Along the Walls and Water

Honestly, we were just killing time until we could go eat, then go to bed. We were both tired, so walked around an area behind /next to the Altstadt and the imperial palace. It was a pretty area filled with half-timbered house, a waterway with a reconstructed mill, the Tin Figure Museum (maybe tomorrow, time determining), and the remnants of the outer defenses.

We found the Judenteich-- the Jews' Pond, but according to the sign nearby they don't have any idea why it was named that. It's proximity to the Jewish cemetery might be a clue. That and the nearby Kahnteich are said to be relics of when that area was a moat between the outer stone defensive wall and an inner earthern wall. Knowing that, one can see it. As this was a major imperial residence at one time, and the Saxon nobles were always staging uprisings (even when the king was one of their own), it would make sense to have elaborate defenses.

Also included the house (outside only) where the famous Romantic Era writer Goethe stayed while visiting the Harz. Yes, him again. One would think I really liked his writing, but you just can't get away from him here.Read more