Lonau
Encyclopedia
Lonau is a small village with a population of about 345 situated at an elevation of about 400m in the Harz Mountains of Northern Germany. Besides the clean air and lush forests, it is famous for the capercaillie
.
It belongs to the city of Herzberg am Harz
which is about 4 km to the south. The river Lonau
starts here at the confluence of the Große
and Kleine Lonau
.
Lonau was first mentioned in the records in ducal tax documents from 1615, although a smithy in Lonau had been named in 1525.
at a height of 355 to 430 m above sea level and has 345 inhabitants (as at 1 October 2006).
The village is divided into three areas: Unterdorf, Kirchtal and Mariental. The Church of St. Michael is roughly in the centre of the village at the junction of all three districts. The Kleine Lonau
stream flows through Mariental and the Große Lonau
through Kirchtal. After merging in the village centre the river is known as the Lonau
and flows down the esst Lonau valley to Herzberg.
Surrounding mountains include the Heuer to the southwest, the Braakberg
to the west and north, the Großer Mittelberg to the northeasat, the Langfast
to the east and the Großer Teichtalskopf to the south.
, the surroundnig beech woods, the parish church and the Lonau Waterfall, which is actually in Herzberg. For holidaymakers there are several restaurants, a campsite, the spa park, a lido and a minigolf course.
At least five checkpoints in the Harzer Wandernadel
system are easily reached on foot from Lonau:
Kastanienplatz (no. 149), Köte am Schindelkopf (no. 143), Hanskühnenburg
(no. 144), Waidmannsruhe (no. 148) and the Großer Knollen
(no. 150).
References:
Capercaillie
The Western Capercaillie , also known as the Wood Grouse, Heather Cock or Capercaillie , is the largest member of the grouse family, reaching over 100 cm in length and 6.7 kg in weight. The largest one ever recorded in captivity had a weight of 7.2 kg....
.
It belongs to the city 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...
which is about 4 km to the south. The river Lonau
Lonau (river)
The Lonau is a roughly 3.5 km long tributary of the Sieber. It starts in Lonau, formed by the confluence of the Große and Kleine Lonau. It then flows in a southerly direction to Herzberg am Harz, where it discharges into the Sieber after the Lonau Waterfall....
starts here at the confluence of the Große
Große Lonau
The Große Lonau is the left headstream of the River Lonau in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Course :It rises at an elevation of 730 m in the vicinity of the Hanskühnenburg on the ridge of Auf dem Acker. Then it flows mostly in a south-southwest direction to Lonau, where it merges with the Kleine Lonau to...
and Kleine Lonau
Kleine Lonau
The Kleine Lonau is one of the two headstreams of the Lonau in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Course :It rises at a height of 650 metres and flows through the Mariental valley to Lonau, where it merges with the Große Lonau to form the River Lonau. It is about 4.2 km long and 1.8 km shorter than the other...
.
History
The village of Lonau goes back to a settlement that was established here as a consequence of the setting up of iron ore mines and iron smelting huts at the beginning of the 16th century.Lonau was first mentioned in the records in ducal tax documents from 1615, although a smithy in Lonau had been named in 1525.
Geography
Lonau lies in the South Harz, in the middle of the Harz National ParkHarz 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...
at a height of 355 to 430 m above sea level and has 345 inhabitants (as at 1 October 2006).
The village is divided into three areas: Unterdorf, Kirchtal and Mariental. The Church of St. Michael is roughly in the centre of the village at the junction of all three districts. The Kleine Lonau
Kleine Lonau
The Kleine Lonau is one of the two headstreams of the Lonau in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Course :It rises at a height of 650 metres and flows through the Mariental valley to Lonau, where it merges with the Große Lonau to form the River Lonau. It is about 4.2 km long and 1.8 km shorter than the other...
stream flows through Mariental and the Große Lonau
Große Lonau
The Große Lonau is the left headstream of the River Lonau in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Course :It rises at an elevation of 730 m in the vicinity of the Hanskühnenburg on the ridge of Auf dem Acker. Then it flows mostly in a south-southwest direction to Lonau, where it merges with the Kleine Lonau to...
through Kirchtal. After merging in the village centre the river is known as the Lonau
Lonau (river)
The Lonau is a roughly 3.5 km long tributary of the Sieber. It starts in Lonau, formed by the confluence of the Große and Kleine Lonau. It then flows in a southerly direction to Herzberg am Harz, where it discharges into the Sieber after the Lonau Waterfall....
and flows down the esst Lonau valley to Herzberg.
Surrounding mountains include the Heuer to the southwest, the Braakberg
Braakberg
The Braakberg is a 645.5 metre high mountain in the Harz in central Germany, which lies about 2.4 km north of Lonau in the district of Osterode am Harz in the state of Lower Saxony. To the north the Braakberg transitions into the ridge known as Auf dem Acker...
to the west and north, the Großer Mittelberg to the northeasat, the Langfast
Langfast
The Langfast is a ridge in the district of Osterode am Harz in North Germany.This ridge, with a height of , is located in theSouth Harz mountains between Herzberg am Harz and Sieber....
to the east and the Großer Teichtalskopf to the south.
Tourism and sights
Lonau is mainly visited in summer by holiday walkers and in winter by cross country skiers. The main sights in and around Lonau are the capercaillie enclosure (Auerhahngehege), the mountain inn of HanskühnenburgHanskühnenburg
The Hanskühnenburg is a mountain hut in the Harz mountains. It is located at a height of above sea level in fields known as Auf dem Acker, or simply Acker, in the middle of the Harz National Park and has its own observation tower...
, the surroundnig beech woods, the parish church and the Lonau Waterfall, which is actually in Herzberg. For holidaymakers there are several restaurants, a campsite, the spa park, a lido and a minigolf course.
At least five checkpoints 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...
system are easily reached on foot from Lonau:
Kastanienplatz (no. 149), Köte am Schindelkopf (no. 143), Hanskühnenburg
Hanskühnenburg
The Hanskühnenburg is a mountain hut in the Harz mountains. It is located at a height of above sea level in fields known as Auf dem Acker, or simply Acker, in the middle of the Harz National Park and has its own observation tower...
(no. 144), Waidmannsruhe (no. 148) and the Großer Knollen
Großer Knollen
The Großer Knollen is a high mountain in the southwestern part of the Harz in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The Großer Knollen is located northeast of Herzberg am Harz and Scharzfeld, north of Bad Lauterberg im Harz and south of the hamlet of Sieber...
(no. 150).
References: