The route leads to prehistoric sites in Saxony-Anhalt with astronomical reference.
The discovery of the provided the impetus for this route Nebra Sky Discwhich, within a few years, made the march from the accidental find of nocturnal grave robbers to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the aftermath of this find, targeted research and excavations were carried out, which show that there were highly developed cultures in southern Saxony-Anhalt as early as the Bronze Age, which systematically collected and evaluated astronomical findings.
This themed route connects the most important touristic places.
Stations of the sky ways
State Museum for Prehistory, Halle
- 1 State Museum for Prehistory, Richard-Wagner-Str. 9, 06114 Halle (Saale). Tel.: (0)345-524730, Fax: (0)345-5247351, Email: [email protected].
In the museum in Halle (Saale) is the Nebra Sky Disc as part of the permanent exhibition. The presentation is supplemented by, on the one hand, the findings that were found together with the sky disc and during later excavations; on the other hand, explanations and evidence on the dating, the time of origin, the astronomical knowledge at the time and, last but not least, the history of the discovery of the sky disc, a robber pistol, which can easily I went through the script for a crime thriller. In addition, the State Museum of Prehistory offers other prehistoric pieces in its permanent exhibition (including the original of the Langeneichstädt menhir) as well as exciting temporary exhibitions on various topics. The museum can be reached from the main station by tram line 7 (direction Kröllwitz), stop State Museum directly in front of the house or with lines 3 and 12, stop Reileck, from there a short walk. The museum is located in a residential area, so travelers by car (especially on weekends) will only find limited parking spaces. There are restaurants in the vicinity of the museum, as well as in the museum itself.Open: Tues-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat, Sun and public holidays 10 a.m.-6 p.m.Price: Adults: € 5.00, Reduced: € 3.00.
Arche Nebra visitor center in Wangen
- 2 Nebra Ark Visitor Center, At Steinklöbe 16, D-06642 Nebra. Tel.: (0)34461-25520, Fax: (0)34461-2552-17, Email: [email protected]. The 'visitor center in Cheeks With its futuristic architecture, everything around it shows what you can show and beam if you don't have the pane. It is close to the place where the disk was found and therefore makes clear the local and natural relationship to the Bronze Age community in which the sky disk was created. The actual location on the Mittelberg is about three kilometers away and can be reached on foot, by bike or by bus (route closed for cars). There is an observation tower with an impressive all-round view. From the Wangen train station, local public transport buses run to Arche Nebra and Mittelberg (April to October), Timetable (pdf file), Fare € 1 or a valid ticket in mdv zone 252. There is a cafeteria in the visitor center. Otherwise there are (limited) places to stop for refreshments in Wangen.Open: April – October daily 10 am–6pm, November – March, Tue – Fri 10 am–4pm and Sat / Sun / public holidays 10 am–5pm.Price: € 9.50, reduced € 5.50 (Apr-Oct); € 7.50, reduced € 4.00 (Nov-Mar).
Goseck solar observatory
- 3 Goseck solar observatory. The Solar observatory of Goseck is a ring-shaped moat with a double palisade ring made of oak trunks. Two gates point towards sunrise and sunset at the winter solstice, a third gate to the north. The angles from sunrise and sunset to summer solstice are also marked. The complex dates from around 5000 BC, older than 2000 years Stonehenge, and is one of the oldest astronomical institutions in the world. The solar observatory is located on the north-western edge of the village of Goseck. There are parking spaces on the outskirts, then it's a few meters on foot across open fields. In the village, in the old castle, there is an information center. The distance to the observatory is about one kilometer. There are also parking spaces at the castle.Open: freely accessible; Apr-Oct Sun 2:30 pm and 3:15 pm guided tours.
- 4 Goseck Solar Observatory Information Center, Burgstrasse 53 / Schloss, 06667 Goseck. Tel.: (0)3443-8206045, Fax: (0)3443-8206046, Email: [email protected]. There are two restaurants in Goseck. The best way to get here is by vehicle or bike. The Saale Valley Railway runs on the other side of the river, so the nearest train stations are Naumburg / Saale Hauptbahnhof or Weissenfels, each about 10 km away. Every hour there is a bus with no. 792 from Weißenfels, 623 from Naumburg (it is the same bus that changes the number on the way).Open: Tue-Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Apr-Oct), 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (Nov-Mar).
Grave of the dolmen goddess in Langeneichstädt
- 5 Grave of the dolmen goddess in Langeneichstädt (Large stone grave in Langeneichstädt). Tel.: (0)34632-40162. The grave of the dolmen goddess in Langeneichstädt is a Neolithic tomb near the medieval Eichstädter Warte. It consists of a burial chamber and a standing menhir, which shows the representation of a dolmen goddess (female deity) and an ax motif. The original is in the State Museum, there is a copy outside. The grave is located just under two kilometers northwest of Langeneichstädt. Local public transport ends there. Langeneichstädt station is on the Merseburg - Querfurt railway line.Open: freely accessible, guided tour by appointment.
Ring Sanctuary Pommelte
- 6 Pommelte circular moat. The ring sanctuary Pommelte is a reconstructed place of worship that dates back to the Neolithic. It consists of several rings of palisades and trenches with astronomical orientations. Openings show the position of the sun on prominent days. The chronological classification shows parallels to similar, but in stone, installations in England and is therefore advertised as "Little Stonehenge". The facility was only discovered in the 2000s through aerial photography and reconstructed in the following years. Artifacts found during excavations are in the Salzland Museum Schönebeck issued. The ring shrine itself is freely accessible. The facility is located about five kilometers east of Schönebeck. The next train station is Gnadau, two kilometers south.
route
There is no recommended or consistent order of the stations according to the logic of the stations. Therefore you can freely choose the order.
If you ride the route by bike, you can take the Saale cycle path up the hall from Halle, where you pass Goseck and after Naumburg switch to the Unstruttal cycle path, which you follow to Wangen. From the Unstruttal north to Langeneichstädt and back to Halle, if you want to go back to the starting point.
Even if it is difficult to find a parking space in Halle (Landesmuseum), the car is the easiest way to get around. But you can also travel the route well in the combination of bike / train. The railway lines to be used are Halle - Merseburg, change there to Langeneichstädt, Merseburg - Weissenfels (for Goseck), Naumburg or Freyburg - Wangen. From Wangen to Langeneichstädt it is about 20 kilometers to cycle in hilly terrain.
If you want to expand the route a little, see Bad Lauchstädt, Querfurt, Freyburg and Naumburg additional goals.
literature
- : Heavenly paths around Querfurt; Volume 1: Between the place where the sky disc was found, village idylls and castle ruins. Halle (Saale): Central German publisher, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89812-481-2 ; 152 pages.
- Meller, Harald (Ed.): The forged sky. Stuttgart: Theiss, 2004, ISBN 978-3-8062-1907-4 ; 205 pages. Exhibition catalog
