The Großer Knollen is a 688 metres (2,257 ft) high mountain in the southwestern part of the Harz

Harz

The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...

 in Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

, 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...

.

Geography

The Großer Knollen is located northeast of Herzberg am Harz

Herzberg am Harz

Herzberg am Harz is a town in the Osterode district of Lower Saxony, Germany.- History :Herzberg castle was first mentioned in 1154. The town was part of the state of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, and the castle was for some time used as a residence by the dukes...

 and Scharzfeld

Scharzfeld

Scharzfeld is a village in the borough of Herzberg am Harz in the district of Osterode am Harz in South Lower Saxony, Germany.Scharzfeld lies at a height of about 220 m above sea level and has 1,765 inhabitants ....

, north of Bad Lauterberg im Harz and south of the hamlet of Sieber

Sieber (Herzberg am Harz)

Sieber is a village in the borough of Herzberg am Harz in the district of Osterode am Harz in South Lower Saxony .Sieber lies at a height of 340 m above sea level and has about 600 inhabitants . The settlement is spread out over a length of several kilometres in a narrow valley, running from...

. It is surrounded by several other mountains and hills that range in height between 550 and 650 m above mean sea level. Just under 1 km away to the southwest the Kleiner Knollen

Kleiner Knollen

The Kleiner Knollen is a 631 metre high mountain in the southwestern part of the Harz in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The Kleiner Knollen is located east of Herzberg am Harz, northeast of Scharzfeld, northwest of Bad Lauterberg im Harz and south of Sieber. It is dominated by...

 rises to a height of 631 m.

Observation tower

From the roughly 20 m high observation tower

Observation tower

An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...

, which stands next to the inn

INN

InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...

 on the summit of the Großer Knollen, there is a view not only over the mountain peaks of the Harz, but also southwards to the Rotenberg and Eichsfeld

Eichsfeld

The Eichsfeld is a historical region in the southeast of Lower Saxony and northwest of Thuringia in the south of the Harz mountains...

. In good conditions visitors can even see as far as the Thuringian Forest

Thuringian Forest

The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...

 to the south.

Walking

Numerous walking trails radiate from the summit, including paths to Bad Lauterberg, Herzberg, Scharzfeld, Sieber and Sankt Andreasberg

Sankt Andreasberg

Sankt Andreasberg is a town and a former municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2011, it is part of the town Braunlage. It is situated in the Harz, approximately 7 km west of Braunlage proper, and 20 km east of Osterode am Harz.- History :Sankt...

. The roughly 12 km long path to Sankt Andreasberg runs over a crest over 600 m high with many wonderful views.

The Großer Knollen is checkpoint no. 150 in the Harzer Wandernadel

Harzer Wandernadel

The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...

 walking trail network.

Geology

The Großer Knollen is a porphyritic

Porphyritic

Porphyritic is an adjective used in geology, specifically for igneous rocks, for a rock that has a distinct difference in the size of the crystals, with at least one group of crystals obviously larger than another group...

 volcano. When climbing the mountain walkers can see to the side of the path in places the reddish colouring in the rock that is due to the volcanic rock, porphyry

Porphyry (geology)

Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...

.

See also: List of mountains and hills of Lower Saxony

External links

• Information about the Großer Knollen