– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Welcome to the Harz, one of Germany's favorite getaway spots.

Known for half-timbered towns, palaces, castles and plenty of myths.

And of course, stunning nature and rich forests.

Actually – but look at this!

Man, that's rough.

In recent years, the forests here have suffered greatly, with many

trees dying due to climate change, drought and pests,

such as bark beetles.

But tourists still flock to the Harz.

I will show you what you can see here, plus some really smart ideas

to save the forest.

We start our journey in the town of Wernigerode.

It's known for its castle on the mountain, its historic town hall

and the Old Town with its many colorful half-timbered houses.

Wernigerode is also called "the colorful town in the Harz."

The forest dieback hasn't seemed to dissuade tourists from visiting.

Witches are popular souvenirs here.

According to legend, they meet in the Harz Mountains to dance.

Wernigerode is a good starting point

for exploring the Harz Mountains.

This low mountain range is located between Hanover and Berlin.

Other well-known towns besides Wernigerode

include Goslar and Nordhausen.

The National Park covers about 10% of the Harz region

and has massively been affected by forest dieback.

In the middle of the park is the Brocken mountain,

which we will visit.

The historic steam locomotives

are a tourist attraction in the Harz Mountains.

You shouldn't miss them.

This is the narrow-gauge railway.

It goes up to the highest peak here in the Harz,

the Brocken, right in the National Park. Let's go.

A trip on this steam-powered train is quite an experience.

It's not exactly cheap: a round-trip ticket costs 43 euros.

And tickets can sell out quickly in peak season,

so buy them online in advance.

The trip up to the summit of the Brocken takes just under 2 hours.

So there is plenty of time for me to tell you some facts.

Here is a crash course on the Harz Mountains.

The Harz Mountains are a hikers paradise, known for their dense, dark,

almost fairy-tale-like spruce forests.

Maybe that's why so many legends are set here.

One takes place on this mountain plateau:

witches is are said to meet with the devil here,

which is why the place is also called "Hexantanzplatz"

or witches' dancing area.

You can hike up or take the cable car.

The Rappbode Dam is the place to be for all adrenaline junkies.

Attractions include the 483 meter-long suspension bridge

and the mega zipline.

Goslar, a medieval gem,

is one of the most beautiful towns in the Harz Mountains.

Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Rammelsberg mine is another UNESCO site.

Or and silver were mined in the Harz Mountains as early as 1,000 years ago.

This required an enormous amount of wood.

Beech, lime, and oak trees were cut down and replaced

by fast-growing spruce trees.

So the mystical spruce forests are in fact a centuries old monoculture

that has now become the Harz Mountains undoing.

The train has now covered a considerable distance.

At first, it passed through lush green forests.

But the higher we climb, the more eerie it becomes.

We're basically passing through a dead landscape.

Sometimes it looks like in an apocalyptic movie.

The dead forest is also called the "silver forest".

There are a few green trees here and there,

but the extent of the forest dieback is truly frightening.

The summit is coming into view.

We'll be there soon.

On the summit of the Brocken, there is a weather station,

a radio and television transmission tower,

but there is also a hotel, a restaurant

and, of course, the summit stone.

Anyone who has biked or hiked for two or three hours to get here

has earned a photo to commemorate their achievement.

But does that also apply to those who have traveled here by train?

I'd say taking a picture at the summit is a must, regardless!

The Harz Mountains aren't very high, just a low mountain range.

But the weather here can be wild.

The Broken is known for strong winds and storms.

Due to the harsh climate the tree line up here is at 1,100 meters,

which means the Brocken's bare summit

is not the result of forest dieback.

I'm meeting Roland Pietsch, director of the Harz National Park.

Roland tells me millions of spruce trees have died – about 80% of all

trees in the national park.

A disaster!

But there is hope.

A new natural mixed forest is growing among the dead wood.

Humans are intervening as little as possible.

After all, that's the purpose of a national park:

to let nature do its thing.

I ask some tourists.

While you're up here, you should also visit the Brockenhaus museum,

which tells the story of the division of Germany,

among other things.

GDR border guards were stationed on the Brocken because the border

separating East and West Germany ran below the summit.

The Brocken had been a restricted military area since 1961

and was closed to visitors.

The Stasi hit a radio monitoring station under this dome.

It had a range of more than 500 kilometers,

reaching as far as the US base in Ramstein in West Germany.

Fortunately, the Cold War has been over for 34 years.

You also have a great view from the Brockenhaus.

That's it for me up here.

We'll continue down in the valley.

I have an appointment with a ranger from the national park.

