Brockenhaus

About the museum

The three-story building on the summit of the Brocken was built from 1983 as a listening station for the East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi). Because of its antenna dome, visible from far away, it was popularly nicknamed the "Stasi mosque." After the restricted military zone on the summit was opened on December 3, 1989, a café moved in first; in 1993 it was followed by the Brockenmuseum, founded in 1991 as a branch of the Harzmuseum in Wernigerode, which until then had been housed provisionally in another radar dome.

From 1998 the building was converted and given a glass extension spanning all floors. In June 2000 it opened as the Nationalpark-Besucherzentrum Brockenhaus (national park visitor center). It is operated by the non-profit Brockenhaus GmbH, in which the State of Saxony-Anhalt and the town of Wernigerode hold stakes, and which finances itself from its own revenue.

In 2018 the exhibition section "Geschichte erleben" (Experience History) was added, covering the division of Germany and the "Urian" listening center; for this, the dome with its surviving equipment was restored and made accessible again, together with a viewing platform. In 2019 the redesigned national park floor followed, using walk-through sets, surround sound, and video panoramas to show the transformation from spruce plantation to wilderness and the habitats of the Brocken summit. A continuous accessible route and a multimedia guide in several versions make the exhibition accessible to a wide audience.

Highlights

• Dome with historic listening equipment of the former Stasi station "Urian"
• Rooftop viewing platform with panoramic views up to 200 kilometers
• Walk-through forest set on forest change in the Harz National Park
• Multimedia 3D model of the Brocken region and video panoramas of the summit habitats
• Topics ranging from the Brocken railway and broadcasting history to the opening of the border on December 3, 1989

Permanent exhibitions

• Geschichte erleben – Teilung und Spionage auf dem Brocken – This section of the exhibition examines the division of Germany and the Stasi listening center with eyewitness accounts and hands-on stations. Original listening equipment can be seen in the dome, from where visitors continue to the viewing platform.
• Nationalpark Harz und Natura 2000 – Since fall 2019, the national park floor has used a forest set, sound installations, telescope films, and large video panoramas to show how the forest and summit habitats of the Brocken are developing and why disturbance-sensitive species need protection.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Brockenhaus GmbH (gemeinnützig; Gesellschafter u. a. Land Sachsen-Anhalt und Stadt Wernigerode)

Director

Christoph Lampert

Admission & discounts

Children are admitted free with the flyer for the fairy-tale trail "Das weiße Reh" (The White Deer) (according to the national park administration).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Accessible entrance to the right of the revolving door; exhibition floors and café reachable by wheelchair-accessible elevator (key at the service counter), exhibition rooms connected at the same level. Accessible restroom with baby changing table on the first floor. The dome and roof platform are accessible only via a spiral staircase; their content is presented in the multimedia guide. The summit cannot be reached by car; accessible travel is possible on the Brockenbahn (May to October with a lifting platform, register with the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen); the last stretch of path to the building is steep.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Children's tour in the multimedia guide and hands-on stations (including on the topic of espionage). Baby changing table in the accessible restroom on the first floor (key at the ticket desk). The path from the station is partly steep and gravel.

Getting there & parking

From Brocken station, about 230 m to the building, first on the steeply rising Brockenstraße, then on a gravel path.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Cafeteria "Hexenflug" on the top floor (daily 10:00–16:30, only in connection with a visit to the exhibition) with a panoramic window; souvenir shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit