There are hundreds of legends and stories telling of the devilish powers of the witches in the Harz mountains. Probably the most well-known is the mysterious Walpurgis night – on the last night of April every year witches from all over Germany meet for a witches’ dance in the Harz mountains.
The Hexentanzplatz is reputedly an Old Saxon cult site, at which pagan celebrations were held in honour of the so-called Hagedisen (forest and mountain goddesses), particularly on the night of 1 May. The place did not become known as the Hexentanzplatz until the cult was banned by the invading Christian Franks. According to tradition the site was guarded by Frankish soldiers in order to enforce the ban and they were chased off by Saxons dressed as witches and riding on broomsticks. Now it is a big tourist attraction.
The Hexentanzplatz is a home to the Harzer Bergtheater Thale, the Walpurgishalle (Walpurgis Hall), which houses a museum dedicated to the legends of the Harz region, especially in connection with Goethe’s Faust, as well as the Hexentanzplatz Animal Park and the Harzbob Alpine Coaster, which takes visitors down a kilometre into the valley on fast-paced curves.