Stöberhai
Encyclopedia
The Stöberhai is a mountain the Harz
highlands in Central Germany
, immediately south of the Oder Dam
and northwest of Wieda
. At a height of it is the highest mountain in the South Harz. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is suggested, that a charcoal burner called Stöber may have had his charcoal store (Hai) here.
troops seized it for use as a ski training centre and in the following summer it was made available for those blinded in both world wars together with their families.
After the war the inter-zone bus company of P. Kühn from Berlin bought the hotel and established a regular shuttle bus service between Berlin and the Stöberhai. At the hotel was a small animal park with native wild animals. In 1980 the now empty hotel was the victim of a major fire and was never rebuilt. Its floor plate and a few old chairs were still around as evidence of the former hotel until the mid-1980s. The area was finally cleared up and a signpost erected in the middle. A small refuge hut was also built on the edge of the summit plateau - with views of Sankt Andreasberg
, the Oder valley and the mountains of Achtermann
, Wurmberg
and Brocken.
to listen into military radio traffic in East Germany. The facilities installed here were the equivalent of the station operated by the Stasi
and Soviet Union
on the Brocken.
Initially the Bundeswehr
built the Wieda outpost (Dienststelle Wieda) in 1957. Six years later the French Armed Forces followed. The installations were continually expanded. With the completion of the 75 m high concrete tower in 1967 the complex was formally transferred to the Luftwaffe
's Communication Sector C (Fernmeldesektor C). The tower, the heart of the complex, had sixteen floors and a floor area of 750 m² as well as antenna mountings, intelligence-gathering rooms and service rooms, but also offices, accommodation and a mess. The tower was linked to other buildings and an underground nuclear bomb shelter
with alternate command post by a tunnel, which prevented observation as well as icing.
Although 14 million DM was invested in a never-completed upgrade during the time of German reunification
, the military
finally pulled out in 1992. On the summit plateau, which has an area of 28 hectares (69.2 acre), there is at present, in addition to the tower and ruins, an entrance building, a German accommodation block with its own nuclear bunker in the cellars, several garages and workshops, two French
quarters, a French operations building and four French lattice towers for electronic intelligence gathering which still carry eastwards-facing antennas.
In the years after its closure the out-of-bounds area grew into a popular (illegal) adventure playground for various leisure sports. It gained a legendary reputation for geocaching
. After years of dispute between the district and the Federal Government over the demolition costs of 3.5 million euros the Government had to bear the costs. The tower was brought down in a controlled demolition on 23 September 2005 with 38 kg of explosive (Gelamon 30 U) placed in 380 demolition holes.
The massive surveillance tower once made the Stöberhai a very prominent feature with the Harz mountains. All that is left is a relatively puny transmission tower, which is nevertheless visible from Sankt Andreasberg and the surrounding mountains.
On 23 September 2006 – exactly a year after the demolition of the concrete tower – Lower Saxony's Finance Minister, Hartmut Möllring, opened a monument commemorating the tower and electronic warfare
in general.
See also: Communication sector tower, Schneeberg (Fichtelgebirge)
(Communication sector E), Hoher Bogen
(Communication sector F)
to the summit. The financial means that had actually been set aside for the demolition of the observation tower were enough however to completely destroy this road as well. The old tarmac surface was replaced by a very rough ballast covering that even mountain bike
s have difficulty negotiating. Considerably easier for bicycles is the long, slow path along the Steina, a stream that rises on the souther side of the summit. A much steeper trail runs from Weinglastal near the former Stöberhai station up to the summit. The higher access paths are criss-crossed and linked by numerous equally negotiable branching routes.
The Stöberhai is checkpoint no. 159 in the Harzer Wandernadel
hiking network.
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...
highlands in Central Germany
Central Germany (geography)
In geography, central Germany describes the areas surrounding the central point of modern-day Germany.The town of Niederdorla, in the state of Thuringia, claims to be the most central town in Germany...
, immediately south of the Oder Dam
Oder Dam
The Oder Dam is a dam in the Harz mountains of Germany. It lies above Bad Lauterberg in the district of Osterode am Harz in Lower Saxony and impounds the river Oder. The dam went into service in 1934 after taking 3 years to build...
and northwest of Wieda
Wieda
Wieda is a municipality in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
. At a height of it is the highest mountain in the South Harz. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is suggested, that a charcoal burner called Stöber may have had his charcoal store (Hai) here.
Hotel
In 1872 the first tavern was built by a publican from Wieda on the mountain top, but it was destroyed thereafter by a fire. In 1889 the Berghotel Stöberhai was built along with an observation tower. During the Second World War it was hit by five bombs in 1943 during an air raid. In the winter of 1943/44 the German WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
troops seized it for use as a ski training centre and in the following summer it was made available for those blinded in both world wars together with their families.
