Brockengarten
Encyclopedia
The Brocken Garden is an alpine botanical garden
on the summit of the Brocken (1,142 m above sea level), the highest peak in the Harz mountains of Germany
. It lies within the Harz National Park
near Wernigerode
in the state of Saxony-Anhalt
and has a stock of around 1,600 types of plant. These include species that only grow in the Brocken region, like the Brocken anemone or alpine pasqueflower
and the Brocken hawkweed
, but its main focus is on alpine plants like the white dryad
and the Swiss willow.
It is open daily without charge.
and in 1761 a garden with plants from the Brocken was laid out at Schierke
. But it was not until 1890 that the Brocken Garden was established by Albert Peter with the permission of Prince Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode
on the royal estate. Peter was a naturalist
and head of the Botanical Garden of Göttingen. The purpose of the experimental garden was to research the adaptability of alpine plant
s to the conditions of a new habitat
. Due to its northerly and exposed location the summit of the Brocken (1,141 m) equated climatically
to heights of about 1,700 to 1,900 m in the Swiss Alps
.
Until 1945 the Brocken Garden was run by scientist
s at the University of Göttingen. Only in the years 1914 to 1934 and 1945 to 1950 did work have to stop because of the impact of the two world wars. In 1950 the University of Halle-Wittenberg
took over its upkeep.
When the Brocken was declared an out-of-bounds area the botanical garten was closed to the public in 1961 and lost its importance. In 1971 all scientific and horticultural work had to stop. In the period that followed native plants took over much of the garden. Only 90 of the hitherto 1,400 cultivated species could still be found in 1989. After the reunification of Germany the Brocken Garden was re-established jointly by the High Harz National Park and the botanical gardens of the universities of Halle and Göttingen.
Today the garden comprises a public viewing area and an experimental area, closed to the public, in which experiments in biotope
and species conservation are carried out. In addition the garden is devoted to the renaturalisation of the Brocken summit.
The Brocken Garden is accessible to visitors between May and the middle of October. In 2008 there were around 9,000 visitors.
is 88 per cent and there are 306 days of mist or fog. The summit of the Brocken is one of the windiest places in Europe. The highest measured wind speed was 263 km/h (in 1984). The Brocken has a natural timber line.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
on the summit of the Brocken (1,142 m above sea level), the highest peak in the Harz mountains of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It lies within the Harz National Park
Harz National Park
The Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises large portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg on the northern slopes...
near Wernigerode
Wernigerode
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
in the state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
and has a stock of around 1,600 types of plant. These include species that only grow in the Brocken region, like the Brocken anemone or alpine pasqueflower
Pulsatilla alpina
Pulsatilla alpina, alpine pasqueflower, or alpine anemone is an alpine plant found in the mountain ranges of central and southern Europe from central Spain to Croatia...
and the Brocken hawkweed
Hawkweed
Hawkweed refers to any species in the very large genus Hieracium and its segregate genus Pilosella, in the sunflower family ....
, but its main focus is on alpine plants like the white dryad
Dryas octopetala
Dryas octopetala is an arctic-alpine flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a small prostrate evergreen subshrub forming large colonies, and is a popular flower in rock gardens...
and the Swiss willow.
It is open daily without charge.
History
By 1760 there was already a herb garden on the HeinrichshöheHeinrichshöhe
The Heinrichshöhe is a subsidiary peak of the Brocken and, at , the second highest elevation in the Harz Mountains. The summit lies about 1.4 km southeast of the top of the Brocken near the Brocken Road in the Harz National Park....
and in 1761 a garden with plants from the Brocken was laid out at Schierke
Schierke
Schierke is a village and a former municipality in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Wernigerode.Schierke was first mentioned as Schiriken in a 1590 deed...
. But it was not until 1890 that the Brocken Garden was established by Albert Peter with the permission of Prince Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Stolberg-Wernigerode
The Principality of Stolberg-Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-History:...
on the royal estate. Peter was a naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and head of the Botanical Garden of Göttingen. The purpose of the experimental garden was to research the adaptability of alpine plant
Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in the alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. Alpine plants grow together as a plant community in alpine tundra.-Alpine plant diversity:...
s to the conditions of a new habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. Due to its northerly and exposed location the summit of the Brocken (1,141 m) equated climatically
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
to heights of about 1,700 to 1,900 m in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
.
Until 1945 the Brocken Garden was run by scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s at the University of Göttingen. Only in the years 1914 to 1934 and 1945 to 1950 did work have to stop because of the impact of the two world wars. In 1950 the University of Halle-Wittenberg
University of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
took over its upkeep.
When the Brocken was declared an out-of-bounds area the botanical garten was closed to the public in 1961 and lost its importance. In 1971 all scientific and horticultural work had to stop. In the period that followed native plants took over much of the garden. Only 90 of the hitherto 1,400 cultivated species could still be found in 1989. After the reunification of Germany the Brocken Garden was re-established jointly by the High Harz National Park and the botanical gardens of the universities of Halle and Göttingen.
Today the garden comprises a public viewing area and an experimental area, closed to the public, in which experiments in biotope
Biotope
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
and species conservation are carried out. In addition the garden is devoted to the renaturalisation of the Brocken summit.
The Brocken Garden is accessible to visitors between May and the middle of October. In 2008 there were around 9,000 visitors.
Tasks
The Brocken Garden supports academic instruction, research, species conservation, school instruction and public information and thus the functions that were given to it by its founder , Albert Peter.Climate
The average annual temperature is 2.9 °C (based on the period 1960–1990), and there are an average of 171 days of frost and 176 days with snow cover. Only the months of July and August are generally entirely frost-free. Annual precipitation is 1,814 litres per square metre, the average annual humidityHumidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
is 88 per cent and there are 306 days of mist or fog. The summit of the Brocken is one of the windiest places in Europe. The highest measured wind speed was 263 km/h (in 1984). The Brocken has a natural timber line.
Sources
- Friedrich Ebel, Wolfram Richter: Der Versuchs- und Schaugarten auf dem Brocken. Informationen über den Brockengarten. (Mitteilungen aus dem Botanischen Garten der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle 130), 1991
- Friedrich Ebel u. a.: Der Brockengarten. Ein Versuchs- und Schaugarten. Schadach, Goslar 1999, ISBN 3-928728-40-7
External links
- Brockengarten
- University of Halle: Brockengarten
- Extensive photographs (2300 photos)
- Friedrich Ebel and Wolfram Richter, Der Versuchs- und Schaugarten auf dem Brocken: Informationen über den Brockengarten, Botanischer Garten der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle, 1991.
- Friedrich Ebel et al., Der Brockengarten im Harz: Ein Versuchs- und Schaugarten. Studio Volker Schadach, Goslar, 1999, 2006. ISBN 3-928728-40-7.