A bronze sculpture of a witch pushing a boulder at the Witches' Dance Floor (the Hexentanzplatz) in Thale, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
The Hexentanzplatz (Witches’ Dance Floor) in the Harz Mountains, the highest mountain range in northern Germany, situated high above the Bode Gorge opposite the Rosstrappe in Saxony-Anhalt. The Thale Mountain Theatre (Bergtheater Thale), one of the oldest German open air theatres established in 1903, is located here. Visitors can enjoy gondola car rides that run from Thale up to the Hexentanzplatz.
The Hexentanzplatz is an Old Saxon cult site where celebrations are held on the night of May 1 in honor of the Hagedisen, the forest and mountain goddesses.
A sacrifice stone (Opferstein), which recalls the ancient fertility rites, is exhibited in the Walpurgishalle Museum built by the painter Hermann Hendrich.
Now the Hexentanzplatz resembles a theme park that attracts several visitors, especially families. From the middle of the 19th century the Hexentanzplatz mountain hotel has been providing accommodation and other facilities to visitors. The surrounding forests offer many hiking trails in the unspoiled mountains.