Robbie has been working with the national park team

for more than 30 years.

He offers regular guided tours through the old and new forests.

You can join one of these tours, they are full of surprises.

I expected to see endless rows of dead trees, but instead I found

meadows full of colorful flowers.

In addition to colorful meadows, there's lots of dead wood,

so-called tree corpses.

It takes years for a dead tree to decompose completely.

Until then, it's a perfect breeding ground for new life.

It is still too early to say whether and when a large dense forest

will grow around the Brocken again.

But there are already many new tree species.

Our last stop is the Ilse valley,

where centuries old beech trees still stand.

This is what the forests in the Harz Mountains looked like

before they fell victim to the mining industry.

Maybe one day they will look like this again.

A hiking trail follows the Ilse river, which is steeped in legend.

Long ago, a beautiful princess named Ilse fell deeply in love with a knight.

But a jealous witch destroyed their castle.

Since then, the river has borne the princess's name and its waters still

flow around the ruins of the lovers' lost home.

The Harz is worth a trip – not despite, but because of the changes

you can see here right up close.

The forests in the Harz Mountains appears to be recovering.

However, what happens in the coming decades will also depend on

how severe the effects of climate change will be.

And what about where you live?

Are there any places facing climate change

that are trying to reinvent themselves?

Let me know and drop it in the comments.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
forest /ˈfɒrɪst/ A1	noun - a large area of land covered with trees
mountain /ˈmaʊntən/ A1	noun - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level
town /taʊn/ A1	noun - a built-up area with a name, government, and usually incorporated with definite boundaries
tourist /ˈtʊərɪst/ A1	noun - a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure
climate /ˈklaɪmət/ B1	noun - the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different verb - to make or become different
tree /triː/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height
park /pɑːrk/ A1	noun - a piece of open land for recreational use in a urban area
summit /ˈsʌmɪt/ B2	noun - the highest point of a hill or mountain
visit /ˈvɪzɪt/ A1	verb - to go to a place in order to see it noun - an instance of someone going to see a person or place
hike /haɪk/ B1	noun - a long walk in the country or mountains verb - to take a long walk, especially in the country
legend /ˈledʒənd/ B1	noun - a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated
castle /ˈkæsəl/ A2	noun - a large building or group of buildings fortified against attack with thick walls, towers, and usually a moat
railway /ˈreɪlweɪ/ B1	noun - a track made of rails for trains or trams to travel on
dieback /ˈdaɪbæk/ C1	noun - the dying back of aerial parts of a plant from the tip inward; often associated with a specific disease
national /ˈnæʃənəl/ A1	adjective - relating to a nation; common to or characteristic of a whole nation
weather /ˈweðə/ A1	noun - the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, humidity, and wind verb - to become affected by exposure to weather
natural /ˈnætʃərəl/ A1	adjective - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind
dead /dɛd/ A1	adjective - no longer alive
ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/ B1	adjective - having lived or existed for a very long time; very old

Key Grammar Structures

• Known for half-timbered towns, palaces, castles and plenty of myths.

  ➔ Past participle used as an adjective

  ➔ The phrase 'half-timbered towns' uses 'half-timbered' as an adjective, formed from the past participle of the verb 'to timber'.

• In recent years, the forests here have suffered greatly, with many trees dying due to climate change, drought and pests, such as bark beetles.

  ➔ Present perfect + present continuous for ongoing situations

  ➔ The sentence uses 'have suffered' (present perfect) to indicate an ongoing situation started in the past, and 'dying' (present continuous) to show an action happening now.

• According to legend, they meet in the Harz Mountains to dance.

  ➔ Present simple in a timeless context

  ➔ The present simple 'meet' is used here to describe a habitual or timeless action according to legend.

• The National Park covers about 10% of the Harz region and has massively been affected by forest dieback.

  ➔ Present perfect passive

  ➔ The phrase 'has been affected' uses the present perfect passive to show an action that happened in the past with results visible now.

• A trip on this steam-powered train is quite an experience.

  ➔ Indefinite article with uncountable noun

  ➔ The phrase 'quite an experience' uses the indefinite article 'an' before the uncountable noun 'experience'.

• But there is hope. A new natural mixed forest is growing among the dead wood.

  ➔ Present continuous for actions happening now

  ➔ The phrase 'is growing' uses the present continuous to indicate an action that is happening now.

• Maybe one day they will look like this again.

  ➔ Future simple with 'will' for predictions

  ➔ The phrase 'will look' uses the future simple with 'will' to make a prediction about the future.