After the war the inter-zone bus company of P. Kühn from Berlin bought the hotel and established a regular shuttle bus service between Berlin and the Stöberhai. At the hotel was a small animal park with native wild animals. In 1980 the now empty hotel was the victim of a major fire and was never rebuilt. Its floor plate and a few old chairs were still around as evidence of the former hotel until the mid-1980s. The area was finally cleared up and a signpost erected in the middle. A small refuge hut was also built on the edge of the summit plateau - with views of 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 Oder valley and the mountains of Achtermann
Achtermannshöhe
At , the Achtermannshöhe in the Harz National Park is the third highest mountain in Lower Saxony and the fourth highest in the Harz mountains....
, Wurmberg
Wurmberg (Harz)
At the Wurmberg is the second highest mountain in the Harz and the highest in Lower Saxony .- Geography :The Wurmberg lies north of Braunlage, in the district of Goslar, and west of Schierke. Its summit is located due south of the Brocken and roughly 400 m south of the state border with...
and Brocken.
Surveillance tower
The Stöberhai gained a degree of fame as a result of the electronic surveillance tower built as a NATO listening post. This signals intelligence facility was used during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
to listen into military radio traffic in East Germany. The facilities installed here were the equivalent of the station operated by the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on the Brocken.
Initially the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
built the Wieda outpost (Dienststelle Wieda) in 1957. Six years later the French Armed Forces followed. The installations were continually expanded. With the completion of the 75 m high concrete tower in 1967 the complex was formally transferred to the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
's Communication Sector C (Fernmeldesektor C). The tower, the heart of the complex, had sixteen floors and a floor area of 750 m² as well as antenna mountings, intelligence-gathering rooms and service rooms, but also offices, accommodation and a mess. The tower was linked to other buildings and an underground nuclear bomb shelter
Bomb shelter
A bomb shelter is any kind of a civil defense structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb.-Types of shelter:Different kinds of bomb shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives. For example, an Air-raid shelter...
with alternate command post by a tunnel, which prevented observation as well as icing.
Although 14 million DM was invested in a never-completed upgrade during the time of German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
finally pulled out in 1992. On the summit plateau, which has an area of 28 hectares (69.2 acre), there is at present, in addition to the tower and ruins, an entrance building, a German accommodation block with its own nuclear bunker in the cellars, several garages and workshops, two French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
quarters, a French operations building and four French lattice towers for electronic intelligence gathering which still carry eastwards-facing antennas.
In the years after its closure the out-of-bounds area grew into a popular (illegal) adventure playground for various leisure sports. It gained a legendary reputation for geocaching
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
. After years of dispute between the district and the Federal Government over the demolition costs of 3.5 million euros the Government had to bear the costs. The tower was brought down in a controlled demolition on 23 September 2005 with 38 kg of explosive (Gelamon 30 U) placed in 380 demolition holes.
The massive surveillance tower once made the Stöberhai a very prominent feature with the Harz mountains. All that is left is a relatively puny transmission tower, which is nevertheless visible from Sankt Andreasberg and the surrounding mountains.
On 23 September 2006 – exactly a year after the demolition of the concrete tower – Lower Saxony's Finance Minister, Hartmut Möllring, opened a monument commemorating the tower and electronic warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
in general.
See also: Communication sector tower, Schneeberg (Fichtelgebirge)
Schneeberg (Fichtelgebirge)
At , the Schneeberg is the highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge, a mountain range in Upper Franconia in northeast Bavaria, Germany. It can be readily identified from a distance by its squat tower - a relic of the Cold War...
(Communication sector E), Hoher Bogen
Hoher Bogen
Hoher Bogen is a mountain range of Bavaria, Germany....
(Communication sector F)
Walks
With the exception of the northern side, which is closed off by the Oder Reservoir, the Stöberhai is easily accessible on all sides by a number of paths. Its main access route is the tarmac road, closed to the public, that runs from Wieda up to the Stöberhai. At one time another metalled road ran from Bad LauterbergBad Lauterberg
Bad Lauterberg is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km southwest of Braunlage, and 20 km southeast of Osterode am Harz....
to the summit. The financial means that had actually been set aside for the demolition of the observation tower were enough however to completely destroy this road as well. The old tarmac surface was replaced by a very rough ballast covering that even mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
s have difficulty negotiating. Considerably easier for bicycles is the long, slow path along the Steina, a stream that rises on the souther side of the summit. A much steeper trail runs from Weinglastal near the former Stöberhai station up to the summit. The higher access paths are criss-crossed and linked by numerous equally negotiable branching routes.
The Stöberhai is checkpoint no. 159 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...
hiking network.