 km moderate hike passes through mixed forest to the Krockstein viewpoint; the stated walking time is 55 minutes. Compared with the circular walks in Sorge, this route is shorter than the 6.9 km museum walk. It shares its moderate rating with the 8.8 km circular walk in Sorge. Also in the wider destination of Oberharz am Brocken, the traditional charcoal-burning craft can be experienced seasonally at the Harzköhlerei Stemberghaus: from the beginning of April to the end of October, traditional earth kilns are built, fired and harvested there. These hiking and craft experiences offer another perspective when choosing what to do on your trip.

Discover more destinations

Trautenstein, Rübeland, Neuwerk, Hasselfelde, Elend, Königshütte, Elbingerode, Benneckenstein

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