Oberharzer Wasserregal

Located in the beautiful western Harz Mountains, you can marvel at a very special cultural landscape: the 400-year-old water system of reservoirs, watercourses and ditches is now an integral part of the natural landscape. The area near Clausthal-Zellerfeld is best explored on foot.

The ingenious system was created primarily to utilise hydropower for mining, which was only completely discontinued in 1930. In addition to the man-made waterways, the infrastructure at the time also included numerous dams and waterworks. In 2010, the water management system was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with other Harz World Heritage Sites. Today, the costs of maintaining the ponds, lakes and ditches are covered by the income from leasing them to fishing clubs and providing drinking water.

Thanks to a foundation, visitors, tourists and interested parties have the opportunity to learn more about the history of the structures and the mining region by means of information boards and guided tours along many marked hiking trails. Detailed information and exhibits can also be found in the World Heritage Information Centres and in the Upper Harz Mining Museum in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. It is one of the oldest museums of technology in Germany. In the coming years, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is to be further developed for tourism.

In addition to its historical significance, the main focus today is on nature conservation and recreation. Some of the ponds and lakes are open for swimming in the summer months. The bodies of water also serve as retention areas that can be used for flood protection purposes in the event of an emergency. All in all, this World Heritage Site is surrounded by beautiful nature with lots of forest and greenery, making the Upper Harz Water Regal well worth a visit.

Nature and culture lovers will therefore get their money's worth with a visit to the region and it is the interplay between human civilisation, progress and the naturalness of the surroundings that makes this cultural landscape something special.