Goslar is such a small and peaceful city that it seems to escape the attention of the world. So why did I decide to visit this place at first? Well, Dortmund, Cologne, and most of the northwest part of the Germany suffered from heavy bombardment from the allied forces during WWII. Even though these cities all have very long histories, but they have nothing left that can display to the world its past glory. So I decided to visit a place that somehow was not touched by the War. Goslar, situated at Lower Saxony and being relatively close to Dortmund, came as a top choice.
The city's fate is tightly bound to the mining history at the Harz mountain. At 11th century, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry III, decided to build a imperial palace here so that he can oversee and control more tightly the important resources of copper and silver. He loved his new palace so much that he visited Goslar so many times, and on his deathbed, he demanded that his heart shall stay in Goslar forever. Unfortunately, with the rise and fall of the mining industry in the region, the city also underwent through times of prosperity and poverty. By the 19th century, it has lost its importance and hence its imperial status. So, quietly, this old city went to the backstage of history, which is a huge blessing for the city because it was able to skip the eyes of the Allied forces during the WWII.
Today the city is still not very well-known, even to Germans. Honestly there is nothing very exciting in Goslar, and I guess that's one main reason why there are not a lot of tourists there. This, however, allows the city to preserve its most original self. An unbelievable feeling of the Middle Age is so contagious in every corner of the city. The stone-paved narrow streets are lined up with stone or timber houses on both sides, and under the blue sky the green Harz mountain, the holy mountain for the city, is overlooking the small town. It's a place where time stops and life remains in the medieval tranquility.
There are, for example, many small, cozy, and charming boutique shops, candy stores, and bakeries. On many houses there are curly-written old German words (actually they look like the writings in the movie Lord of the Rings). And you can see local people just enjoying beer, ice cream or desserts at the old market place. The city also has an air of fairy tales. The witches in the sleeping beauty and other fairy tales all came from the Harz mountain area.
For my photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/pohanchen to see the beautiful town.
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1 comment:
Well written article.
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